October 24, 2016

Silicon Valley Goes to Washington

Introduction

President Obama has teamed up with Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg to promote entrepreneurship as an engine of job growth. Zach Gibson/The New York Times

Silicon Valley is rapidly gaining influence in Washington. The top five tech companies spent more than double what the top five banks did in lobbying last year, and a number of high-profile government employees have decamped to the tech world, and vice versa. But the government has long been “behind the times” on certain technological advancements, and some argue that a revolving door between Silicon Valley and Washington could result in better, more streamlined government programs — or at the very least, websites.

What is lost and what is gained as Silicon Valley companies build influence in Washington?

Read the Discussion »

Debaters

Silicon Valley Companies Lobby to Remain Unregulated

Anne Weismann, Campaign for Accountability

In the past two decades, tech companies arguably have had a greater impact on our lives than any other industry, with almost no public discussion or debate.
Collaboration Between Tech and Government Should Serve the People

Felicia Wong, Roosevelt Institute

There is much for government to learn from the tech world, but it should be in the aim of providing a diversity of goods and services at reasonable prices to even hard-to-serve consumers.
Government Assessment of Innovation Shouldn’t Differ for Tech

Bryant Walker Smith, emerging technology law professor

Is lobbying by companies that hail from or otherwise evoke Silicon Valley fundamentally different than lobbying by other companies that invest in R&D?
Silicon Valley Pushes for Immigration Reform for Its Own Purposes

George Borjas, author, "We Wanted Workers"

Is the H-1B visa program that brings in high-skilled immigrant workers benefiting the American people? The evidence is mixed.
Washington Can’t Be Technologically Dependent on the Private Sector

Frank Pasquale, author, "The Black Box Society"

Nobody in the federal agencies is getting Valley-style pay, so the best talent can be hard to come by. But the government needs its own expertise to critically evaluate what Silicon Valley proposes.
Better Representation in Tech Would Help Society

Betsy Williams, Center for Digital Society and Data Studies

Silicon Valley has great skills to offer America, but with leadership that is 80 percent men and 83 percent white, it has trouble hearing all citizens.