Family ties get complex: Top politician caught between drivers and Silicon Valley
A high-ranking official supported ride-share drivers strike while having close family member in companyʼs leadership. This created an interesting situation in Silicon Valley about 5 years ago
Back in 2019 Silicon Valley saw some real worker-management issues‚ when ride-share drivers wanted better work deals. The situation got extra-interesting because of some family connections
During her presidential run Kamala Harris made her position clear on social-media: she backed the drivers (who were asking for more money and perks from companies like Uber and Lyft)
Standing with the thousands of Uber and Lyft drivers across the country striking today
But heres where it gets tricky: her brother-in-law Tony West was working as Ubers top legal person - fighting against what the drivers wanted. As senior vice-president and chief counsel he had to deal with worker demands while his family member spoke up for the other side
The whole thing showed how tech-industry problems can create some awkward family dinner conversations; especially when one relative works in big-tech management and another supports worker rights in public statements
