4 ms·

I did a quick search for some of the big companies to see who is on their board with a political past. Apple - Al Gore (Vice President of the US) - Ron Sugar (

I did a quick search for some of the big companies to see who is on their board with a political past. Apple - Al Gore (Vice President of the US) - Ron Sugar (Northrup Grunman) Google - Roger Ferguson (Federal Reserve of US) Facebook - Robert Kimmett (Department of Treasury) Facebook Oversight - Helle Thorning-Smith (PM of Denmark) - Nick Clegg (Deputy PM of UK) Salesforce - Colin Powell (Secretary of State in the US) - John Roos (Ambassador to Japan from the US)

fortran77 5y ago
And look at the board that was in place for Theranos....
sandworm101 5y ago
Those are past connections to companies. How many hires are sons/daughters of people still on boards or regulatory bodies. Active family connections are much more difficult to regulate or even document.
BLKNSLVR 5y ago
Afterpay has a growing list of hires that are obviously for political and regulatory fire supression[0]. [0]: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-04/afterpay-square-millennials-lobbyists-covid-pandemic-shares-grow/100347562 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-04/afterpay-square-mille...
blantonl 5y ago
Don't forget collections of low and mid-level staffers who really get work done who maintain connections back to the military/political industrial complex who collectively become invaluable to organizations.
didgeoridoo 5y ago
Dropbox - Condi Rice (Bush Sec. State)
- lancesells 5y ago
  I don't think she's currently on the board.
psychlops 5y ago
It's a two way street.... Biden's Counselor - Jeff Zients from Facebook's Board Biden's General Counsel - Jessica Hertz from Facebook White House Office of Legislative Affairs - Louisa Terrell - Public Policy director at Facebook
- pmoriarty 5y ago
  Governments and corporations are just not clearly separable entities. Corporate executives regularly go in to politics, and there influence legislation or regulations that affects the industries they came from or award government contracts to their former employers or other companies which they wind up working for at high paying jobs after they leave government. It's an open secret in Washington that after leaving office politicians get cushy, high paying jobs at firms they favored while in office. The back scratching between corporations and governments never stops.
arp242 5y ago
I mean, people got to earn a living somehow after they leave politics, right? Would you ban certain positions? Or just give former politicians a salary for the remainder of their lives and forbid them from working? Or how else would you solve this? Of course it all smells more than a little fishy, but I'm not really seeing any realistic way to solve it.
- geodel 5y ago
  Exactly. It can't be both ways. Nope, not living on taxpayers' money also can't take private sector job commensurate their skills.
- lancesells 5y ago
  Agreed. I'm not suggesting a ban on what you can do after politics. Just pointing out who is on their board at the moment.
abvdasker 5y ago
It's a feature, not a bug.

fortran77 5y ago

And look at the board that was in place for Theranos....

sandworm101 5y ago

Those are past connections to companies. How many hires are sons/daughters of people still on boards or regulatory bodies. Active family connections are much more difficult to regulate or even document.

BLKNSLVR 5y ago

Afterpay has a growing list of hires that are obviously for political and regulatory fire supression[0]. [0]: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-04/afterpay-square-millennials-lobbyists-covid-pandemic-shares-grow/100347562 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-08-04/afterpay-square-mille...

blantonl 5y ago

Don't forget collections of low and mid-level staffers who really get work done who maintain connections back to the military/political industrial complex who collectively become invaluable to organizations.

didgeoridoo 5y ago

Dropbox - Condi Rice (Bush Sec. State)

lancesells 5y ago
I don't think she's currently on the board.

psychlops 5y ago

It's a two way street.... Biden's Counselor - Jeff Zients from Facebook's Board Biden's General Counsel - Jessica Hertz from Facebook White House Office of Legislative Affairs - Louisa Terrell - Public Policy director at Facebook

pmoriarty 5y ago
Governments and corporations are just not clearly separable entities. Corporate executives regularly go in to politics, and there influence legislation or regulations that affects the industries they came from or award government contracts to their former employers or other companies which they wind up working for at high paying jobs after they leave government. It's an open secret in Washington that after leaving office politicians get cushy, high paying jobs at firms they favored while in office. The back scratching between corporations and governments never stops.

arp242 5y ago

I mean, people got to earn a living somehow after they leave politics, right? Would you ban certain positions? Or just give former politicians a salary for the remainder of their lives and forbid them from working? Or how else would you solve this? Of course it all smells more than a little fishy, but I'm not really seeing any realistic way to solve it.

geodel 5y ago
Exactly. It can't be both ways. Nope, not living on taxpayers' money also can't take private sector job commensurate their skills.
lancesells 5y ago
Agreed. I'm not suggesting a ban on what you can do after politics. Just pointing out who is on their board at the moment.

abvdasker 5y ago

It's a feature, not a bug.