Magazine Names Its Top 100 “Tech Titans”

This month’s issue of Washingtonian magazine makes the observation that: “[T]hough Washington has none of the strong engineering universities, such as MIT or Stanford, that have been instrumental in the development of a vibrant tech communities elsewhere,” the DC-metro area thrives with top notch tech talent in business and politics.

With the most tech savvy President in U.S. history now in the White House, this abundance of tech prowess becomes more than just an interesting factoid; it becomes a powerful force that will shape the technology policy landscape for years to come.

With that scenario as a backdrop, Washingtonian magazine set out to find the area’s “Tech Titans” and scratched out a list of 100 “top tech leaders.” The magazine by-passed “players who are simply loud” as opposed to those that make a difference. Although the list is missing some “loud” names, a number of the others listed have already begun their dance on the national stage as members (some awaiting confirmation) of Obama’s Administration.

Others on the list, like CDT’s President and CEO Leslie Harris, are noted for the influence they command and a track record of getting things done, which has been no easy feat during the eight years of technological drought brought on by the last Administration. “CDT finds itself at the nexus of emerging issues around privacy, government spying and Internet technology,” writes Washingtonian magazine, “so it’s lucky for civil libertarians that Harris knows the new administration’s movers and shakers well.”

Today there are increasing signs that the technology drought in DC is ending, and Washingtonian magazine believes those on its tech titans list will play a big part in that process.