The 19 most important people shaping tech policy in Washington, DC - Business Insider

On September  18, Trump announced that new downloads and updates to TikTok would be banned in the US beginning starting September 20.And in late July, the House Judiciary's antitrust subcommittee grilled the leadership of Facebook, Amazon, Google, and Apple as part of a year-long probe into whether the companies have too much control over the market or unfairly edged out competitors.While the most famous names in the industry — think Mark Zuckerberg or Jeff Bezos — often draw the most scrutiny and attention in Washington, behind the scenes their companies and others have planted roots in DC by hiring small armies of lobbyists, public policy experts and communications professionals. He had a successful career in politics before joining Microsoft, serving as an aide to former Rep. Richard Gephardt (D-MO) and chief of staff to Rep. Sanford Bishop (D-GA), and southern political director for the Democratic National Committee.Humphries became Microsoft's corporate vice president for US government affairs in 2015, and he's now the company's policy chief and top lobbyist in Washington. He directs its policy initiatives both internally and externally on a host of issues, including trade, privacy, cloud computing, and cybersecurity.Brad Smith is one of big tech's most important — and successful — operators in Washington.His positive relationships with lawmakers on both sides and his negotiation skills have helped steer Microsoft through the choppy waters of Washington's tech policy debates, Business Insider's Ashley Stewart reported in a recent profile of Smith.Microsoft has recently itself at the center of two high profile bids involving the government. She's been with the company for more than five years, rising through the ranks of its policy team until taking the lead in 2018.Before she went to work for the internet's premier professional networking site, Isaac worked at the White House during the Obama administration. She'd also worked as a legislative aide for Vice President Joe Biden.Apple's top lobbyist, Cynthia Hogan, recently departed the tech powerhouse to join her old boss Joe Biden's presidential campaign and advise the presumptive Democratic nominee as he vets potential running mates.Stepping into the top Apple DC role is Tim Powderly, a longtime company executive and former top Democratic staffer on House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology. Powderly served as the congressional panel's senior counsel before joining Apple in 2011.Powderly often responds to lawmaker's inquiries about the company, most recently from Democratic Senators with concerns about the security of Apple's new COVID-19 screening tools.Like many of its peers, Apple faces policy battles on multiple fronts, including an antitrust investigation by the Federal Trade Commission as well as a separate inquiry from the House. The Internet Association advocates for policy positions on a range of issues facing its companies, including federal laws governing user privacy and copyright law.In June, Berroya testified before the Senate Judiciary's subcommittee on intellectual property on the Digital Millennium Copyright Act's Section 512, which protects websites from liability if their users post material that infringes on copyrights. And in June, the FCC designated Chinese telecom companies Huawei and ZTE as national security threats due to their ties to the Chinese government, Pai said.The FTC also handles some of the government's most pressing technology issues.In February, it opened a major antitrust investigation into mega-companies like Amazon, Google, Facebook, Apple, Microsoft, and Alphabet. As Democratic chairman of the House Judiciary Committee's subpanel on antitrust, commercial and administrative law, he has the authority to investigate the major tech companies.