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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
World
Stephanie Kirchgaessner, Felicity Lawrence and Johana Bhuiyan

The Uber campaign: how ex-Obama aides helped sell firm to world

David Plouffe Uber Jim Messina Barack Obama Mark MacGann Jane Hartley Travis Kalanick David Axelrod United States France
Former White House aides David Plouffe and Jim Messina
Former White House aides David Plouffe (left) and Jim Messina played key roles in Uber’s expansion. Composite: Guardian Design/Alamy

It was a Sunday afternoon in early November 2015 when David Plouffe emailed his fellow former Barack Obama campaigner Matthew Barzun, typing “Mr ambassador” in the subject line.

Plouffe was working for Uber, and Barzun had been rewarded for his fundraising efforts for the US president with the plum job of American ambassador to the UK.

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