Former eBay CEO making run for California governor

Meg Whitman, the former president and CEO of online giant eBay Inc. , Monday dipped her toe into the water of state politics by announcing that she is exploring whether to make bid for the Republican nomination for governor of California. The creation of the exploratory committee is the first step in seeking a run for the post.

Whitman, 52, has been testing her political chops since retiring after a 10-tear stint atop eBay . She moved on to become co-chair of Sen. John McCain 's unsuccessful presidential campaign. During a debate, McCain had said he was considering Whitman for the treasury secretary post if he won the election.

Dan Olds , principal analyst with the Gabriel Consulting Group, said Whitman's experience in Silicon Valley would make her an interesting candidate for California's governor.

"Whitman's long and successful leadership of eBay will help her with voters," said Olds. "She has proven that she can manage a large and growing organization and keep it healthy in good times and bad. Given the current economic crisis, which is particularly acute in California, I believe voters are looking for pragmatic leaders with proven economic experience."

And, he added, "Whitman worked on McCain's economic team, and even though he lost, it was a valuable experience for her. It helped her get her feet wet and make contacts that will be valuable to her in a potential California gubernatorial run."

Stuart Williams, a senior analyst at Technology Business Research Inc. , said that running a company like eBay takes a lot of talent and a strong understanding of the technology industry, which is an important part of growing California's sluggish economy.

"After careful consideration and with tremendous loyalty to our Golden State, I have formed an exploratory committee, the first step in the process of running for Governor in 2010," Whitman said in a statement. "California faces challenges unlike any other time in its history -- a weak and faltering economy, massive job losses, and an exploding state budget deficit. California is better than this, and I refuse to stand by and watch it fail. Now is the time for people across the state to join in a cause for change, excellence and a new California."

Whitman retired from eBay in March 2008. Her campaign noted that during her tenure there, eBay grew from a startup with 30 employees, US$4.7 million in revenue, and 300,000 users to a global business with more than 15,000 employees, almost $8 billion in revenue, and more than 300 million registered users.