Anthony Foxx, former Secretary of Transportation under President Obama, has accepted a job at Lyft. In a post, he discusses why.
Before his time at the White House, Anthony Foxx also served as mayor of Charlotte, North Carolina. In a Medium post, he touts that breadth of experience as a boon to his new employer, Lyft. As Chief Policy Officer and a top advisor to the company's leaders, Foxx will help the rideshare firm navigate regulatory challenges.
As Secretary of Transportation, Foxx was a firm advocate of technological solutions to transportation challenges, urging cities to adopt new methods through programs like the Smart City Challenge. He writes, "If we're not careful, sheer population growth and slow adaptation of technologies that might otherwise relieve congestion, create more connections and increase economic access will limit our potential as a nation."
Foxx also adds a personal touch, writing about how his grandparents, who raised him, persevered in a society where owning a car was the only way to get around. "We were lucky to have a car. I saw so many nearby families who did not. How much more discretionary money might my family have had if we never owned a car — if there had been a way to pay for the trips they needed instead of the car itself? Lyft is, at its core, a transportation company. It wants to offer solutions we did not see back in those days."
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