Tom Galvin: Now is the time for the tech industry to step up and speak with one voice

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To many, Washington is presently viewed as a land of hope and despair. Failed industries have come hat in hand to beg policymakers to bail them out. And tone-deaf executives have been hauled before Congress to be scolded like schoolchildren for their misbehavior. Through it all, there is a sector of our economy that has remained above the fray – tech.

This may not be a great year for Silicon Valley, but it's a golden opportunity for the tech industry to make its case in Washington. Bailout free, the sector has what desperate policy-makers are now looking for: solutions.

Healthcare reform? Electronic health records are part of the solution. Energy and the environment? Smart grids and technologies make us more energy efficient. It wasn't a coincidence that when President Obama had his first meeting with CEOs, it was with the leaders of the tech industry. In a sea of black hats (Wall Street, automakers, banks, and insurance companies), the tech sector still wears white.

This hasn't always been the case. During the Bush years, the tech industry was viewed much like the A/V club in the eyes of the football team – they didn't get them and therefore largely ignored them. They weren't special. Now they are again. Granted, it's not quite to the level of the good old days of the late 1990s, when the Internet was new and the possibilities seemed limitless (remember “Dow 36,000”?).

But at a time when Americans are questioning the country's ability to remain the global economic leader, they can always fall back to the fact that when it comes to technology, the US still has the lion's share of compelling stories.

Now, the question becomes, what does the tech industry do with this newfound status in Washington? The challenge is, and has always been, that the industry does not speak with one voice. It's more like a kindergarten class with 22 5-year-olds.

Now the industry has to prove it's growing up. It has to present a united and compelling vision of what the economy should look like. It must be able to deliver the hard truth: that this recession is like a bad storm that has naturally pruned the weakest branches of our economy. That those old jobs aren't – and shouldn't be – coming back, and that we must invest in the jobs our current 12-year-olds will be doing in 10 years, not what our fathers and mothers
did a decade ago.

That's not an easy message to deliver, but it's one a well-respected industry must put forth. If tech wants that place at the table, it has to step up to the plate.

Tom Galvin is a partner at 463 Communications, a DC-based senior-level comms consultancy. He previously served as VP of corporate communications and government relations at VeriSign.

Comments

[Paul Wormeli]

You are quite right about the need for a single voice from the tech industry to speak to national issues, but there should be heard an informed opinion about many topics not just jobs. Issues such as the role of IT in improving the performance of government should also be addressed.

Fortunately, there is a mechanism for at least the tech industry involved in the justice and public safety field to speak as one voice. The IJIS Institute is a non-profit formed to do exactly that function and has done so on numerous occasions. (www.ijis.org).

[Acai Berry]

well, tech industry to speak to national issues, but there should be heard an informed opinion about many topics not just jobs.

[Resveratrol]

well this is very worst condition of of this era , this recession is like a bad storm that has naturally pruned the weakest branches of our economy.

[jessica]

They can always fall back to the fact that when it comes to technology, the US still has the lion's share of compelling stories.

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[Account Deleted]

I think you are questioning the right thing.Its a question for the Americans that they have the ability to remain global leader.I think it's the time when tech industry will speak with one voice and speak up.
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[Colon cleanser]

I think you are questioning the right thing.Its a question for the Americans that they have the ability to remain global leader.I think it's the time when tech industry will speak with one voice and speak up.

[Account Deleted]

well, tech industry to speak to national issues, but there should be heard an informed opinion about many topics not just jobs.

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[viviani richards]

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[Cellulite Cream]

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[Acai Berry]

Well this is really good information to know. Thanks a bunch for sharing it.

[Max Acai Boost]

I agree with you that its time to move on,tech industry change very fast and we should also change with it.

[Cellulite]

The main question is that what does the tech industry do with this new found status in Washington?This is really very important question.

[Resveratrol]

I don't know more about this tech industry.Thank you for sharing information about it.

[Colon Cleanse]

It takes a couple of weeks to lay off a couple of hundred people, but it takes years to hire and train them again. This is the current position of tech industry that they are not hiring anymore.
t takes a couple of weeks to lay off a couple of hundred people, but it takes years to hire and train them again

[Arbitrage Conspiracy]

Tech industry to speak to national issues, but there should be heard an informed opinion about many topics not just jobs.

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Well, I agree with you that its time to move on,tech industry change very fast and we should also change with it.
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[Dazzle Smile Pro]

They should be come as unit . Unity will be impact on industry

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I think Americans has the capability to prove yourself.And Tech industry improve and prove itself.

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Its very easy just go to google type it and you will get the result

[sohbet]

Tech industry to speak to national issues, but there should be heard an informed opinion about many topics not just jobs

[Colon Cleanse]

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[acne]

I agree with you. The tech industry is changing very rapidly and it is improving. We should also move on.

[meyerjoyce12]

Technolgy is changing in this fast pace,we had to increase our capabilities but this is fact that master of all is one with tech. http://ezinearticles.com/?Acai-Berry---How-I-Lost-30-Pounds-in-Under-30-Days-Using-The-Acai-Berry&id=1998407
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[Acai Berry Canada]

Technology is changing the world. The internet is taking over commerce and is largely responsible for the election of Obama. We can either embrace it and make it better or pretend the world isn't changing.

[Teeth Whitening]

Yes,i agree with you that tech industry has to take some steps now.