Uber Wants To Hire A Politics Expert To Help The Car Startup Fight The Taxi Industry
"We're in a political campaign, and the candidate is Uber and the opponent is an an [expletive] named Taxi," Uber CEO Travis Kalanick said on stage at the Code Conference in May.
Kalanick has since been in talks with people like Democratic strategist Howard Wolfson. He's the candidate who has gotten furthest along in the hunt, according to Re/Code's sources. The talks between Wolfson and Uber have reportedly ended, though.
Uber already has the former deputy commissioner for policy and planning at the New York Taxi and Limousine Commission, Ashwini Chhabra, working for the startup. But Kalanick is still trying to beef up his staff.
"Kalanick needs a counselor, a manager and an executor of his intention to grow everywhere," one of Re/Code's sources said. "The person he picks will say a lot about Uber's future."
Meanwhile, Lyft is dealing with regulatory issues regarding its launch in New York. On Monday, a judge ruled that Lyft can continue to operate as it has been in Rochester and Buffalo. But for now, Lyft cannot launch in New York City. The court is reconvening on Friday.