Clinton’s tech chief defends comments on Uber economy

Hillary Clinton’s campaign is firing back at the Republican field after comments she made about the so-called sharing economy drew criticism from some GOP presidential candidates. 

Stephanie Hannon, Clinton’s chief technology officer, wrote in a Medium post Monday night that few in her tech circle stand with any Republican presidential candidate. 

{mosads}“As the campaign unfolds, the tech community will continue to see that Hillary is fighting to defend the issues that matter most to them,” Hannon wrote, citing gay marriage, immigration reform, climate change and the economy. 

“The Republicans who are attacking Hillary’s speech today have the opposite agenda — very few technologists I know stand with them,” she added.

The technology industry represents a major donor class for both Republicans and Democrats in the run-up to 2016. 

Hannon was hired by Clinton’s operation in April. Before that she worked as the director of product management for civic innovation and social impact at Google. She has had various roles at Google, Facebook, Eventbrite and Cisco over the last two decades. 

Hannon wrote that she was surprised by the pushback to Clinton’s economic speech, calling Clinton’s comments “common sense.”

Clinton stopped short of criticizing any specific company like Uber or Lyft in her remarks on Monday but said that while those companies are unleashing innovation, they also raise “hard questions about workplace protections and what a good job will look like in the future.”

Both ride-sharing companies are battling lawsuits from former employees who want the companies to classify drivers as full-time employees and not just contractors.

“As we navigate uncharted seas in this new economy, Hillary wants to guarantee that all workers are being protected and rewarded for their hard work. She’s not calling out specific sectors, or any one company, but is addressing an economy-wide problem that has existed for years,” Hannon said, also mentioning the construction, janitorial and agricultural industries. 

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) called Clinton’s comments “out of touch,” while Jeb Bush’s campaign said the proposals in her economic speech Monday would harm companies like Uber.