Andrew McLaughlin's Move from Google to the Obama administration

The news of Andrew McLaughlin's departure from Google to work as Deputy Chief Technology Officer of the Obama administration just came out in the New York Times. The article mentions that there are critics who believe that this move will benefit Google as a company. I have a response to this criticism, but before I make them I would like to disclose that I am a friend of Andrew McLaughlin and that Google is an investor in Fon, the company that I am CEO of. Regardless of these facts I have chosen to write this post as it is valid not just for this case but for anyone who moves from industry to government.

In general I don't understand why journalists believe that a move from industry to government is somehow very different from a move from industry to industry. If Andrew McLaughlin had moved from Google to Cisco, Cisco's CEO would not hire him thinking that he will promote the interests of Google at Cisco. When a banker moves from Goldman Sachs to Morgan Stanley, a direct competitor, people at Morgan Stanley consider this a great success. And it is a similar success for the Obama team to have convinced Andrew to leave his job at Google to serve the US Government. As Andrew promoted the interests of Google when he was at Google, he will now protect the interests of the American people working for the US government. And we should all be happy for that. I can't think of a better person than Andrew to do this job.

Comments

[ABCVoter]

The more interesting question is: "When are YOU going to become an advisor to the Obama Administration? What area of expertise are you going to offer? How do we know you won't be lobbying your special interests?"

I mean, let's level here, you are a natural-born lobbyist aren't you? You're on the salesman end of the CEO spectrum compared with someone like Bill Gates who was on the technical end.

In your own way your article is a lobby piece.......FOR Andrew McLaughlin's appointment. There's nothing wrong with this; it's just an example of lobbying, that's all.

It'll be interesting if you are invited to become an advisor. Maybe something to do with climate change and green technologies.......

[ABCVoter]

This "conflict of interest" media argument reminds me of a BBC interview with Hector Sants (CEO of the FSA):

* http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b00kq2hy/HARDtalk_Hector_Sants_Chief_Executive_

It made me LOL when the journalist kept pressing Sants about "conflicts of interest" since Sants used to work at CSFB and is now the key financial sector regulator.

I kept thinking: “Well, instead of former bankers who actually have direct experience of how banks operate and where the risks of financial cardiac arrests appear on-and-off balance sheets, would people prefer it if the heads of the SEC, FSA, AMF, Consob etc. were from the worlds of entertainment / leisure travel / cosmetics?

Instead of Hector Sants with his (supposed) conflicts of interest would the public and the media prefer it if the FSA appointed someone like Paris Hilton who’d have almost negligible conflict of interest since she’s never worked in a bank?!”

Likewise with McLaughlin's case, would people prefer it if Paris Hilton was appointed Deputy CTO to Aneesh Chopra instead?

As for Martin's comparison of GS ---> MS, the reason MS consider it a success is because that new hire will bring insights, know how and best business model practices from their competitor.

In any case, industry to government is productive and beneficial knowledge transfer. After all, surely no country wants their political system to comprise purely of career politicians with no clue about how big business, the consumer market and digital democracy work?

[ABCVoter]

Here are a few observations:

(1.) President Obama opened his Administration with codes of conduct about lobbying, so anyone joining is signed up to those codes.

(2.) In April 2009, Google CEO Eric Schmidt and Microsoft's Chief Research and Strategy Officer Craig Mundie were named to the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).

Moreover, during the Administration transition Eric Schmidt served as economic advisor.

Now, since Mr. Schmidt is more senior than Mr. McLaughlin, if people think lobbying is their objective, they may be forgetting that these men may be being asked to serve because...­..........­.they're technically qualified, capable of strategic problem-solving and / or conversant in how processes and people can be harnessed.

(3.) In McLaughlin's case his time @Google seems to have been dedicated to understanding how the Internet can apply to and educate the developing world --- rather than increase Google's domination. If that was his raison d'être he'd have focused on lobbying China's Politburo to allow Google to better compete with the incumbent, baidu. He wouldn't have spent his time on Ghana, Mongolia and Kenya --- anyone spot a potential link to the President here? Plus he's a law grad.

Martin is being amiss. It's much more helpful to provide people with specific and pertinent links rather than tell readers to "google" someone.

http://cyber.law.harvard.edu/people/amclaughlin

[chesterj1A]

The proposed appointment of someone who has recently lobbied for Google, oversees its global policy and political operative shop, and is helping direct its PAC, to a key White House position on technology is inappropriate. It's not the same as moving from one corporation to another. It's about having someone in that position with a track record independent of any special interest, so that the public can be assured decisions will be made fairly. For those interested in more details, see this release from Consumer Watchdog and my Center for Digital Democracy: http://news.prnewswire.com/DisplayReleaseContent.aspx?ACCT=104&STORY=/www/story/06-03-2009/0005037740&EDATE=

[sd4david]

WHY do they think that? Because Dick Cheney left Halliburton, and he certainly filled their pockets as VP. I bet within 5 years he is bak at the company, if he isn't already.

[Martin Varsavsky - Huffpost Blogger]

Andrew McLaughlin is a person who has had a career on academia and public service only interrupted by his job at Google. I recommend that you "google" him.