Meg Whitman
Born 1956 · Age 69
American business executive, diplomat and politician; long-time CEO of eBay (1998–2008) and Hewlett-Packard/Hewlett Packard Enterprise (2011–2018); 2010 Republican candidate for Governor of California; U.S. Ambassador to Kenya (2022–2024).
Compare Your Trajectory
See how your career milestones stack up against Meg Whitman and other industry leaders.
Life & Career Timeline
Born in Cold Spring Harbor, New York
Margaret Cushing Whitman born to Margaret Cushing (Goodhue) and Hendricks H. Whitman Jr.
Graduated Cold Spring Harbor High School (in 3 years)
Completed high school after three years; originally planned to be a doctor.
A.B. in Economics, Princeton University
Graduated with honors (A.B.) in economics; switched major after working selling advertising for Business Today.
Joined Procter & Gamble as brand manager
Began corporate career in brand management at Procter & Gamble in Cincinnati.
Married Griffith R. Harsh IV
Married Griffith R. Harsh IV (neurosurgeon); the couple later had two sons.
Joined Bain & Company (consulting)
Moved to California with husband and joined Bain & Company as a consultant; rose through ranks (vice president / senior roles). (Some sources give slightly different date ranges.)
Joined The Walt Disney Company (senior marketing role)
Served as vice president of strategic planning / senior vice president of marketing in Disney's consumer-products division; helped with Discover magazine acquisition and international retail expansion.
President of Stride Rite division
Moved to Boston area and became a division president at Stride Rite, revitalizing lines such as Keds.
CEO, Florists' Transworld Delivery (FTD)
Named president & CEO of FTD; oversaw conversion from cooperative toward a private, profitable company amid internal resistance.
General Manager, Playskool Division at Hasbro
Oversaw global management and marketing of Playskool and Mr. Potato Head; imported Teletubbies to the U.S.
Joined eBay as President & CEO
Accepted CEO role at eBay when the company had ~30 employees and roughly $4M in annual revenue; prepared company for rapid growth and IPO.
eBay Initial Public Offering (IPO)
Led eBay through IPO (initial public offering sold at $18 per share and closed sharply higher), catalyzing her personal wealth stake and enabling company expansion.
Acquisition: Butterfield & Butterfield
eBay purchased Butterfield & Butterfield to expand into fine art and higher-end auctions (date in 1999).
Appointed to Goldman Sachs Board
Named to Goldman Sachs' board of directors; later controversy arose over shares received in IPOs (spinning); she resigned from the board in Dec 2002.
Donated $30M to Princeton (Whitman College)
Donated $30 million to Princeton University; Whitman College was later named for the gift (college completed in 2007).
eBay acquires PayPal (~$1.5B)
PayPal became a wholly owned subsidiary of eBay in 2002; transaction valued at ~$1.5 billion.
eBay revenue and growth milestones (early-2000s)
Under Whitman's leadership eBay grew into the mainstream: tens of millions of users, rapidly rising revenues and transaction volume (e.g., by 2003 billions of dollars in GMV).
eBay acquires Skype (~$4.1B)
eBay completed purchase of Skype for approximately $4.1 billion in cash and stock.
Founded family charitable foundation
Established the Griffith R. Harsh IV and Margaret C. Whitman Charitable Foundation by donating 300,000 shares of eBay stock (~$9.4M at time).
Foundation assets reported ($46M first year)
By the end of its first year the Griffith R. Harsh IV & Margaret C. Whitman Foundation had ~$46M in assets and had begun disbursing grants.
Resigned as eBay CEO
Stepped down as CEO of eBay in November 2007; stayed on board and as advisor to successor John Donahoe until late 2008.
Inducted into U.S. Business Hall of Fame
Recognized for business leadership and achievements (inducted in 2008).
Advisor role at eBay ends (late 2008)
Concluded advisory role at eBay in late 2008 after stepping down as CEO in 2007.
Announced 2010 run for Governor of California
Declared candidacy for Governor of California as a Republican; campaign heavily self-funded.
Listed as one of California's wealthiest women ($1.3B)
In 2010 she was listed as the fifth-wealthiest woman in California with an estimated net worth of ~$1.3 billion.
Self-funded gubernatorial campaign ($144M personal)
Spent $144 million of her personal fortune on the 2010 gubernatorial race; campaign spent $178.5M total. In 2010 Forbes/records listed her net worth at ~$1.3B.
Published 'The Power of Many' (co‑author)
Co‑authored The Power of Many: Values for Success in Business and in Life (2010) with Joan O'C. Hamilton.
Won Republican nomination for California governor
Won the June 8, 2010 Republican primary; first woman to win a Republican gubernatorial nomination in California.
Housekeeper/immigration controversy emerges
In September 2010 it was revealed Nicky Diaz Santillan had worked in the Whitman household while undocumented (2000–2009), sparking controversy during the campaign.
Lost general election for California Governor (to Jerry Brown)
Defeated in November 2, 2010 general election by Jerry Brown 54% to 41%; conceded late that night at 11:35 pm.
Appointed to Hewlett-Packard board of directors
Joined HP's board in January 2011 (preceded later appointment as CEO).
Part‑time special adviser at Kleiner Perkins
Joined Kleiner Perkins as a part-time special adviser (March 2011).
Named CEO of Hewlett-Packard
Announced as HP's chief executive on Sept. 22, 2011; committed to refocusing R&D and retaining the PC business.
HP Autonomy write-down ($8.8B)
HP announced an $8.8 billion write-down related to its 2011 acquisition of Autonomy; led to prolonged legal and public controversy.
Bloomberg labels 'Most Underachieving CEO' (ranking)
Bloomberg LP included Whitman among CEOs whose stocks underperformed vs. the market since their tenures began (May 2013 ranking).
Featured repeatedly on Forbes' Most Powerful Women lists
Multiple appearances and recognition on Forbes' '100 Most Powerful Women' lists across years (including #20 in 2014).
Named #20 on Forbes' 100 Most Powerful Women
Forbes listed Whitman 20th on its List of the 100 Most Powerful Women in the World (2014).
Oversaw Hewlett-Packard split into HP Inc. and HPE
Led HP through the structural split into two publicly traded companies: HP Inc. (PCs/printers) and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (services/infrastructure); became CEO of HPE.
Stepped down as Chair of HP Inc.
On July 26, 2017, Whitman stepped down as chair of HP Inc. while remaining CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise.
Announced resignation as CEO of HPE (effective Feb 1, 2018)
On Nov. 21, 2017 Whitman announced she would step down as HPE CEO effective Feb. 1, 2018; Antonio Neri named successor.
Joined board / investment in esports (Immortals Gaming Club)
Invested in and joined the board of Immortals Gaming Club, an esports organization (2018).
Invested in esports and sports franchise
Expanded personal investments into sports and gaming: Immortals Gaming Club (2018) and FC Cincinnati minority stake (2019).
Rejoined / served on notable corporate and nonprofit boards
Served on boards including Procter & Gamble, eBay Foundation, Summit Public Schools, DreamWorks (service continued until ~2009 for some) and later served with Zipcar, Teach for America and SurveyMonkey (dates vary).
Agreed to become CEO of NewTV (later Quibi)
After leaving HPE, agreed to lead Jeffrey Katzenberg's short-form mobile video venture (NewTV, later Quibi).
Purchased minority stake in FC Cincinnati (MLS)
Acquired a minority ownership stake in FC Cincinnati and became the club's Alternate Governor on MLS Board of Governors.
Spoke at the 2020 Democratic National Convention
Appeared and spoke in support of Joe Biden at the 2020 Democratic National Convention (she is a former Republican who supported Democrats in 2016 and 2020).
Made substantial support for Biden 2020
Reportedly donated more than $500,000 in support of Joe Biden's 2020 presidential campaign.
Quibi closes a $400M funding round
Quibi closed an additional ~$400 million funding round to support its launch and operations (reported early 2020).
Quibi initial investment (approx. $1.75B)
Quibi had been backed with roughly $1.75–1.8 billion in initial investor capital
Quibi launched
Quibi launched its short-form mobile-first streaming app in April 2020 with high-profile content and backers.
Quibi valuation falls; company considers sale (~$500M)
By September 2020 Quibi was reportedly valued near $500M while exploring sale or acquisition after failing to meet subscriber targets.
Quibi ceases operations
Quibi announced it was ceasing operations roughly six months after launch (October 2020).
Nominated as U.S. Ambassador to Kenya
President Joe Biden nominated Whitman to be United States Ambassador to Kenya on December 8, 2021.
Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearings on ambassadorship
Hearings on her nomination to be ambassador to Kenya were held before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee (May 24, 2022).
Nomination reported favorably by Senate committee
Senate Foreign Relations Committee favorably reported her nomination (June 9, 2022).
Confirmed by U.S. Senate as Ambassador to Kenya
Confirmed by voice vote in the Senate (July 14, 2022).
Criticism over comments on Kenya's 2022 election
Attracted public criticism in Kenya for comments calling the 2022 Kenyan election 'the freest and fairest' despite reported irregularities, provoking calls from opposition for her recall.
Presented credentials as U.S. Ambassador to Kenya
Presented credentials to President Uhuru Kenyatta and formally began duties (August 5, 2022).
Estimated net worth (reported estimates vary, 2024)
Various sources estimated Whitman's net worth in the 2020s ranging widely; some reports (non-Forbes) placed it around ~$5 billion by 2024 — this is an estimate with low-medium confidence.
Allegations of not signing diplomatic human-rights admonition (June 2024 protests)
Reported that Whitman did not sign a joint diplomatic statement admonishing abductions and killings during Gen Z protests in Kenya; she defended her decision as inappropriate participation due to other content in the statement.
Resigned as U.S. Ambassador to Kenya following 2024 U.S. election
Presented resignation after the election of Donald Trump; resignation took effect in November 2024 (serving Aug 2022–Nov 2024).
Appointed non‑executive director of CoreWeave
Announced appointment as a non-executive director of CoreWeave (reported March 2025).
Key Achievement Ages
Explore what Meg Whitman and others achieved at these notable ages:
Similar Trajectories
Albert Bourla
Born 1961 · Age 64
Greek-American veterinarian and businessman; chairman and CEO of Pfizer. Joined Pfizer in 1993, led multiple business units, became CEO Jan 1, 2019, and led Pfizer's COVID-19 vaccine effort with BioNTech.
Dan Loeb
Born 1961 · Age 64
American investor, activist hedge-fund manager and philanthropist; founder & CEO of Third Point LLC (founded 1995).
Ricky Gervais
Born 1961 · Age 64
English comedian, actor, writer, television producer and filmmaker; co-creator of The Office and long-term collaborator with Stephen Merchant. Prominent stand-up, podcaster, actor and host of multiple Golden Globes.
Mary Barra
Born 1961 · Age 64
American businesswoman; Chair and CEO of General Motors (first female CEO of a Big Three automaker). Longtime GM executive with four-decade career in engineering, product development and corporate leadership.
Michael O'Leary
Born 1961 · Age 64
Irish businessman, Group CEO of Ryanair, known for pioneering a low-cost airline model and for outspoken public commentary.
Bill Walsh
Born 1961 · Age 64
Irish airline executive; former CEO of Aer Lingus, British Airways and International Airlines Group (IAG); Director General of the International Air Transport Association (IATA).