Would Bill Gates make a good CTO in the Obama administration?

[ilamont]

http://www.thestandard.com/predictions/will-bill-gates-be-obamas-cto

[hugh]

Has it actually been decided what the role of the White House CTO would be? Is he an advisor? Or is he actually in charge of something? Or is he just there to look good? Is he in charge of all technology or just information technology? In the executive branch, or in the whole government? Does he have a department working under him or is he just some guy who strolls in occasionally to offer an opinion?

[kf → hugh]

No, no one really has any idea -- though I would be surprised if he personally is responsible for government IT, that seems like something best delegated.

Like many of Obama's policy proposal, it consists of a paragraph of sentence on barackobama.com.

If it weren't for his strong anti-freedom stance, Bill Gates would be a great pick.

[tc7 → kf]

But isn't Obama himself anti-freedom?

Anti-free[dom] market???

;)

[erickhill → hugh]

My understanding is that it will be a cabinet-level position, which means very high-profile and potentially powerful.

The concept is to take technology and make it the hub of solutions, rather than a spoke. What that means in terms of support staff, I have no idea.

[hugh → erickhill]

The concept is to take technology and make it the hub of solutions, rather than a spoke.

That's even vaguer than the original.

[gaius]

There is more to technology than just computers.

[chaostheory]

that's like making Paulson (former head of Goldman Sachs) the Treasury Secretary... we've already seen what happens there