Uber Picks Up Lyft's Former COO Travis VanderZanden left one San Francisco-based ridesharing company for another.
By Catherine Clifford •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Uber and Lyft have reportedly been engaging in some shady competition for each other's drivers, but now they are going after each other's executives.
Less than two months after leaving his post as Lyft's COO, Travis VanderZanden has joined ridesharing front-runner Uber. The company indicated he would assist with Uber's expansion into other countries.
"We are thrilled to welcome Travis to Uber. After he left his previous employer, we talked to Travis and it was clear his experience and skills would help us strengthen our operations as we grow, expand and evaluate markets internationally," Uber said in a statement.
Related: Lyft COO Exits, Says Controversial NYC Launch Isn't the Reason
VanderZanden left Lyft in August shortly after the company's controversial launch in New York City. He insisted his departure had nothing to do with the Big Apple rollout.
His appointment at Uber comes as the company continues to eye new goals and markets. Just last week, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick talked about his vision for using Uber technology to take a million cars off the road. Kalanick was at the Institute of Directors Annual Conference in London, but the company's blog post summarizing his speech hinted at Uber technology spreading to Rio and Singapore. And the company has said previously that it intends to be "everywhere."
Related: Lyft and Uber Trade Barbs Over Cancelled Rides
