POLITICO Tech

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...

Silicon Valley executives lauded President-elect Donald Trump after his big win Tuesday night. And while buttering up the president-to-be is typical, the flattery may be especially strategic in Trump’s case, argues Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich. On POLITICO Tech, Kovacevich tells host Steven Overly how he expects companies to handle Trump’s “personal grievance agenda” this time around, a...

Former President Donald Trump wasn’t the only big winner on Tuesday night. Elon Musk made a big bet on Trump during the election, becoming his billionaire benefactor and social media hype man. And now that Trump is returning to the White House, Musk stands to cash in both politically and financially. On POLITICO Tech, national political correspondent Meridith McGraw and Digital Future Daily author...

Donald Trump will be the next president. But so much in tech policy depends on which party controls Congress. And last night, Republicans also took control of the Senate. That has big implications for policy debates over issues like artificial intelligence, data privacy and cryptocurrency. POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly and reporter Brendan Bordelon discuss what this new balance of power in Wash...

There will be many races to watch as election results pour in tonight. That includes the competition among news outlets to one-up each other with splashy new technology. After all, it’s an Election Night tradition. POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly chats with CNN senior product director Manav Tanneeru about the network’s “Magic Wall” app, and then Aspen Digital executive director Vivian Schiller ex...

Election Day is nearly upon us. (Finally!) But any uncertainty over the outcome is sure to turbocharge disinformation from foreign adversaries and fellow Americans alike. Ginny Badanes leads the Democracy Forward program at Microsoft, which aims to defend campaigns and election administrators against operations from Russia, China and Iran. On POLITICO Tech, Badanes tells host Steven Overly how Mic...

The Federal Election Commission faced a big question this election cycle: Should political candidates be banned from making AI-generated deepfakes of their opponents? POLITICO Tech host Steven Overly attended the GovAI Summit this week for a live interview with Democratic FEC Commissioner Shana Broussard to discuss the agency’s recent decision, as well as AI disclaimers, social media influencers a...

The nature of war is changing. $10 million tanks in Ukraine are being disabled by $10,000 drones — and many cutting-edge battlefield technologies today come from private companies rather than governments. Few people know more about harnessing commercial tech for the military than Raj Shah, who led the Pentagon’s Defense Innovation Unit before founding his own venture capital firm. Now he’s on the...

Data firms are hoovering up all sorts of information about us, and then selling it to political campaigns and advocacy groups. But one of these data collectors is using that information to extrapolate whether voters might believe QAnon conspiracies or support Jan. 6 insurrectionists — raising concerns about more than just privacy. POLITICO reporter Alfred Ng joins host Steven Overly to talk about...

Elon Musk’s $1 million giveaways for swing-state voters have drawn scrutiny from federal and state law enforcement, though Musk denies the money is intended to drive voter registration. On POLITICO Tech, David Becker from the Center for Election Innovation and Research tells host Steven Overly why he thinks Musk is flouting the law, and how his political engagement both fits the mold and breaks ne...

Election Day is (inescapably) just over a week away. But in its waning months, the Biden administration is still cranking out policy. In particular, President Biden put out guidelines late last week detailing how national security agencies should handle artificial intelligence, and stay ahead of China in the global race for the AI future. On today's show, POLITICO tech reporter Mohar Chatterjee br...

The combination of rising energy demands and fears about climate change is fueling fresh interest in nuclear energy, and the movement is getting a boost from Big Tech. But the return to nuclear power is not just a U.S. phenomenon. In Italy, a new generation of climate conscious young people is shaking up the debate — spurred in part by an unlikely social media influencer. On POLITICO Tech, climate...

When you apply for a job, AI is often part of the process whether you know it or not. With technology making more employment decisions, there are real questions about discrimination happening faster and more frequently, and who is to blame when it does. Keith Sonderling, who spent the past four years as a Republican commissioner from the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission tells host Steven Ov...

The term “sovereign AI” gets thrown around a lot in tech circles these days, but there’s no one set definition for what it means. Ultimately, it comes down to a race among countries to build and own the world’s most powerful artificial intelligence models. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly interviews Tech Policy Solutions founder Pablo Chavez at the Meridian Summit in Washington, D.C., about th...