What Jack Dorsey and Sheryl Sandberg Taught Congress and Vice Versa -- NYT

Maybe next time...

"Google has spent years building a lobbying operation in Washington, which rests on a foundation of seriousness and good will; while upstarts like Facebook reveled in their break-things disruptive style, Google positioned itself as the grown-up in the room. It also had some positive facts on its side: Google’s services were far less vulnerable to Russian misinformation during the 2016 election than Facebook or Twitter. And because it does not run a social network, Google could credibly argue that it was a less important vector for propaganda and social unrest. Mr. Pichai, who is no dummy, could have persuasively made that case to lawmakers.

But in declining to participate, Google left a sour mood in the Capitol. A parade of Democrats and Republicans in the Senate hearing noted the company’s absence. Many raised questions about Google’s recent actions — for instance, its decision to stop working with the military on artificial intelligence projects and its exploration of a censored search engine for the Chinese market — that the company had no way of defending."

What Jack Dorsey and Sheryl Sandberg Taught Congress and Vice Versa -- NYT