Get Ready for Tech Leaders to Start Disrupting Elections

The incredible growth in technology we have witnessed over the past few decades was only a preview of what is to come in the next few years. The internet of things, AI, AR, VR, self-driving vehicles, automation in general — all of these emerging technologies are on the verge of exponential growth that would seem like science fiction just a few brief years ago. Yet our lawmakers seem so out of touch with the tech trends that will shape the future. Just like many of the big wigs in tech, iPhone app developers do not trust the government as it stands today to deal with the years of innovation ahead. Despite reaching out to some of Silicon Valley’s brightest for the so-called “tech week,” the Trump administration has done more to alienate scientists and tech leaders than it has to promote their ideas.

So what are tech leaders to do, just give up on government? Despite a general ambivalence to the government, that’s no longer an option. Tech has relied on the government for support since the Clinton administration, when it became apparent that in order for innovation to really flourish, startups were going to need the government’s blessing. Of course, it works both ways: the government cannot function smoothly without the latest tools from the tech world (this is why Trump’s Office of American Innovation is trying to pull in tech leaders to help modernize federal agencies). To many Denver iPhone app developers, it appears that the best route forward for tech is to get involved in government. Putting our best minds in government is a great way to pave the path for the next era of technological advancement — and to bring new blood and fresh ideas to Washington, D.C.

Rumors have been flying for months about Mark Zuckerberg running for president in 2020, fueled by his listening tour across America. The fact that the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative just brought in a top Democratic pollster with history working for Obama and Hilary Clinton only adds credibility to the speculation. Y Combinator’s Sam Altman has been very vocal about wanting somebody in tech to run California — and why not him? In the coming years, iPhone app developers can expect a lot of political candidates from the tech world. After all, if our current president proves anything, it’s that even a bad businessman can become president, so why couldn’t one of the nation’s most successful entrepreneurs run for Senate?

Nobody from the Dogtown Media crew has announced their candidacy, but we have thrown our hat into the political ring. The past two years, we proudly represented the interests of iPhone app developers in D.C. at AppCon. We have also championed many tech-friendly pieces of legislation in recent months, including most recently the International Communications Privacy Act, which seeks to untangle complicated international data privacy laws.