Never in a million years did Nelle Pierson think she would end up working for Uber. Travis Kalanick’s Uber, Susan Fowler’s Uber, the Uber that spent the past two years entangled in lawsuits. Uber the “disruptor”, Uber, the bastion of the neu-tech bro. The Uber whose “independent contractor” drivers treat bike lanes as convenient parking spots.

She had no reason to think she would, in any case. Pierson has loved bicycles since she started riding around her Denver neighborhood as a kid. She has loved cycling activism since college, when she learned about climate change and vehicle emissions and decided she wanted to be able to snowboard with her grandkids. After school, she spent seven years at the Washington Area Bicyclist Association, spearheading efforts to encourage more women in the District to cycle. She believes bikes line the path to equitable transportation systems for all. Her Twitter name is “Nellë Helmëts Arent Thë Answër Pierson.” She has a bike tattoo over her heart.

So Pierson is almost befuddled herself by her current gig, as a marketing lead at the e-bike- and -scooter-share company Jump, which was acquired by Uber last spring for some $200 million. “I would never guessed that I would be working for Uber Technologies, Incorporated, on bicycles,” Pierson says. “I would never have guessed that I would be working for the biggest ride-share company doing the thing I care about most.” And she’s not alone.

As companies like Uber, Lyft, Lime, Bird, and Spin bring the ways of tech to bikes and scooters, they have recruited former cycling, street safety, and urbanism advocates to help them out. Scott Kubly, former head of Seattle’s Department of Transportation, is now chief program officer at Lime. Paul Steely White, who had a very occasional habit of getting arrested while protesting for safer streets, left the New York City advocacy group Transportation Alternatives and became Bird’s director of safety policy and advocacy.

Tech unicorns bedeviled by local cultures, politics, and regulations benefit from the aid and relationships of experienced advocates. They want well-maintained hardware and well-trained mechanics, sure, but also safer streets and better infrastructure, to encourage more folks to give riding a try. This requires seeing cities as partners, not obstacles. Veteran transportation advocates, now advising new colleagues on creating partnerships with community groups, sitting down with government officials, and hammering out urban policy, can be extra instructive there.

For those advocates, though, the pairing can be uneasy. Companies like Uber, Lyft, Bird, and Lime have made enemies of some city governments and communities by sidestepping public approval processes—the opposite of grassroots activism. (And when bike-lovers do resort to guerrilla tactics, it’s to make a point, not a profit.) And it’s not clear whether these companies are a net-positive for the environment, or even urban transportation systems. Research suggests Uber and Lyft actually add to downtown traffic, and calls into question whether the services truly allow riders to ditch the headache and expense of their own personal cars.

Still, the new breed of tech-powered advocates see serious upside to having well-funded allies. “Selling out” comes with access to sprawling platforms and budgets for pro-climate, pro-cycling, and pro-street safety work.

“I think we're about to unlock so much potential, to tap into this latent demand in cities for better transportation options, more transportation options, that mean, frankly, less time in the car,” says Caroline Samponaro, who left her position as the deputy director at Transportation Alternatives after 12 years last spring. She now works at the head of bike, scooter, and pedestrian policy at Lyft, which bought North America’s largest bike-share operator last year and now runs scooter-share services, too. “To me, this my life's work,” she says. “So the fact I get to be at Lyft helping to be a part of that and lead that, it's just so cool.” For Sampanaro and others, the math is simple: Same goals, more funding, bigger microphone.