Doug Ducey

a16z Podcast | Of Governors and Mayors, and Tech Policy

Doug Ducey, Pete Buttigieg, Ted Ullyot, Ted Elliott

At the 2017 A16Z annual summit, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey and South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg outlined a bipartisan strategy where state and local governments actively bypass federal paralysis to drive pro-technology innovation. Ducey demonstrated this by rapidly dismantling legacy taxi regulations and adopting a "safety first" framework for autonomous vehicles, while Buttigieg positioned South Bend as a testbed for initiatives like the zero-cost Limebike system. Together, these leaders argue that prioritizing practical delivery over partisan consensus creates a necessary network of regulatory "beta cities" capable of accelerating safety improvements in sectors like transportation and fintech.