Interview, Fireside Chat
a16z Podcast | Of Governors and Mayors, and Tech Policy
- Tech policy issues are expected to extend beyond federal jurisdiction to state and local levels, with Washington's potential paralysis driving state and local officials to form cooperative relationships independently of national government actions.
- Arizona Governor Ducey plans to remove 500 regulations from state books within the current calendar year, having already lifted legacy taxicab rules, to foster entrepreneurship provided public health and safety hurdles are cleared.
- Arizona anticipates autonomous vehicle companies to be "very close to ready for prime time," projecting the technology could reduce the 38,000 annual US traffic deaths, 94% of which are attributed to human error, by creating safety benefits for the disabled and general population.
- South Bend Mayor Buttigieg aims to establish the city as a testing ground for new technologies and policies, noting that the city's size allows for complexity testing while minimizing taxpayer financial risk if pilots, such as dockless bike sharing, fail.
- Both state and local leaders warn that persistent barriers could drive high-performing companies to relocate their product testing to other jurisdictions to continue economic and innovation growth.
- Forward-looking statements identify drones, fintech, and autonomous vehicles as specific sectors where forward movement is anticipated, emphasizing that one-size-fits-all approaches are unsuitable for state and global tech policy.
- A key risk factor identified is the potential failure of technology pilots, though officials assert that such failures will not result in significant financial loss to taxpayers.