A couple of thoughts on the positive outcomes predicted, or hoped for from the tech leaders now in Trumps circle of influence.
I think they will be very unlikely to produce long term positive change and more likely to produce chaos, conflict and potentially a few cherry picked start up “winners “ to show case their “government policy work” . It will begin as a policy for tech led economic growth and shift to ego games quickly.
A couple of points to consider . One is that business leaders historically do not do well shifting into policy and government. The tricks and knowledge from one has not translated into positive outcomes in the other . The skill set is just not there and I am struggling to even think of a name other than Paul Martin who did this with reasonable success.
I fear not that they will just fail but that this collection of chosen tech people will actually do significant damage to other areas that really matter to the well being of people. The second key point is that true government change (and positive impacts ) comes from understanding how a well functioning bureaucracy works and it also needs a leader who takes a long term view.
This collection of ego driven men with their sights on quick success will benefit only the American people who are shareholders in their personal holdings. They do not understand bureaucracy and even worse, they want to remove it completely. A book that showed this well is Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis. From Health care to education to natural disasters, a well functioning bureaucracy is the foundation of a high quality of life for its citizens. The dismantling of that in Trump term one will accelerate in frightening ways in term 2 now driven by a few exceedingly wealthy ego driven men chasing power and influence, who lack skills, experience, (potentially a moral compass) and will suffer no consequences for their mistakes.
Thanks for the comments Meaghan. Agreed on the difficulty of getting results at the federal level given the personalities involved. It will be challenging but amid the likely conflict and lack of government experience there is opportunity for new ideas and innovative approaches to survive and perhaps positively influence other countries. We will see.
Terrific summary piece.
A couple of thoughts on the positive outcomes predicted, or hoped for from the tech leaders now in Trumps circle of influence.
I think they will be very unlikely to produce long term positive change and more likely to produce chaos, conflict and potentially a few cherry picked start up “winners “ to show case their “government policy work” . It will begin as a policy for tech led economic growth and shift to ego games quickly.
A couple of points to consider . One is that business leaders historically do not do well shifting into policy and government. The tricks and knowledge from one has not translated into positive outcomes in the other . The skill set is just not there and I am struggling to even think of a name other than Paul Martin who did this with reasonable success.
I fear not that they will just fail but that this collection of chosen tech people will actually do significant damage to other areas that really matter to the well being of people. The second key point is that true government change (and positive impacts ) comes from understanding how a well functioning bureaucracy works and it also needs a leader who takes a long term view.
This collection of ego driven men with their sights on quick success will benefit only the American people who are shareholders in their personal holdings. They do not understand bureaucracy and even worse, they want to remove it completely. A book that showed this well is Fifth Risk by Michael Lewis. From Health care to education to natural disasters, a well functioning bureaucracy is the foundation of a high quality of life for its citizens. The dismantling of that in Trump term one will accelerate in frightening ways in term 2 now driven by a few exceedingly wealthy ego driven men chasing power and influence, who lack skills, experience, (potentially a moral compass) and will suffer no consequences for their mistakes.
Thanks for the comments Meaghan. Agreed on the difficulty of getting results at the federal level given the personalities involved. It will be challenging but amid the likely conflict and lack of government experience there is opportunity for new ideas and innovative approaches to survive and perhaps positively influence other countries. We will see.
Happy New Year. I look forward to common sense, respectful neighbors, and sustainable enterprise. Onwards.