Perhaps it’s not surprising that Silicon Valley is apparently praying for the “good billionaire”, Michael Bloomberg, to run for President. According to the Consumer Technology Association president and CEO Gary Shapiro, nobody in the current election is looking after the interests of Silicon Valley.
Nobody, that is, except Marco Rubio who, Shapiro argues, really is thinking about the economic opportunities of disruptive new technologies like the sharing economy. This relative lacunae in the current Presidential debate, both amongst Democrats and Republicans, Shapiro warns, is disastrous for an America dependent on technological innovation for the creation of new jobs.
Shapiro is also outspoken about the current furor over Network Neutrality. The proposed Title II legislation, he warns, gives too much power to the FCC. Not only doesn’t Title II help innovation, Shapiro says, but it might stifle it.
As always, many thanks to the folks at CALinnovates for their help in the production of this interview.