He refuses to 'take a backseat to' anyone. [=he refuses to let anyone have more power or control than he has]
Several members of the board of directors have accused him of being a 'backseat driver'.
(..) she changes her pantyhose. - No. - Oh, yeah. - What did you do? - I threw the meter, you know. I jump in the backseat, whip it out, and I say, "You know what this is?" She says, "It's love." I'm gonna f$ck her brains out. She goes wild. And she said, "It's the greatest (..)1976 Taxi Driver