How Washington Really Shapes Tech Policy with Paul Lekas of SIIA

How Washington Really Shapes Tech Policy with Paul Lekas of SIIA

Paul Lekas spends his days at the intersection of technology, government, and public policy—and in this episode, he takes listeners inside the conversations that shape some of today's most consequential issues. Chris Mohr sits down with Paul, Executive Vice President and Head of Global Public Policy and Governance Affairs at SIIA, to explore how AI, online safety, cybersecurity, and privacy are reshaping the relationship between innovation and regulation. Drawing on experience in private practice, the federal government, and now leading SIIA's advocacy efforts, Paul offers an insider's perspective on how policy is actually made, why many of Washington's biggest technology debates are more nuanced than they appear, and where lawmakers should be focusing their attention next. From AI governance and children's online safety to cybersecurity and the challenges of building bipartisan consensus, this conversation explains why good technology policy is rarely as simple as it looks from the outside. In this conversation, you'll hear: * Why technology policy has become one of the most influential areas of government * How AI is changing debates around privacy, online safety, and regulation * Why age verification creates difficult tradeoffs between safety, privacy, and free expression * What most people misunderstand about how policy is actually made in Washington * Why cybersecurity deserves far more attention than it's receiving today * How SIIA approaches consensus-building on some of the industry's most complex policy challenges Subscribe to The Business of Information wherever you get your podcasts to hear more conversations at the intersection of technology, policy, and business. Learn more about SIIA: https://www.siia.net [https://www.siia.net] Follow SIIA on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/siia/ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/siia/] Follow SIIA on X: https://x.com/SIIA [https://x.com/SIIA]

The Global Competition for Tech Leadership with Nigel Cory of Crowell Global Advisors

For decades, U.S. technology leadership was treated as a given. Today, that assumption is under pressure. In this episode, Chris Mohr sits down with Nigel Cory, Director of Digital, Trade, and Technology Policy at Crowell Global Advisors, to explore why the global race for AI, cloud infrastructure, and advanced technologies is no longer just about innovation—it's about economic competitiveness, national security, and geopolitical influence. Drawing on his experience across government, international trade, and technology policy, Nigel explains how China has evolved from a fast follower to a formidable competitor, why countries around the world are reshaping the rules governing data and digital trade, and what the United States must do to maintain its technological edge. The conversation explores everything from AI adoption and cloud infrastructure to antitrust policy, data localization, and why America's biggest technology companies have become central to the country's long-term competitiveness. In this conversation, you'll hear: * Why China's technology challenge is no longer about catching up—it's about competing for global leadership * How AI, cloud infrastructure, and data policy have become matters of national security * Why the next phase of competition may be won through adoption, not just better AI models * How data localization laws around the world can quietly undermine innovation and U.S. competitiveness * Why antitrust policy can no longer be viewed only through a domestic lens Learn more about SIIA:⁠ https://www.siia.net⁠ [https://www.siia.net] Follow SIIA on LinkedIn:⁠ https://www.linkedin.com/company/siia/⁠ [https://www.linkedin.com/company/siia/] Follow SIIA on X:⁠ https://x.com/SIIA [https://x.com/SIIA]

The Data Layer Behind Modern Investing with Andrew Lebbos of Benzinga

In this episode of The Business of Information, Chris Mohr sits down with Andrew Lebbos to explore how Benzinga evolved from a scrappy financial news startup into one of the invisible engines powering modern retail investing platforms. Andrew explains how Benzinga’s real-time news, APIs, and market data quietly sit behind many of the trading apps millions of investors use every day—and why the company sees itself as both a media company and a data infrastructure provider. They discuss the rise of retail trading, the challenge of balancing AI automation with human-driven journalism, and why the future of financial media may belong to companies that can combine proprietary content with highly structured data. Andrew also reflects on Detroit’s post-bankruptcy reinvention, the startup mentality that shaped Benzinga’s culture, and what makes sales teams succeed in an industry where relationships and adaptability matter just as much as technical knowledge. In this conversation, you’ll hear: * How Benzinga became the “thing behind the thing” on major brokerage platforms * Why human-written financial news still matters in the AI era * The difference between commoditized market data and proprietary insights * How retail trading transformed the fintech and brokerage ecosystem * Why prediction markets, AI, and crypto are reshaping investor behavior * What startup grit looks like inside a fast-moving financial media company To learn more about the Software and Information Industry Association, visit: https://www.siia.net [https://www.siia.net] Follow SIIA on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/siia [https://www.linkedin.com/company/siia]

A Global View on AI Policy, Power, and the Pace of Change with Joe Miller of the Financial Times

In this episode of The Business of Information, Chris Mohr sits down with Joe Miller, Washington correspondent for the Financial Times, to explore how tech policy, global power dynamics, and journalism intersect at a uniquely volatile moment. From covering Brexit-era Europe to reporting on the Trump administration and the rise of AI, Joe shares how the center of gravity in global storytelling has shifted—and why today’s policy debates are lagging behind reality. They discuss the growing disconnect between Washington and the real world, the fractured and often misunderstood narratives around AI, and why the most important policy conversations aren’t actually happening yet. Joe also reflects on the thin line between innovation and misconduct from his time covering white-collar crime, and how that lens shapes his reporting on emerging technologies today. In this conversation, you’ll hear: * Why AI policy debates are still stuck at a surface level—and what’s missing * The real divide between U.S. and European approaches to risk and innovation * How journalists decide what’s signal vs. noise in a chaotic political environment * Why internal disagreements within tech and policy organizations are the real story * What Operation Warp Speed can teach us about modern tech policy * The surprising ways media coverage can both clarify and distort reality To learn more about the Software and Information Industry Association, visit: https://www.siia.net [https://www.siia.net]Follow SIIA on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/siia [https://www.linkedin.com/company/siia]Follow SIIA on X: https://twitter.com/SIIA [https://twitter.com/SIIA]

Digital Privacy and the Future of the Fourth Amendment with Anne Voigts of Pillsbury

In this episode of The Business of Information, Chris Mohr sits down with returning guest Anne Voigts, Partner at Pillsbury, to unpack one of the most complex and consequential legal questions in the digital age: how the Fourth Amendment applies when law enforcement uses massive datasets to identify suspects after the fact. At the center of the conversation is United States v. Chatrie, a case involving geofence warrants that sweep in location data from potentially hundreds of millions of devices before narrowing to a suspect—raising urgent questions about privacy, surveillance, and constitutional limits in a world of pervasive data collection. Chris and Anne break down how these warrants work, why courts are deeply divided on whether they even constitute a “search,” and how doctrines like the third-party rule are being stretched to their limits. They explore the tension between privacy and property-based interpretations of the Fourth Amendment, the risks of dragnet-style data collection, and the real-world implications for both individuals and tech companies. The conversation also examines how AI, data abundance, and evolving legal frameworks are reshaping expectations of privacy—and why this case could redefine the balance of power between government, platforms, and citizens. In this conversation, you’ll hear: * How geofence warrants work—and why they flip traditional search logic on its head * Why the third-party doctrine is increasingly at odds with modern digital life * The legal fragmentation across courts—and what it signals about future rulings * The risks of large-scale data sweeps, including false arrests and privacy exposure * How tech companies may respond if the government’s position prevails * What this case reveals about the future of AI, data ownership, and constitutional protections To learn more about SIIA and stay connected: * Visit: https://www.siia.net [https://www.siia.net] * LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/siia [https://www.linkedin.com/company/siia] X (Twitter): https://twitter.com/SIIA [https://twitter.com/SIIA]