KEN THOMAS
Associated Press
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Barack Obama’s former campaign manager and White House senior adviser David Plouffe is joining car service startup Uber as it seeks to expand in cities worldwide.
Plouffe will serve as Uber’s senior vice president of policy and strategy, bringing a campaign mindset to a company that has faced resistance in some U.S. cities from the taxi industry and regulators.
“Uber has been in a campaign but hasn’t been running one. That is changing now,” Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said in a blog post announcing Plouffe’s hiring.
Uber uses a mobile application to connect riders with vehicles for hire. The San Francisco-based company has run into opposition from taxi industry groups which accuse it of lowering prices to knock out competition.
Plouffe was the architect of Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign and a top White House adviser as Obama won re-election.
He is expected to remain on the board of directors for the Barack Obama Foundation, which is selecting a location for Obama’s presidential library, but will depart the advisory board for Organizing for Action, a group advocating for Obama’s policies.
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