Assessing the Obama Administration’s Tech Legacy

Since President Barack Obama was elected eight years ago, a great deal about technology has changed inside and outside the federal government.

“I think if I were to summarize [Obama’s legacy], it would be a seat at the table,” said Aneesh Chopra, whom Obama appointed as the first U.S. chief technology officer in 2009. As an assistant to the president, Chopra reported directly to President Obama, ensuring ideas from the CTO—often focused on innovation—are heard. “In prior administrations, the notion of the role of technology was largely relegated to back-office procurement activity,” Chopra added. “It was largely an operational conversation around how governments perform.” Instead, President Obama sought innovation from tech gurus and others because, as Chopra said, “policymaking has to take into account how technology will advance” complex and important issues like health care and economic growth.

In other words, President Obama helped take technology out of the back office and into the forefront of government. “Kudos to this administration for dragging the government into the digital era,” said Trey Hodgkins, senior vice president of the Information Technology Alliance for Public Sector.