Uber dominates the nascent industry for ride-hailing services, a business it pioneered. The San Francisco company has been valued at as much as $69 billion by private investors who envision Uber replacing taxi services throughout the world and extending its reach into same-day delivery and other businesses. But Uber's path to glory has hit some major bumps this year, amid reports of gender discrimination and sexual harassment, a string of executive departures and an acrimonious lawsuit by Waymo, the self-driving car firm spun out of Google, which has accused Uber of stealing its technology. Uber began the search for a COO in March, after Travis Kalanick, the company's embattled Chief Executive, acknowledged that he needed leadership help.