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This article was published on July 22, 2015

Celebs are endorsing Uber in a totally authentic grassroots campaign against NYC Mayor [Update: It worked]

Celebs are endorsing Uber in a totally authentic grassroots campaign against NYC Mayor [Update: It worked]
Lauren Hockenson
Story by

Lauren Hockenson

Lauren Hockenson
Story by

Lauren Hockenson

Reporter

Lauren is a reporter for The Next Web, based in San Francisco. She covers the key players that make the tech ecosystem what it is right now. Lauren is a reporter for The Next Web, based in San Francisco. She covers the key players that make the tech ecosystem what it is right now. She also has a folder full of dog GIFs and uses them liberally on Twitter at @lhockenson.

Uber is in the middle of a nasty fight with NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio over a potential limit to the number of drivers on city streets. The company already sent de Blasio to the burn unit over a shady dig at the idea deployed right in the app. And now celebrities are expressing their outrage on Twitter via the “grass roots” hashtag #UberMovesNYC.

One notable tweet came from actor (and Uber Sky customer) Neil Patrick Harris, which has been retweeted more than 400 times:

Model Kate Upton also weighed in:

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As did CNBC’s Amanda Drury, who has written extensively about how she uses the service to chauffeur her kids around town:

But it’s not just a busy news anchor, a former TV child doctor and a medieval-themed casual game spokesmodel that are tweeting their rage at the stubborn de Blasio: a VC from Uber investor Kleiner Perkins Caulfield and Byers, Uber investor Nihal Mehta, and even an Uber employee are getting into the activism — clearly with nothing to gain from de Blasio’s decision whatsoever.

New York City Council is expected to vote on the measure tomorrow.

Update: It seems like having friends in high places has helped Uber out in a time of need, as The New York Times reports that Mayor de Blasio has backed away from the Uber cap for now. According to the article, the city will conduct a four-month study on Uber’s effect on the city. So the company isn’t out of the woods quite yet.

Read Next:Uber just threw some serious shade at NYC Mayor de Blasio for attempting to cap its growth