4 ms·

Do we just need more lobbyists?

rayiner 14y ago
Define "lobbyist." The term carries a very negative connotation in the tech world, but fundamentally a lobbyist is just an advocate. As a student, I worked at our school's environmental advocacy clinic. We called up politicians, bureaucrats, the media, etc, to drum up support for our cause. That's lobbying! Chris Dodd aside, that's the bread and butter of what lobbyists do--explain to intelligent but not technically-specialized public officials the mechanics of how specific issues work and paint a narrative for them that convinces them to care about the issue. So yes, the tech industry needs more advocates. People who can engage in the political process and translate from the value systems of the tech industry to the language politicians understand: jobs, growth, votes. That doesn't have to mean huge campaign donations and a senator or two on the payroll (though those things help). It does mean developing a real base that cares about tech issues (and keeps caring about them!) and having dedicated, politically-saavy people willing to champion them. Again, a comparison to the environmental movement is relevant. There are probably 100x as many (number I pulled out of a hat) people championing environmental causes as there are people championing tech causes. I know a number of very qualified people who opted out of private practice to work at environmental non-profits. Nearly every law school has an environmental law center where students participate in addressing local issues at the grass-roots level (things as mundane as nagging the City of Chicago to do better lead testing for its municipal water). Meanwhile out of all the lawyers I know with technical backgrounds (which is actually quite a few), approximately zero went to a non-profit to champion tech issues. There are some organizations that do great work on tech issues, like the EFF, but I'm not even joking when I say there are probably more environmental issues organizations in Chicago than there are tech issues organizations in the whole country.

Define "lobbyist." The term carries a very negative connotation in the tech world, but fundamentally a lobbyist is just an advocate. As a student, I worked at our school's environmental advocacy clinic. We called up politicians, bureaucrats, the media, etc, to drum up support for our cause. That's lobbying! Chris Dodd aside, that's the bread and butter of what lobbyists do--explain to intelligent but not technically-specialized public officials the mechanics of how specific issues work and paint a narrative for them that convinces them to care about the issue. So yes, the tech industry needs more advocates. People who can engage in the political process and translate from the value systems of the tech industry to the language politicians understand: jobs, growth, votes. That doesn't have to mean huge campaign donations and a senator or two on the payroll (though those things help). It does mean developing a real base that cares about tech issues (and keeps caring about them!) and having dedicated, politically-saavy people willing to champion them. Again, a comparison to the environmental movement is relevant. There are probably 100x as many (number I pulled out of a hat) people championing environmental causes as there are people championing tech causes. I know a number of very qualified people who opted out of private practice to work at environmental non-profits. Nearly every law school has an environmental law center where students participate in addressing local issues at the grass-roots level (things as mundane as nagging the City of Chicago to do better lead testing for its municipal water). Meanwhile out of all the lawyers I know with technical backgrounds (which is actually quite a few), approximately zero went to a non-profit to champion tech issues. There are some organizations that do great work on tech issues, like the EFF, but I'm not even joking when I say there are probably more environmental issues organizations in Chicago than there are tech issues organizations in the whole country.