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Silicon Valley’s growing influence in Washington will be on full display Wednesday as tech titans and venture capitalists gather with top US lawmakers for a summit focused on how cutting-edge technologies can bolster national security and American manufacturing. Nvidia Corp. Chief Executive Officer Jensen Huang, Oracle Corp.
CEO Safra Catz and Alphabet Inc. President Ruth Porat are slated to speak at the Hill and Valley Forum, alongside a bipartisan group of US senators and representatives, including House Speaker Mike Johnson. The event has evolved from a secretive dinner of China hawks raising alarms about the influence of TikTok into a public forum stacked with decision-makers vying to support the defense sector and ensure US technology supremacy.
This year’s daylong conference will examine some favourite talking points in tech circles, including artificial intelligence applications in national security and “securing leadership in space.” But Hill and Valley is also broadening its focus beyond defense, underscoring the tech industry’s expanding role in shaping US policy. For example, Republican Senator Joni Ernst will participate in discussions about building a “smarter, leaner government,” and top White House economist Stephen Miran will speak on a panel about using robotics to revive the US manufacturing sector.
Since Donald Trump returned to the White House, tech executives and VCs have taken positions in the administration, helping oversee AI and crypto policy, among other efforts. The industry has also played a key role in trying to cut government spending through Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency. Jacob Helberg, who helped launch Hill and Valley, was recently appointed as under secretary of state responsible for economic and tech-related issues.
Another event organiser, Delian Asparouhov, is a partner at Founders Fund, the investment firm started by Peter Thiel, who is closely connected to various Trump officials, including Vice President JD Vance. In a social media post this week teasing the lineup, Helberg suggested this year’s event highlights a sea change in the industry. “It was once pious in the Valley to walk away from the US government,” he wrote.
Now, more tech leaders are pushing deeper into DC to influence how the country is run..
