Very little of substance happens at these hearings. I watched several hours of the last big tech CEO todo in congress and all I learned was disdain for the inte

Very little of substance happens at these hearings. I watched several hours of the last big tech CEO todo in congress and all I learned was disdain for the interrogators. I wonder what a Washington insider would say about them. What is their real purpose? It's obviously not information gathering, as letters are a more efficient mechanism. Publicity, sure, but for who? Who watches CSPAN? Is it a signalling mechanism to say, "Tech CEOs, we're really mad now?" Or are the senators following the news rather than driving it? I can't tell. My best guess is that it's a soundbite generation mechanism. But that seems so cynical. It's a pretty brutish practice if so.