Google offers pipeline to top jobs

The Obama Administration recently has plundered Google’s ranks as it looks to augment Washington’s lagging digital expertise and wade through tech policy debates over privacy and patent laws. The latest hire is Megan Smith, a top vice president at Google, who became the country’s next chief technology officer. She replaces Todd Park, who relinquished the position last month to take on a new role as the Administration’s leading emissary in Silicon Valley. The revolving door hardly is a new phenomenon, and other companies have jostled just as ferociously for influence with the tech-savvy Obama White House. But there’s no denying the door is swinging favorably toward Google these days -- a major perk for a company that has boosted its Washington presence and often finds itself in the political spotlight.