General Motors President Dan Ammann is stepping down from the board of directors at ride-hail firm Lyft.
Ammann's departure comes two years after GM formed a partnership with Lyft that included investment and a seat on the board. Ammann will be replaced by Maggie Wilderotter, a former CEO of Frontier Communications who serves on the boards of Costco, Wholesale Corp., Hewlett Packard Enterprise, Cadence Design Systems, and DocuSign.
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"Maggie is a world-class executive who brings a wealth of experience to Lyft's board," Lyft CEO Logan Green said in a statement. "We are delighted to welcome her to Lyft as our second independent director. We also want to thank Dan Ammann for his service on the Lyft board."
The initial cooperation between Lyft and GM centred on GM leasing cars to Lyft drivers, with the possibility of closer cooperation in developing driverless cars in the long-term.
Analysts note, however, that Lyft also partnered with GM rival Ford and others. Ammann's decision to leave the board reflects a relationship that has become more unsettled in terms of Lyft's strategic direction and partnerships. GM has also partnered with Cruise Automation, reflecting the growing fragmentation of the sector in terms of developers in automated drive technology as well as their interaction with ride-hail operators and platforms.
"We continue to be pleased with our investment in Lyft," GM spokesman Dave Roman said in a statement. "This board change has no impact on our investment."
See also:
Ford and Lyft plan Ford self-driving vehicles by 2021
Magna/Lyft to collaborate on self-driving systems
Aptiv/Lyft to present self-driving rides at CES 2018
Google parent mulls investment in Lyft – reports
