On: John Doerr’s Advice for Barack Obama: Hire Bill Joy

[jleyank]

It is hard to name good candidates for such a position unless/until the job description is known. Does technology = computers? If so, Bill Joy is a great choice. But what if it emphasizes engineering, or science, or medicine (or sub-disciplines of them)? Or all of them - how many polymaths are in the market right now? And how many of them want to work for the Govt?

[jackchristopher → jleyank]

Paul Graham recommended Peter Norvig. That surprised me.

If the CTO delegates projects and money, then the job is ill-suited for Norvig; The problems he'd be solving aren't abstract enough.

Besides, Peter is smart enough to come up with his own projects. And you shouldn't be recommending jobs to anybody smarter than you.

But it depends on the job description. And I realize this is just in jest and speculation. :)