🤑Silicon Valley & Washington: A History of Power, Wealth, and Selective Memory

🧠 Big Tech was built by government—and branded as rebellion.Last week, I had the pleasure of attending a fantastic event at the Munk School’s Innovation Policy Lab: “U.S. Politics and Big Tech Power: Past, Present, and Future.”The conversation (led by Margaret O’Mara and Tom Kemeny) unpacked the long, complicated marriage between Silicon Valley and Washington—a relationship built on mutual benefit, selective memory, and increasing tension.We love the myth of the lone genius in a garage. But HP, Fairchild, even the internet itself? All born from government contracts, procurement pipelines, and public investment. Fast forward to today, and Big Tech still relies on the state—from bailouts to lobbying to regulatory arbitrage.And yet, the Valley continues to posture as anti-government and post-political. It's a convenient narrative—until democracy becomes inconvenient.The question isn’t whether tech should engage in politics. It’s: What kind of political power is acceptable when it’s unelected, unregulated, and operating at planetary scale?As we enter a new era of AI, private space, and digital governance, we need to reassert a fundamental truth:👉 Democracy isn’t a bug in the system. It’s the operating system.Would love to hear your take: Where do you see the relationship between Big Tech and government heading next?#TechPolicy #Democracy #AI #Innovation #BigTech #PublicPolicy #MunkSchool #DigitalPowerPeggy Van de Plassche is a value creation strategist and senior advisor with over 20 years of experience in private equity, financial services, healthcare, and technology. She works with investment firms, boards, and C-suite leaders to accelerate portfolio company performance, drive operational transformation, and unlock long-term value. Peggy specializes in the execution of complex value creation plans—spanning capital allocation, digital enablement, transaction advisory, and leadership alignment. Her work consistently bridges strategy and implementation, helping investors and operators maximize EBITDA and enterprise value. A founding board member of Invest in Canada, she also brings deep expertise in public-private partnerships and institutional capital deployment—critical levers for competitive advantage in today’s global landscape. Her clients have included BMO, CI Financial, HOOPP, OMERS, GreenShield Canada, Nicola Wealth, and Power Financial. Learn more at peggyvandeplassche.com.#privateequity #privatemarkets #alternativeinvestments #investing #investments #invest #venturecapital #investor #entrepreneur #digitaltransformation #ai #exit #tech #technology #finance #financialservices #healthcare