Tuesday, June 28, 2016

Austin Technology Council Seeks To Back Pro-Innovation Political Candidates

The Austin Technology Council says that it will seek to back "pro-innovation" candidates and politics in Austin, through a new, ATC Policy Coalition, the group said this morning. According to he ATC, it is looking to bring together leaders from the tech and entrepreneur community, business advocacy groups, elected officials, and the voting public, to specifically back policies and leaders who the group things "reflect Austin's economy and innovation brand." The group said it needs to "better educate" elected officials about innovation, and help the city maintain and build what the group called a hard-won reputation as a leading technology hub. The new group stems from two, recent black eyes for Austin in technology, involving the retreat of Uber and Lyft from the market, as well as onerous rules for both Airbnb and HomeAway property owners put into place earlier this year.