Steven Overly
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Editorial Director, @POLITICOLive. Podcast host, writer and editor. @washingtonpost & @bagehots alum.
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Articles by Steven Overly
Why Washington should ask dumber questions about tech
As artificial intelligence comes to dominate the global conversation around technology, Signal Foundation President Meredith Whittaker has emerged as a contrarian figure; a leader from the industry willing to sound notes of caution about the hype, risks and data-privacy threat of AI.
Why Washington should ask dumber questions about tech
With help from Aaron Mak Signal is a go-to tool for Washington insiders. | Edward Smith/Getty Images As artificial intelligence comes to dominate the global conversation around technology, Signal Foundation President Meredith Whittaker has emerged as a contrarian figure; a leader from the industry willing to sound notes of caution about the hype, risks and data-privacy threat of AI.
5 questions for Vilas Dhar
With help from Aaron Mak Vilas Dhar | Patrick J. McGovern Foundation Hello, and welcome to today’s edition of the Future in Five Questions. Steven interviewed Vilas Dhar, president and trustee of the Patrick J. McGovern Foundation, a philanthropic organization spending millions of dollars to build artificial intelligence for the public good.
An expert breaks down Zuckerberg’s big week in court Original
Meta’s survival depends on what’s happening in Judge James Boasberg’s courtroom. Here’s what just went down. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg testifies during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing entitled "Big Tech and the Online Child Sexual Exploitation Crisis" on Capitol Hill, Jan. 31, 2024.
‘Essentially, trade stops’: A former Trump official on what’s next for China
After days of stock market mayhem, President Donald Trump pulled back most of the reciprocal tariffs he slapped on U.S. trade partners on Wednesday. But not China. Trump upped his levy on China to a whopping 125 percent — the latest shot in a rapidly escalating trade war. Trade expert Nazak Nikakhtar has been watching the escalation with concern, and offered her download on the risks for businesses — and for Trump — on the POLITICO Tech podcast.
Will Big Tech actually benefit from Trump’s trade war?
Trump’s global trade war could offer some upside to Silicon Valley, as trade partners with tough tech laws look for tariff relief. President Donald Trump holds a report on foreign trade barriers as he delivers remarks on new tariffs during a "Make America Wealthy Again" event in the Rose Garden at the White House April 2, 2025.
‘Nothing is off the table’ in Trump trade talks, UK tech chief says
U.K. Tech Secretary Peter Kyle told POLITICO that “nothing is off the table” as Donald Trump’s administration urges the U.K. to roll back its digital services tax (DST) during trade talks. The U.K. is racing to strike a pact with the White House before a new tranche of “reciprocal” trade tariffs come into effect on April 2. U.S. officials have said that at least 100 countries might be spared the extra duties.
‘We’re not like some small country you can push around’
Months of tariff-fueled tensions with the U.S. have left Canada feeling defiant. “We’re not like some small country that you can push around,” François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s minister of innovation, science and industry, said on today’s POLITICO Tech podcast. “You’re picking up on the wrong guy.” Champagne and other senior Canadian officials are in Washington on Thursday trying to halt a full-blown economic war.
‘We’re not like some small country you can push around’
Months of tariff-fueled tensions with the U.S. have left Canada feeling defiant. “We're not like some small country that you can push around,” François-Philippe Champagne, Canada’s minister of innovation, science and industry, said on today’s POLITICO Tech podcast. “You're picking up on the wrong guy.” Champagne and other senior Canadian officials are in Washington on Thursday trying to halt a full-blown economic war.
Google CEO to attend inauguration
8 mins ago Google CEO Sundar Pichai will join the growing list of tech executives sitting on the dais as President-elect Donald Trump is sworn into office on Monday, according to a person familiar with the company’s plans who was not authorized to speak publicly. Tesla CEO Elon Musk, a close confidant of the incoming president, is expected to attend the inauguration ceremony, along with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Apple CEO Tim Cook, according to media reports.
‘We're just getting started’: How the crypto industry plans to remake Washington
The industry eyes a reset in Trump’s Washington after years of tense legal and regulatory fights. The mobile phone icon for the Coinbase app is shown in this photo, in New York, April 13, 2021. | Richard Drew/AP Photo The cryptocurrency industry spent a mint to elect pro-crypto candidates during the 2024 campaign cycle — and now, it’s ready to reap the returns.
How the crypto industry plans to remake Washington
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Google gives $1million to Trump inauguration
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Australia Banned Kids From Social Media. Now It Has Advice for the US. Original
As countries around the world race to counter the tech industry’s ever-expanding influence, one issue in particular has become a major rallying cry: protecting children online. And Australia just put itself out front. In late November, Australia became the first country in the world to ban minors under age 16 from social media. Oddly enough, it’s an American who will help enforce the unprecedented legislation: Julie Inman Grant, who has served as Australia’s eSafety Commissioner since 2017.
‘I think Elon may get frustrated fairly quickly’
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‘I think Elon may get frustrated fairly quickly’ Original
Rep. Ro Khanna casts doubt on Elon Musk’s new Department of Government Efficiency and its small-government ambitions. Rep. Ro Khanna represents a large swath of Silicon Valley and has known Musk for years. | Francis Chung/POLITICO Elon Musk’s bold plans to slash jobs and spending across federal agencies may run headlong into lawmakers who resist cutting some of the largest line items in the government’s budget, said California Democratic Rep. Ro Khanna.
Leave no cash for Trump
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Leave no cash for Trump
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Raimondo’s new mission: Leave no cash for Trump
11 hours ago The claim: Barron Trump ‘not a citizen’ under Trump’s immigration plan A Nov. 16 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims President-elect Donald Trump’s plan to end birthright citizenship would come with a serious consequence for his youngest son, Barron. “He was born 3 months before his …
Raimondo’s new mission: Leave no cash for Trump
Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo is on an urgent mission: get as much high-tech spending out the door before Donald Trump takes office. The Biden administration is aiming to commit nearly every unspent dollar in its $50 billion microchip-subsidy program before President-elect Donald Trump takes over in January, an effort that would effectively cement a massive industrial legacy before the GOP can reverse course.
Raimondo’s new mission: Leave no cash for Trump Original
The effort to spend her department’s full CHIPS Act budget would put a capstone on a signature Biden economic policy. It also speaks to the urgency facing a host of Biden’s historic raft of spending programs, many of which could be vulnerable to a Republican White House and Congress eager to pare back the most ambitious Democratic spending packages. The Chips money alone is a massive undertaking. Congress allocated $50 billion in subsidies for semiconductor manufacturing and R&D.
This Harris-Supporting CEO Has Advice for Democrats: Learn to Love Elon Musk Again Original
The following conversation has been edited for length and clarity. Listen to the full interview on POLITICO Tech. We spoke in August about your support for the Democratic nominee, Vice President Kamala Harris. Election Night did not turn out as you hoped. I wonder where your head is at now. There’s sort of two ways of thinking about it.
A Harris-supporting CEO urges Democrats to back Elon Musk
LONDON (Reuters) - Big global investors are exiting popular trades that bet on US President-elect Donald Trump’s tax and tariff policies boosting Wall Street and wreaking damage abroad and swooping in on some of the Nov. 5 election's biggest market victims.
A Harris-supporting CEO urges Democrats to back Elon Musk
Box CEO Aaron Levie was backing Kamala Harris. Here’s why he’s embracing Trump’s deregulation agenda. SpaceX and Tesla founder Elon Musk speaks during an America PAC town hall on Oct. 26 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. | Samuel Corum/Getty Images Box CEO Aaron Levie was backing Vice President Kamala Harris in last week’s presidential election. But with former President Donald Trump now returning to the White House, Levie says he’s on board with Trump’s deregulation agenda. A big reason for that support?
‘Chaos and confusion’: Microsoft braces for foreign election interference in days ahead Original
Here’s what the disinformation hunters at Microsoft will be watching from the “situation room” on Election Day and beyond. Since 2020, attempts by tech companies and academic researchers to crack down on American-made disinformation have drawn accusations of censorship from Republicans. | John Bazemore/AP Microsoft has exposed cyber attacks and disinformation campaigns from foreign adversaries in the lead up to the U.S. presidential election that go beyond the tactics deployed four years ago.
‘The center of the storm’: Arizona’s election chief prepares for a disinformation battle
Arizona was a hotbed for election disinformation in 2020. Democrat Adrian Fontes says election officials are savvier now — but so are foreign adversaries and election deniers. Arizona Secretary of State Adrian Fontes speaks after voting on the first day of early in-person voting Oct. 9 at Surprise City Hall in Arizona. | POLITICO illustration/Photo by AP Arizona was the epicenter for bogus claims about voter fraud and stolen elections four years ago.
5 questions for Harvard’s humanist chaplain Greg Epstein
Greg Epstein. | Cody O'Laughlin Hello, and welcome to today’s edition of the Future in Five Questions.
Elon Musk campaigns for Trump
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Billionaire bucks and ‘bro vote’ appeal: Elon Musk campaigns for Trump
The world’s richest man has gone full “dark MAGA” in his bid to put former President Donald Trump back in the White House. Voter turnout in Pennsylvania and Wisconsin will test his influence. As the election enters its most critical period, Elon Musk (right) is looking to leverage his starpower to turn out votes for former President Donald Trump and other Republicans.
‘What’s at stake is the world’: Nobel winner Maria Ressa warns US election a ‘tipping point’ for democracy
Nobel laureate and journalist Maria Ressa wants to scare some sense into American voters. The U.S. election is just a month away, and she considers the outcome to be a “tipping point” in the fight for democracy over autocracy. Ressa founded the news site Rappler in the Philippines in 2012 and faced relentless persecution for her journalism under former President Rodrigo Duterte. Her fight for press freedom earned her the Nobel Peace Prize in 2021 alongside Russian journalist Dmitry Muratov.
Nobel winner Maria Ressa warns U.S. election a ‘tipping point’ for democracy
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‘What’s at stake is the world’: Nobel winner Maria Ressa warns U.S. election a ‘tipping point’ for democracy Original
American voters are headed to the polls amid rampant disinformation and rising anger, a political firestorm that the longtime journalist says Silicon Valley companies have fueled. “I would say Big Tech right now is on the side of autocrats and dictators,” Maria Ressa said. | Alexander Zemlianichenko/AP Nobel laureate and journalist Maria Ressa wants to scare some sense into American voters.
The case for voting by phone
With help from Derek Robertson Bradley Tusk speaking onstage during TechCrunch Disrupt San Francisco 2019. | Steve Jennings/Getty Images for TechCrunch There’s a not-so-distant future where you could pull out your phone and cast your vote. At least, that’s the future tech investor Bradley Tusk is trying to build. Tusk started his career in politics — his previous bosses include Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer and the former Democratic Illinois Gov.
How AI Is Transforming a Lawmaker’s Life After a Terrible Diagnosis Original
In our interview for the POLITICO Tech podcast, Wexton used her AI-generated voice to discuss how that debate now holds much more personal meaning and why she’s become such an advocate for assistive technology in her final term in office. As she put it, “This disease has to be good for something.” The following has been edited for length and clarity. You can listen to the full interview with Wexton here: Back in July, you used AI to speak on the House floor for the first time.
2024 Democratic National Convention Day 4: Live updates and latest news
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By Steven Overly Verified, Shia Kapos Verified, Kelly Garrity Verified, Melanie Mason Verified, Emily Ngo Verified, Adam Cancryn Verified, Jared Mitovich, Brakkton Booker Verified, Sarah Ferris Verified, Lawrence Ukenye Verified, Meredith Lee Hill Verified
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POLITICO
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AI startups look to boost Democrats at the ballot box
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2024 Democratic National Convention Day 3: Live updates and latest news
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By Steven Overly Verified, Shia Kapos Verified, Bethany Irvine, Ally Mutnick Verified, Emily Ngo Verified, Nicholas Wu Verified, Adam Cancryn Verified, Lisa Kashinsky Verified, Ankush Khardori, Alex Keeney
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POLITICO
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The TikTok convention: Social media creators are all over the DNC
Your Privacy We process your data to deliver content or advertisements and measure the delivery of such content or advertisements to extract insights about our website. We share this information with our partners on the basis of consent and legitimate interest. You may exercise your right to consent or object to a legitimate interest, based on a specific purpose below or at a partner level in the link under each purpose.
How to stop the government from deleting itself
In early January 2023, Republicans were preparing to take control of the House and that Democrats set up to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection. In the process, they were expected to scrub the committee’s website and all the evidence that had been collected there, including an interactive timeline of the day’s events. A team of internet archivists had other plans.
How to stop the government from deleting itself
With help from Mohar Chatterjee Internet archivists leapt into action to preserve websites, documents, and other digital content before a new Congress could disband the House Select Committee on January 6. | Sarah Silbiger/Getty Images Think back to early January 2023. Republicans were preparing to take control of the House and that Democrats set up to investigate the Jan. 6 insurrection.
What the DEI backlash means for tech’s next generation
Conservative attacks on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have sent a chill across the tech sector. University science and engineering programs have curtailed race-based admissions and scholarships after last year’s Supreme Court ruling on affirmative action. Tech companies like Meta and Google have rolled back corporate DEI efforts. And venture capital investments in Black-owned startups have dropped.
What the DEI backlash means for tech’s next generation
University of Texas at Austin senior Christian Mira of the Queer Trans Black Indigenous People Of Color Agency, right, and Amanda Garcia, left, study in a space that housed the school’s “Multicultural Center” after the name was removed from the wall following a new law banning DEI initiatives from state-funded higher-ed institutions.
DEI efforts are under attack. What that means for tech's next generation. on Apple Podcasts
Conservatives have mounted an attack on diversity and inclusion programs over the last couple of years. And as a result, a number of tech companies have scaled back initiatives aimed at diversifying their workforce. That dynamic is posing new challenges for organizations like The Hidden Genius Project, which teaches young Black men about tech and entrepreneurship. On POLITICO Tech, CEO Brandon Nicholson tells host Steven Overly how his national nonprofit is navigating this new political reality.
The campaign for a crypto candidate, explained on Apple Podcasts
Cryptocurrency has gotten outsized attention on the campaign trail. Former President Donald Trump has tried to position himself as the crypto candidate. Vice President Kamala Harris’ stance is less clear. But POLITICO reporter Jasper Goodman says digital currency companies have fought back from major scandals — with the help of deep-pocketed donors — to be part of the policy conversation. He joins POLITICO Tech to explain.
5 questions for the AI Safety Institute’s Elizabeth Kelly
With help from Derek Robertson Hello, and welcome to today’s edition of the Future in Five Questions. Steven interviewed Elizabeth Kelly, the director of the U.S. AI Safety Institute, an agency the Commerce Department set up roughly six months ago to help implement President Joe Biden’s executive order on artificial intelligence.
5 questions for Nvidia's Josh Parker
With help from Derek Robertson Hello, and welcome to today’s edition of the Future in Five Questions. Steven interviewed Josh Parker, the senior director of corporate sustainability at Nvidia, the artificial intelligence juggernaut and third-largest company in the U.S. Parker argues that AI and accelerated computing offer a path to solving the climate crisis. Though climate researchers have shown AI consumes vast stores of energy, Parker says the technology is a tool for sustainability.
Commerce Dept. weighs in on open AI models on Apple Podcasts
There’s an ongoing debate over powerful AI models: open v. closed. The Biden administration has been grappling for months with where it stands on this issue and, in a report released on Tuesday, came out in support of open models — at least for now. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly sits down with Assistant Commerce Secretary Alan Davidson, the head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, to discuss the new position and why the government still worries about risks.
5 questions for the AI Safety Institute’s Elizabeth Kelly – RamaOnHealthcare
5 questions for the AI Safety Institute’s Elizabeth Kelly Politico July 26, 2024 By Steven Overly With help from Derek Robertson Hello, and welcome to today’s edition of the Future in Five Questions. Steven interviewed Elizabeth Kelly, the director of the U.S. AI Safety Institute, an agency the Commerce Department set up roughly six months ago to help implement President Joe Biden’s executive order on artificial intelligence.
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