Aug 21, 2020 - Technology

Lyft exec: "Our drivers do not want to be employees"

Marisa Fernandez

Axios CEO Jim Vandehai (l) and Lyft Chief Policy Officer Anthony Foxx. Photo: Axios

In one of his first interviews since ride-sharing companies won its court order delay in California, Lyft's Chief Policy Officer Anthony Foxx tells Axios that drivers "don't want to be employees and want more flexibility."

The big picture: An appeals court in California Thursday granted Uber and Lyft a stay on an injunction that would have forced the companies to reclassify drivers as employees.

What he's saying: "We’re focused on what our drivers want and what they really want is independence plus benefits," Foxx said on Friday during an Axios virtual event on the Future of Transportation & COVID-19.

"Policymakers are finding themselves with an old toolset that doesn’t quite adapt to the 21st century and what we need is a new toolbox so to speak sot hat we can make all work meaningful whether it’s employment or whether it’s independent contracting and this moment represents an opportunity to do that."

The other side: California attorney general Xavier Becerra, who filed the lawsuit the resulted in the injunction, tweeted this week: "Companies can both classify their workers as employees and continue fostering the innovation that we deeply value as a state. For any company to suggest otherwise is a false choice."

Lyft sponsored Friday's event.

Watch here.

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Lyft exec: "Our drivers do not want to be employees"

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