Lobbyists, Campaign Cash And Think Tanks: How Silicon Valley Tackled Politics

In the early days, Silicon Valley and Washington largely ignored each other. But in 1998, the Justice Department accused Microsoft of building a software monopoly. A settlement was negotiated, and the tech companies got a lesson: They needed Washington lobbyists. Facebook opened its DC office when it was five years old — and already worth billions. It routinely hires lots of top-tier, veteran lobbyists, as does Google. The current lobbying environment is ideal. Many lawmakers still don't fully grasp the technology. Congress long ago defunded its in-house technology office, which could have taught them. Facebook reported its 2017 lobbying cost at nearly $12 million. Google spent even more: $18 million. Some of the money goes to think tanks, where experts can shape policy debates on Capitol Hill. Then there's campaign money. Facebook's PAC and employees made political contributions totaling $4.5 million in the 2016 cycle. For Google's parent company, Alphabet, the total was nearly $8 million.