About Us
Silicon Valley & The U.S. Government is a speaker series focused on the intersection of technology and government.
We launched the series in 2016 after noticing that startups and companies in Silicon Valley were outpacing government labs in critical technology areas such as artificial intelligence, cloud computing, energy systems, and space launch. This marked a sharp contrast to the Cold War era, when the U.S. government drove major technological breakthroughs through initiatives like the creation of the internet, GPS, and the Apollo program.
We also recognized that this shift was more complex than a simple handoff. Much of the private sector’s innovation built upon decades of government-funded basic research, and government labs continued to lead in areas such as nuclear weapons research and classified defense technologies. The relationship remained symbiotic, with private companies often relying on government contracts and infrastructure, even as they pushed the frontier of commercial applications and scaled deployment in ways government agencies could not match.
In its early years, the series featured off-the-record conversations with a diverse range of voices—from government leaders like former Secretary of Defense Bill Perry, to founders of pioneering companies in satellite imagery and robotics, to leaders from organizations such as the Department of Energy’s ARPA-E. As more venture-backed startups began selling into government markets, we expanded the series to include founders of fast-growing dual-use companies, leaders from new federal initiatives like the Office of Strategic Capital, and venture investors driving this next wave of innovation.
When we first introduced Silicon Valley & The U.S. Government as a seminar course at Stanford University, it was offered through the Management Science & Engineering Department. We later brought it to the Civil & Environmental Engineering Department and Master’s in International Policy Program. Today, we meet each Autumn and Spring Quarter, and the series is open to all students and members of the Stanford community. Registered students are eligible to receive 1 unit of S/NC credit (CEE 252 / INTLPOL 300V; Class #2398 and 29060).
In the early days, the series attracted a small but deeply engaged group of students. Now, it regularly draws dozens of attendees from across the Stanford campus and also reaches participants from other universities, as well as from the broader research, industry, and government communities. To expand access, we have begun recording select sessions.
We invite you to explore featured content from our sessions.