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Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Uber CEO Travis Kalanick added to President-elect Trump’s Strategic and Policy Forum

US President-elect and environmental foil Donald Trump set up a Strategic and Policy Team on December 2nd made up of business leaders and chaired by Stephen Schwarzman Chairman, CEO and Co-Founder of Blackstone Financial Services. Most of the people on the original board were folks from traditional American “Blue Chip” companies including Mary Barra, Chairman and CEO of General Motors.

Today, Along with Pepsi CEO Indra Nooyi, untraditional transportation leaders were added to the list: Tesla/SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and Travis Kalanick, CEO and Co-Founder of Uber were announced via press release.

Musk, of course, has worked with Trump donor/supporter/transition team member Peter Thiel previously while both led PayPal, and subsequently made most of the seed money for Tesla when it was sold to Ebay.

Trump has said repeatedly that he would keep an open mind on environmental policy and the environment, but his appointments so far have been an unmitigated disaster. Among them are Rex Tillerson, Exxon CEO for Sec. of State, Scott Pruitt for EPA, and former Texas Governor Rick Perry for Energy Secretary, just to name a few.

The announcement comes as a group of technology leaders descended on Trump tower in New York City in what the NY Times is calling a Who’s Who of Silicon Valley.

Trump’s meetings so far have been very hush hush but the topic of conversation is expected to focus on jobs.

Full press release follows:

President-Elect Donald J. Trump Announces Travis Kalanick of Uber, Elon Musk of SpaceX and Tesla, and Indra Nooyi of PepsiCo to Join President’s Strategic and Policy Forum ………

(New York, NY) – President-elect Donald J. Trump today announced that three additional members will join the President’s Strategic and Policy Forum: Travis Kalanick, CEO and Co-founder of Uber Technologies; Elon Musk, Chairman and CEO of SpaceX and Tesla; and Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo.

Earlier this month, President-elect Trump established the President’s Strategic and Policy Forum and announced an initial round of 16 members. The Forum, which is composed of some of America’s most highly respected and successful business leaders, will be called upon to meet with the President frequently to share their specific experience and knowledge as the President implements his economic agenda. The Forum will be chaired by Stephen A. Schwarzman, Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder of Blackstone.

“America has the most innovative and vibrant companies in the world, and the pioneering CEOs joining this Forum today are at the top of their fields,” said President-elect Trump. “My Administration is going to work together with the private sector to improve the business climate and make it attractive for firms to create new jobs across the United States from Silicon Valley to the heartland.”

Members of the Forum will be charged with providing their individual views to the President — informed by their unique vantage points in the private sector — on how government policy impacts economic growth, job creation and productivity. The Forum is designed to provide direct input to the President from many of the best and brightest in the business world in a frank, non-bureaucratic and non-partisan manner.

With today’s announcement of three additional members, the individuals on the Forum now include:

Stephen A. Schwarzman (Forum Chairman), Chairman, CEO, and Co-Founder of Blackstone;
Paul Atkins, CEO, Patomak Global Partners, LLC, Former Commissioner of the Securities and Exchange Commission;
Mary Barra, Chairman and CEO, General Motors;
Toby Cosgrove, CEO, Cleveland Clinic;
Jamie Dimon, Chairman and CEO, JPMorgan Chase & Co;
Larry Fink, Chairman and CEO, BlackRock;
Travis Kalanick, CEO and Co-founder, Uber Technologies;
Bob Iger, Chairman and CEO, The Walt Disney Company;
Rich Lesser, President and CEO, Boston Consulting Group;
Doug McMillon, President and CEO, Wal-Mart Stores, Inc.;
Jim McNerney, Former Chairman, President, and CEO, Boeing;
Elon Musk, Chairman and CEO, SpaceX and Tesla
Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO of PepsiCo;
Adebayo “Bayo” Ogunlesi, Chairman and Managing Partner, Global Infrastructure Partners;
Ginni Rometty, Chairman, President, and CEO, IBM;
Kevin Warsh, Shepard Family Distinguished Visiting Fellow in Economics, Hoover Institute, Former Member of the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System;
Mark Weinberger, Global Chairman and CEO, EY;
Jack Welch, Former Chairman and CEO, General Electric;
Daniel Yergin, Pulitzer Prize-winner, Vice Chairman of IHS Markit;

Background on the Additional Members of the Forum Announced Today

Travis Kalanick, CEO and Co-Founder Uber Technologies. Travis Kalanick is a serial entrepreneur and the CEO and co-founder of Uber. A Los Angeles native, he learned to code in middle school and studied engineering at UCLA. When he was still a student, Travis founded Scour, the first peer-to-peer search engine. He went on to start Red Swoosh, which was acquired by Akamai Technologies in 2007. In 2008 Travis and Garrett Camp dreamt of being able to get a ride at the push of a button on their smartphones. They soon made that dream a reality when they launched Uber, a global ridesharing service that has revolutionized the way people move, work and live in more than 450 cities and 80 countries around the world.

Elon Musk, Chairman and CEO, SpaceX and Tesla. Elon Musk co-founded Tesla Motors in 2003. As Chairman and CEO of that company, he oversees Tesla’s product strategy — including the design, engineering and manufacturing of more and more affordable electric vehicles for mainstream consumers. Mr. Musk also serves as Chairman and CEO of SpaceX, which he founded in 2002 to revolutionize space technology. SpaceX designs, manufactures and launches advanced rockets and spacecraft. Prior to Tesla and SpaceX, Mr. Musk started the Internet companies Zip2 and PayPal. Mr. Musk received a B.A. in physics from the University of Pennsylvania.

Indra Nooyi, Chairman and CEO, PepsiCo. Indra Nooyi is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of PepsiCo. PepsiCo’s main businesses include Quaker, Tropicana, Gatorade, Frito-Lay and Pepsi-Cola. With more than $63 billion in annual net revenue, and more than $35 billion in the United States alone, PepsiCo makes hundreds of enjoyable foods and beverages that are loved throughout the world. PepsiCo is the largest Food and Beverage Company in the US, with approximately 110,000 employees and 100 manufacturing plants across the country. Its employees are based in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. She holds a B.S. from Madras Christian College, an M.B.A. from the Indian Institute of Management in Calcutta and an M.P.P.M. from Yale University.

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Avatar for Seth Weintraub Seth Weintraub

Publisher and Editorial Director of the 9to5/Electrek sites. Tesla Model 3, X and Chevy Bolt owner…5 ebikes and counting


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