Meg Whitman facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Meg Whitman
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Whitman in 2022
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| United States Ambassador to Kenya | |
| In office August 5, 2022 – November 13, 2024 |
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| President | Joe Biden |
| Preceded by | Kyle McCarter |
| Succeeded by | Marc Dillard Chargé d'affaires |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Margaret Cushing Whitman
August 4, 1956 Huntington, New York, U.S. |
| Political party | Republican |
| Spouse |
Griffith R. Harsh
(m. 1980) |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Princeton University (AB) Harvard University (MBA) |
Margaret "Meg" Cushing Whitman (born August 4, 1956) is an American businesswoman and diplomat. She served as the United States Ambassador to Kenya from 2022 until November 2024. Before becoming an ambassador, Whitman was the president and CEO of eBay from 1998 to 2008. She also led Hewlett Packard Enterprise as CEO from 2011 to 2015. Later, she was the CEO of Quibi from 2018 to 2020.
Whitman is a member of the Republican Party. She ran for governor of California in 2010 but lost to Jerry Brown. She supported Republican Mitt Romney in his presidential campaigns in 2008 and 2012. However, she later supported Democrats Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020 for president.
In the 1980s, Whitman was a vice president at The Walt Disney Company. In the 1990s, she worked as an executive for companies like DreamWorks, Procter & Gamble, and Hasbro. During her 10 years at eBay, she helped the company grow a lot. It went from having 30 employees and $4 million in yearly income to over 15,000 employees and $8 billion in yearly income.
In December 2021, President Joe Biden chose Whitman to be the United States Ambassador to Kenya. She was approved in July 2022 and started her job the next month. She resigned from this role in November 2024.
Contents
Early Life and School
Meg Whitman was born in Cold Spring Harbor, New York. Her parents were Margaret Cushing and Hendricks Hallett Whitman Jr. She went to Cold Spring Harbor High School and finished in 1974.
She first wanted to be a doctor and studied math and science at Princeton University. But after working for a magazine called Business Today, she decided to study economics instead. She earned her degree from Princeton in 1977. Then, she got her Master of Business Administration (M.B.A.) from Harvard Business School in 1979.
Whitman is married to Griffith Harsh IV, who is a neurosurgeon. They have two sons. Whitman has lived in Atherton, California, since 1998. A student residence hall at Princeton University, called Whitman College, was named after her because she donated $30 million to the university.
Business Career
First Jobs
Whitman started her career in 1979 at Procter & Gamble in Ohio. She then worked as a consultant at Bain & Company, where she became a senior vice president.
In 1989, Whitman became vice president of strategic planning at the Walt Disney Company. Later, she worked at Stride Rite Corporation and became president and CEO of Florists' Transworld Delivery in 1995.
From 1997, she was the general manager for Hasbro's Playskool Division. In this role, she managed and marketed children's brands like Playskool and Mr. Potato Head. She also helped bring the British children's TV show Teletubbies to the U.S.
Leading eBay
Whitman joined eBay in March 1998. At that time, eBay was a small company with only 30 employees and about $4 million in yearly income. When she started, the website was very simple and even crashed for eight hours on her first day. She worked to make the site better and built a new team of leaders.
Under her leadership until 2008, eBay grew a lot. It expanded to about 15,000 employees and earned $8 billion in yearly income. In 2002, PayPal became part of eBay. Whitman resigned as CEO of eBay in November 2007 but stayed on the board for a while.
She has received many awards for her work at eBay. Fortune magazine named her one of the most powerful women several times.
Working at Hewlett-Packard
In January 2011, Whitman joined the board of directors at Hewlett-Packard (HP). She became the CEO of HP on September 22, 2011. One of her big decisions was to keep HP's PC business, which her predecessor had thought about selling.
In 2017, Whitman stepped down as the chair of HP Inc.'s board. She also announced in November 2017 that she would step down as CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) in February 2018.
Quibi App
Whitman was the CEO of Quibi, a mobile app that offered short videos for smartphones. The app launched in 2020 but closed just five months later. Many people thought the app failed because of its idea and because Whitman lacked experience in the entertainment industry.
Other Boards and Investments
Whitman has served on the boards of many companies and organizations. These include the eBay Foundation, Procter & Gamble, and DreamWorks SKG. She also joined the boards of Zipcar, Teach for America, and SurveyMonkey.
She has also invested in sports. In 2018, she invested in the eSports team Immortals Gaming Club. In 2019, she bought a part of FC Cincinnati, a soccer team in MLS.
Biden Administration Role
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On December 8, 2021, President Joe Biden chose Meg Whitman to be the United States Ambassador to Kenya. After hearings and approval, she officially started her role on August 5, 2022.
During her time as ambassador, Whitman faced some criticism in Kenya. Some opposition leaders felt her comments about the 2022 election were too political. In November 2024, after the U.S. election, Whitman announced her resignation as ambassador.
Giving Back
Meg Whitman and her husband, Griffith Harsh, started a charitable foundation in 2006. They donated a large amount of eBay stock to it. The foundation supports various causes, including the Environmental Defense Fund.
In 2011, their foundation gave $2.5 million to Summit Public Schools, which runs several charter schools. As of 2020, Meg Whitman is the national board chair of Teach for America, an organization that helps bring good teachers to schools in need.
Political Career
Supporting Presidential Campaigns
Whitman supported Mitt Romney in his 2008 and 2012 presidential campaigns. She helped raise money for him. After Romney left the 2008 race, she joined John McCain's campaign.
In the 2016 Republican primary, Whitman supported Chris Christie. When Christie later supported Donald Trump, Whitman disagreed. She then endorsed Hillary Clinton for president, saying it was important to put "country first before party." She also spoke at the 2020 Democratic National Convention to support Joe Biden for president.
Running for Governor
On February 10, 2009, Whitman announced she would run for governor of California in the 2010 election. She won the Republican primary on June 8, 2010. This made her the first woman to run for governor in California on the Republican ticket.
Her campaign spent a lot of money, much of it from her own personal funds. She lost the election to Jerry Brown. On November 2, 2010, Whitman accepted her defeat, saying, "We've come up a little short."
Voting History
In 2010, it was reported that Whitman had not voted for 28 years in California. She called her voting record "inexcusable" and apologized for it. She explained that for many years, she was not as involved in politics as she should have been.
Goldman Sachs Connections
Whitman had connections to Goldman Sachs, a large investment bank. She had served on their board of directors. She later resigned from the board to avoid any appearance of a conflict of interest. She also stated that if she were elected governor, she would sell her Goldman Sachs stock and put her investments managed by them into a blind trust.
Political Views
While running for governor, Whitman focused on three main goals: creating jobs, reducing state government spending, and improving California's K-12 education system.
Environment
Whitman said she would have paused California's climate change law, the Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006 (AB 32), for a year to study its economic effects. This law aims to cut greenhouse gas emissions by 30 percent by 2020. She called it a "job-killer." However, she opposed Proposition 23, which would have delayed AB 32. She believed Proposition 23 did not balance job protection with environmental needs.
On water issues, she opposed further limits on water supply in the Central Valley.
Immigration
Whitman said that Arizona's approach to illegal immigration, like Arizona SB 1070, was not the right way to solve the problem. She also said she would have voted against Proposition 187 in 1994, which concerned illegal immigrants. She stated that illegal immigrant students should not be allowed to attend state-funded colleges. In 2009, Whitman called for "a path to legalization" for illegal immigrants.
Marriage
During her 2010 campaign, Whitman supported Proposition 8, which defined marriage as between one man and one woman in California. However, in 2013, she changed her view. Whitman stated that the legal arguments since then had changed her mind. She now believes that gay and lesbian couples should be allowed to adopt children.
Infrastructure
Whitman did not support the California High-Speed Rail project. She believed the state could not afford it due to financial problems. Her opponent, Jerry Brown, supported the project.
Awards
In 2017, Whitman was the main speaker at Carnegie Mellon University's graduation ceremony. She also received an honorary doctorate degree from the university.
See also
- List of richest American politicians
Images for kids
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Whitman in 2022
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Whitman speaking at eBay Live, 2005.
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Whitman speaking at a conference in 2009.
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Whitman speaking with Agriculture Deputy Secretary Jewel H. Bronaugh in 2022.
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Whitman with then-governor Mitt Romney in 2007
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Whitman's campaign sign for Governor of California
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Whitman (far right) at a conference with John T. Chambers, governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, and U.S. Senator John McCain in 2008.
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