Next eBay CEO chosen by process of elimination
eBay CEO Meg Whitman could announce plans to retire as soon as today's earnings call. The most likely candidate to replace her? Consensus suggests auctions chief John Donahoe. But how'd that happen? A quick look at other viable contenders shows Donahoe's candidacy owes much to the process of elimination. Here's how the discarded contenders stack up.
Candidate: Jeff Jordan
Resume: Former Disney exec.
Credentials: Came in with Whitman. Ran PayPal and eBay's North American operations.
Why it won't happen: Jordan got the ax 18 months ago, after blame settled on his shoulders for an eBay slowdown three years ago. Now he runs OpenTable.
Candidate: Bill Cobb
Resume: Former PepsiCo exec.
Credentials: When Cobb got the gig of president of eBay North America, Whitman made it known he'd eventually compete for her job.
Why it won't happen: Not too long ago, Cobb lowered listing fees, flooding the eBay market with cheap goods. This slowed the auction giant's growth and lead some analysts to call for the company to embrace the role of "value" stock. That's not what eBay's board or shareholders want. Also, Cobb already reports to Donahoe.
Candidate: Rajiv Dhutta
Resume: Head of worldwide sales for semiconductor firm KLA-Tencor.
Credentials: Former CFO and head of strategy now runs the PayPal division.
Why it won't happen: He also used to run Skype after championing its acquisition. So that's that.
