Former GE CEO Immelt out of running to lead challenged Uber

Former General Electric CEO Jeffrey Immelt has taken himself out of the running to lead Uber as the ride-hailing giant seeks to overcome its ethical scandals and turn itself into a profitable business.

Immelt announced Sunday on Twitter: “I have decided not to pursue a leadership position at Uber.” He added that he has “immense respect” for the company and its founders.

Uber’s fractured eightmember board has been meeting this weekend to find a new leader. Immelt was among the finalists for job.

One faction within the board, led by Silicon Valley venture capital firm Benchmark Capital, wanted Hewlett Packard Enterprise CEO Meg Whitman, who several times publicly disavowed any interest. The group had hoped to persuade her to jump aboard, but Whitman would have none of it. On Friday, she reiterated that she’s not interested, saying through a spokesman that she has no plans to meet with the Uber board. Her previous disinterest remains, said HP Enterprise spokesman Henry Gomez.

Uber has been plagued much of the year by highprofile missteps including allegations of espionage and deceit, and revelations of rampant sexual harassment and bullying among employees. The company also has been rocked by management upheaval. All of the problems caused co-founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick to step down from the leadership post in June, leaving the job vacant.