President Donald Trump is expected to nominate Lyft General Manager Derek Kan as under secretary of transportation for policy, Reuters reports. Kan also serves on the board of directors at Amtrak and previously worked as policy adviser to Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, who just so happens to be married to Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
“Derek is a valued member of our team and we wish him luck in whatever path he chooses,” Lyft spokesperson Adrian Durbin said in an emailed statement to TechCrunch.
As under secretary, Kan would be responsible for providing policy guidance as it relates to cars, airplanes, railroads and all other forms of transportation. A White House spokesperson said Kan is a highly qualified nominee, and, if appointed, would work with Secretary Chao on Trump’s agenda to modernize and rebuild the country’s transportation system.
Kan’s expected nomination comes shortly after Lyft President John Zimmer referred to the company as “woke” in comparison to Uber. In case you missed it, Uber has been under heavy scrutiny for its CEO Travis Kalanick’s involvement with Trump during the earlier days of Trump’s presidency. Uber is also currently embattled in a lawsuit with Google’s Waymo and is still trying to recover (though, it probably never will) from the sexual harassment allegations from earlier this year.
“Lyft claims to be the ‘woke’ alternative but then why are their executives off working for Trump while they cut driver pay in a race to the bottom with Uber?” Independent Drivers Guild Executive Director Ryan Price said in a statement. “Lyft has refused driver council meetings that have led to favorable changes to dispatch procedures for Uber drivers and they still don’t have a process for drivers to appeal if they are kicked off the app. While their tipping policy is great, Lyft engages in the same kind of manipulation as Uber and still has a lot of work to do with drivers.”