Donald Trump To Launch 'American Technology Council' To Modernize US Government

The government is notoriously slow moving and resistant to new technology, but Donald Trump seemed to signal an interest in changing that when he met with tech executives during the transition last December. Nothing much came of that, but now the Trump White House had confirmed it's putting together a new tech summit called the American Technology Council.

The American Technology Council was commissioned by Trump in an executive order this morning. Its aim will be to ensure the development of a more modern system for delivering digital services to citizens. Regardless of how everyone feels about President Trump, this seems like a fine goal. In fact, it's something that the Obama administration pursued aggressively over the years. However, that administration was undeniably better equipped for such an undertaking.

Trump will technically serve as chairman of the council, but former Microsoft executive Chris Liddell will be leading the daily operations. You might not want to take the composition of the American Technology Council in the order too seriously, though. It specifies a prominent role for officials like the US Chief Technology Officer, which Trump has yet to appoint. There are a number of science and technology positions in the federal government relevant to the American Technology Council that remain vacant.

It's unclear who in the technology community the administration plans to consult when the American Technology Council first meets in June. Executives from Google, Facebook, Amazon, and others all attended the December meeting in Trump Tower. Even that ruffled some feathers in Silicon Valley where Trump is deeply unpopular. Uber's CEO was eventually forced to resign from Trump's economic advisory council following pressure from employees and customers.

None of the companies that participated in the December meeting have announced their participation in the American Technology Council. Long-time Trump adviser and eBay founder Peter Thiel is a safe bet, but everyone else is an unknown.

Source: Forbes