Ashton Kutcher, Neil Patrick Harris and Kate Upton have more in common than simply wealth, fame and facial symmetry.
This week, all three celebrities took to Twitter to lash out at New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio for pushing a bill that would put limitations on the number of cars Uber can operate at any given time in the city. And it appears their voices were heard: This afternoon, de Blasio dropped the proposal.
Of course, celebrities were hardly the only ones fighting. Uber has been aggressively – and creatively -- attacking the bill for some time. In addition to traditional television spots, the ridesharing company launched a "de Blasio" app feature meant to rally support among New Yorkers. (Located next to traditional Uber options such as uberX and uberBLACK, app users who click on the "de Blasio option" are informed: “This is what Uber will look like in NYC if Mayor de Blasio’s Uber cap bill passes.” In other words: If de Blasio gets his way, there won't be any rides left.)
Actor Neil Patrick Harris and supermodel Kate Upton weighed in this afternoon. Collectively, the two have more than 19 million followers:
Related: What Uber Has Learned About Expansion, Hurdles and Growing Pains
Of course, there's been speculation that the sudden celeb-fueled outpouring of support isn't happenstance.
In New York City, which has a population approaching 8.5 million, Uber is threatening the legacy world of yellow taxi cabs. Last month, while there were more than 14 million yellow taxi cab pickups, there were also nearly 3.5 million Uber pickups. The disparity is big, but with Uber on a tear, it's hard to envision a scenario where it doesn't narrow.
Related: 5 Entrepreneurial Lessons From Uber on Its 5-Year Anniversary
For those interested, here's Kutcher's tweetstorm in full:
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