​The worlds of tech and policy are increasingly integrated, for good or ill. Tech professionals are recognizing government service as a vital way to contribute to the national interest, at the same time that politicos and policy experts have realized that they need the tech industry’s experience and insight. Ten years after the Foundation for American Innovation was formed to serve as a bridge between Silicon Valley and DC, the fusion of technology and public policy is greater than ever. But can technologists, founders, and investors really accomplish more in a sclerotic political environment than they can in industry?

​To discuss their experience moving from tech to government and back again, 

 will be joining the Foundation for American Innovation and Project 47 in San Francisco on Monday, December 4. Jennifer Pahlka, founder of Code for America, served as the Deputy Chief Technology Officer of the United States under President Obama, and as a member of the Defense Innovation Board under Presidents Obama and Trump. This year, she published 

Recoding America: Why Government Is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better

. Michael Kratsios, former Principal and Chief of Staff at Thiel Capital, served as Chief Technology Officer of the United States and Under Secretary of Defense at the Pentagon during the Trump administration. Today, he is Managing Director at Scale AI, where he leads corporate strategy and helps accelerate AI applications across industries.

The conversation will be moderated by 

, a Media Fellow at the Foundation for American Innovation, where he co-hosts 

 as we consider the case for a tech “tour of duty” in government.

​Join the Foundation for American Innovation and Project 47 as we consider the case for a tech “tour of duty” in government.


A four-day event to connect people & ideas in the progress movement. Organized by Roots of Progress Institute and co-sponsored by FAI, Institute for Humane Studies, Institute for Progress, Works in Progress, Abundance Institute, and others.

A four-day event to connect people & ideas in the progress movement

Abundance stems from the idea that society’s challenges cannot all be resolved merely by regulation or redistribution, but also require the active expansion of material resources, opportunity, and productivity. Abundance will require realigning incentives and redesigning processes to create a bigger, more inclusive economy. It will also require shifting away from the scarcity mindset that dominates our political discourse, too often upheld by those invested in maintaining the status quo. The Abundance Movement promises more opportunities for vastly more people, eager to prove that we can all rise together.

This event is organized by the Breakthrough Institute and co-chaired by FAI executive director Zach Graves. Learn more:  

 

Abundance 2025 is co-hosted by 13 policy organizations, representing a diversity of subject matter expertises and ideological traditions. The conference will showcase this diversity, surfacing opportunities for bipartisan cooperation and competition on abundance issues including infrastructure, science, housing, state capacity, energy, and immigration.

FAI joins 12 other organizations in co-hosting the 2025 Abundance Conference