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A week after Google’s former communications head cleaned house at Uber, Rachel Whetstone has already made a new hire: Niki Christoff.
Christoff joins Uber from Google, where she had spent eight years running the East Coast media team and supervising former Google CEO Eric Schmidt’s press appearances. Christoff worked for Senator John McCain’s 2008 presidential campaign and has worked as a litigator in DC.
Christoff joins Uber as Director of Public Policy, Federal Affairs, and Communications right after Whetstone laid off more than a dozen employees on the communications and policy team, with several choosing to leave on their own.
Christoff is just one of a recent string of Google hires:
A quick LinkedIn search reveals more than 300 Xooglers now at Uber. Uber declined to comment on the story.
The concept of employees from legacy tech companies jumping ship to hot startups isn’t new, but the number of high-profile leaks from Google to Uber is likely starting to hit some nerves. The move, especially of top policy heads, also signals a stronger political offensive from Uber. Silicon Valley is already attracting many former politicos to be the bridge between DC and the Valley.
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