Uber Applied sciences Inc.’s chief authorized officer Tony West, the brother-in-law of Vice President Kamala Harris, is taking a short lived go away of absence from the corporate to volunteer in her presidential bid.
West will go away the corporate Aug. 17. to volunteer within the marketing campaign in his private capability, Uber mentioned Friday in a regulatory submitting, with out naming Harris’ presidential bid or a return date. In an e-mail West despatched to the corporate seen by Bloomberg Information, he confirmed he can be becoming a member of the vice chairman’s marketing campaign.
“While I love my job, my team, and the positive impact Uber has on the world, I have always believed family comes first,” West wrote. “So I’ve decided to dedicate myself full-time to supporting my family and my sister-in-law on the campaign trail.”
West mentioned he received’t have a proper function or title with the marketing campaign, nor will he be paid. “I’ll be acting as a family-member surrogate, one who can speak about the vice president from the perspective of someone who’s known her for decades,” he mentioned. West mentioned he intends to return to Uber after the marketing campaign.
West joins because the Harris presidential marketing campaign is within the midst of including key advisers and searching for a vice presidential nominee. West, a former affiliate lawyer common in the course of the Obama administration, is married to Maya Harris, the vice chairman’s youthful sister. He has incessantly been seen by the facet of the vice chairman since she turned the presumptive Democratic Get together nominee for president after President Joe Biden dropped his reelection bid on July 21, in keeping with an Axios report Thursday.
West performed a key function throughout Harris’ ill-fated effort to win the celebration’s 2020 presidential nomination, which was co-managed by Harris’ sister. West joined San Francisco-based Uber in 2017 as senior vice chairman, chief authorized officer and company secretary. Earlier than that, he was company secretary and government vice chairman of snack and beverage firm PepsiCo Inc.
At Uber, West has been concerned in high-profile authorized circumstances and settlements with state attorneys common to maintain the corporate’s drivers categorised as impartial contractors somewhat than workers, serving to defend Uber’s core enterprise mannequin.
Katie Waitzman, chief deputy common counsel, will assume West’s duties as common counsel, and Elizabeth Coleman, deputy common counsel and deputy company secretary, will assume West’s duties as company secretary throughout his go away, Uber mentioned within the submitting.
