Uber hires former Obama adviser Plouffe

8/19/2014
ASSOCIATED PRESS

WASHINGTON — 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.

Uber uses a mobile application to connect riders with vehicles for hire. The San Francisco-based company has faced resistance in some U.S. cities from the taxi industry and regulators who have accused 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 the president sought re-election.

Announcing Plouffe’s hiring, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick says the company “has been in a campaign but hasn’t been running one. That is changing now.”