7 Tech CEOs And Execs On Why Obama Was Innovator In Chief

25 Jan 7 Tech CEOs And Execs On Why Obama Was Innovator In Chief

Barack Obama was, in many ways, the first president who was truly plugged in. Over the course of his 2008 campaign, Obama famously embraced social media like no candidate previously had, and upon assuming office, he became the first president to appoint both a chief technology officer and chief data scientist. Last fall, Obama hosted South by South Lawn, a festival inspired by Austin’s South by Southwest that quite literally celebrated the “spirit of innovation” at the doorstep of the White House.

During Obama’s last days in office, Fast Company asked execs from the tech industry and leaders of social entrepreneurship what Obama’s presidency has meant for startups and the tech industry—and to explain what, if anything, made the 44th president an arbiter of innovation. Here’s what they had to say.