Introducing POLITICO’s Tech 28 list of the people steering and shaping policy in Europe.
Illustration by Jay Vollmar for POLITICO
Welcome to the post-Zoom hangover.
If last year focused on the ubiquity of tech in our everyday lives, this year the conversation hinges on finding a workable balance — between security and privacy, between innovation and sustainability, and between risk-taking and responsibility.
As the coronavirus pandemic has (finally, somewhat) ceded center stage, the focus has shifted to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, which will continue to have ramifications for everything from cybersecurity to short-term accommodation, from disinformation to startup growth. The European Union also put forth a pair of far-reaching plans to police online content and prevent abusive practices by Big Tech firms — and, in so doing, further made its case for being the global leader in tech regulation.
Now is a time of fervent calls for protected privacy rights, careful (if not limited) use of people’s personal data and cautious development of artificial intelligence, with the “move fast and break things” mantra being second-guessed and subverted. Consumers, too, have much to consider, as “buy now, pay later” options change how people pay for goods, and a fledgling digital euro project could transform how Europeans use financial services. Campaigners are pushing back against convenience at the cost of environmentalism and workers’ conditions, taking on tech-gadget companies’ waste and gig-economy platforms’ employment practices.
It’s within this quarrelsome environment that we arrive at our second annual Tech 28 list (last year’s list is available to read here). As with last year’s ranking, we specifically chased neither hot-ticket startup darlings nor starchy regulators. It’s a simple question with few simple answers: Who will play the biggest role, for good or ill, in steering technology policy in the year ahead?
A pair of EU national digital ministers — Germany’s Volker Wissing and the Netherlands’ Alexandra van Huffelen — stand out even as the value of such roles is still in question.
Francesca Bria wants to turn Italy into a star example of investment-driven innovation through the Italian National Innovation Fund, while in the United Kingdom, Beeban Kidron advocates for children’s digital rights. The Restart Project’s Ugo Vallauri asks why you’d buy a new iPhone when you should be able to just repair the old one, and we’re waiting with bated breath to find out what, exactly, former Austrian Chancellor Sebastian Kurz will do after his soft landing at Thiel Capital.
This is not a list of heroes or villains; in some cases, it may be a long while yet before we can judge a regulator or advocate’s ultimate mark — positive or negative — on technological developments that will continue to affect us all.
How did we come up with the list? It includes input from our team of reporters, whose combined knowledge and experience span a wide array of topics. Putting our heads together, we looked at the big tech problems — and possibilities — of the day, and then determined who was approaching them in new, interesting and above all influential ways. This year’s ranking is the result of that collaboration.
As with last year’s list, after choosing our overall No. 1, we split the remaining 27 selectees into three groups of nine — rulemakers, rulebreakers and visionaries — and scored them according to their power, vision and reach. In this way, big and bold ideas can trump hard power, and compelling voices that spread around the Continent and beyond can be recognized.
We look forward to hearing your thoughts on the list, and hope you enjoy perusing it. Now, without further ado …
