POLITICO Tech

Tech companies are laying out their wish lists for President-elect Donald Trump. And the ride-sharing company Lyft has two big asks: nationwide benefits for gig workers and national standards for autonomous vehicles. Lyft CEO David Risher says he’s optimistic about the incoming Trump administration and its deregulation agenda. On POLITICO Tech, Risher tells host Steven Overly why Washington should...

President-elect Donald Trump’s return is making waves in Canada. This week, tensions over how Ottawa should fight a looming trade war with the U.S. prompted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s deputy to resign. But Canada has been responding to Trump’s tariff threats by making the case that the two countries have intertwined economies, especially in key areas like critical minerals, artificial intelli...

Lately, the guest book at Mar-a-Lago reads like a Silicon Valley roll call — from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to Apple CEO Tim Cook — as tech leaders visit President-elect Donald Trump for private dinners and closed-door conversations. Some are also cutting big checks for his inauguration fund. Their goal is clear: win Trump’s favor in hopes his administration will be kind. On POLITICO Tech, Morning...

A far-right candidate was expected to win Romania’s presidential race and then the election was abruptly cancelled — amid concerns that Russia was paying TikTok influencers to boost his campaign. And would you believe it, things only get crazier from there. POLITICO host Steven Overly dives into the latest in Bucharest with Andrei Popoviciu, a Romanian freelance investigative journalist who has be...

President-elect Donald Trump has lashed out at TV broadcasters and tech companies, accusing them of unfair news coverage or censoring conservative speech. And soon, his Federal Communications Commission may try to penalize them. Outgoing FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat, fears the agency’s independence could be in jeopardy. On POLITICO Tech, Rosenworcel joins host Steven Overly to discuss...

While U.S. lawmakers debate kids’ online safety legislation, elected officials in Australia have already taken bold action — banning minors under age 16 from social media altogether. Now, Australian officials will spend the next year figuring out how to implement the law. Among them is eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, an American and former tech executive who oversees online safety regulati...

Patent lawyers at Google had a question: How many of the company’s big, new ideas were developed using artificial intelligence? The patent world has been grappling for years with whether or not AI can be considered an inventor, and Google needed to know how the technology is being used today. On POLITICO Tech, Google’s head of patent policy, Laura Sheridan, joins host Steven Overly to explain the...

Technology has made it so that we’re always connected. And for many of us, that means the boss can text or email anytime. But several countries are cracking down on after-work communication by enacting so-called “right-to-disconnect" laws. So far, two states in the U.S. have introduced such bills — with more expected to follow. But the Society of Human Resource Management argues the government sho...

It was looking like Congress had few plans to take up tech bills before the end of the year. But in Washington, one weekend and a couple of tweets can make a world of difference. Senators struck a deal to pony up money for key tech and telecom programs. And a major kids online safety bill may have gotten a much-needed boost from Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr. On POLITICO Tech, health tech reporter...

The government’s plan to potentially ban TikTok next month is still on schedule, at least for now. A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that Congress can legally force its parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the app or be shut down because of concerns about its ties to China. On POLITICO Tech, national security attorney Carrie Cordero from the Center for a New American Security joins host...

Chinese hackers have infiltrated major telecommunications networks, gaining access to the call logs and data of millions of Americans, including President-elect Donald Trump. But while the breach was first detected back in the spring, U.S. officials acknowledged this week that they’ve not yet been able to stop it. On POLITICO Tech, cybersecurity reporter Maggie Miller joins host Steven Overly to e...

Romanians head to the polls for a final round of voting on Sunday and European tech regulators will be watching. The candidate expected to win is a far-right politician named Călin Georgescu, who catapulted himself to the top in part due to his popularity on TikTok. But some regulators and researchers question whether Georgescu has gotten a boost from fake accounts and paid influencers — allegatio...

Silicon Valley investor Marc Andreessen made headlines for backing Donald Trump in the 2024 election, and now stands to gain new levels of influence with Trump’s return to the White House. In a recent interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Andreesen outlined his views on the changing political and media landscape, as well as his outlook for artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency. On POLITICO...

Donald Trump’s election victory has liberals torn over whether or not to ditch X, the social media platform formerly known as Twitter and owned by Trump’s billionaire benefactor Elon Musk. They say it’s become a hotbed of disinformation and accuse Musk of using it to push a political agenda. POLITICO contributing writer and long-time tech journalist Nancy Scola spoke to a dozen Democratic lawmaker...

Billionaire Frank McCourt wants to create a more decentralized internet, one where big tech companies don’t hold all the power and individuals control their own data. But McCourt believes people need to see that version of the internet to believe it is possible, so he is leading a coalition trying to purchase TikTok — assuming President-elect Donald Trump will still force it to be sold. On POLITIC...

Two years on from the release of ChatGPT, OpenAI has been beefing up its efforts to shape the way governments manage artificial intelligence. And earlier this year, the company tapped Democratic political veteran Chris Lehane to oversee global affairs. Now, Lehane is laying out proposals for how the U.S. government should invest in data, energy and chips to stay competitive with China. On POLITICO...

Silicon Valley voted en masse for Vice President Kamala Harris, but Democratic support there did decline, just as it did in many other parts of the country. Host Steven Overly called up Rep. Ro Khanna to talk about how Democrats win back voters -- both in Silicon Valley and the heartland – which he says will require Democrats to embrace tech as a force for rebuilding the country and the economy. P...

Secretary Gina Raimondo has morphed the Commerce Department over the past four years into an agency focused on national security — enacting a massive, high-tech industrial policy aimed at beating China. And with two months left in her tenure, she is now racing to cement that legacy. On POLITICO Tech, Raimondo joins host Steven Overly to talk about her plans to dole out all microchip subsidies, tod...

President Joe Biden held the final meeting of his term with Chinese leader Xi Jinping over the weekend, and the pair walked away with an agreement not to allow artificial intelligence to control nuclear weapons. But their joint statement amounts to a handshake deal — just as President-elect Donald Trump is poised to return to the White House. On POLITICO Tech, Gregory Allen from the Center for Str...

In Washington, the people animate the policy. And that means new power players in the incoming Trump administration and Congress will shape everything from artificial intelligence to telecom regulations. On POLITICO Tech, reporter John Hendel joins host Steven Overly to discuss the newly elected leadership in the Senate, as well as Trump’s attorney general nominee Matt Gaetz and his pick for Feder...

Box CEO Aaron Levie backed Vice President Kamala Harris in last week’s presidential election. But now that former President Donald Trump is returning to the White House, Levie says he’s getting on board with Trump’s deregulation agenda. A big reason for that support? His Silicon Valley compatriot, Elon Musk. On POLITICO Tech, Levie tells host Steven Overly why he thinks Democrats need to give Musk...

President-elect Donald Trump has promised sweeping tariffs on all U.S. trading partners, including a whopping 60 percent tariffs on goods from China. And Trump’s allies are already plotting how to get them implemented. But tech lobbyists are preparing to fight back, with arguments about how tariffs will harm companies and worsen inflation. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly chats with Ed Brzytwa...

The Defense Department shelled out more than $400 billion in contracts last fiscal year, but only a sliver of that money went to defense startups. Now, those companies hoping the incoming Trump administration will funnel more federal dollars their way, especially with Elon Musk advocating on their behalf. On POLITICO Tech, reporter Christine Mui joins host Steven Overly to explain what defense sta...

After every major election, the losing side faces a dreaded question: Where did it all go wrong? But journalist Steven Waldman, the co-founder and president of Rebuild Local News and Report for America, argues that pollsters and reporters are overlooking a key factor when debating that question after last week’s outcome. On POLITICO Tech, Waldman explains why the place where voters get their news...

Congress returns to Washington tomorrow with the results of last week’s election hanging overhead. But the weeks ahead could be a busy time for tech. Congress has let legislation languish on issues like artificial intelligence, spectrum authorization and kids online safety — and some lawmakers are now eager to get them done. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly and reporter Brendan Bordelon break...