America's five biggest tech firms have increased their lobbying presence in Washington so much that they now outspend Wall Street 2 to 1. Silicon Valley executives, like others from the private sector, now routinely move in and out of senior government positions through the capital's infamous “revolving door.” The tech giants have learned from the Microsoft antitrust suits of the 1990s: Not having influence on Capitol Hill can be very bad for business.
From the Guardian:
Read Full Article »Beyond the direct lobbying spend, which is publicly reported, Silicon Valley exerts influence on policymakers and citizens through opaque “soft power” techniques. These include funding thinktanks, research bodies and trade associations who lobby the government or influence civil society.
“It's such a murky world,” said one Washington insider, who has worked for several Silicon Valley companies, including Microsoft and Facebook. “All of these thinktanks push out white papers about how regulations would kill the online marketplace.”
