The US now has its first chief technology officer in the form of Aneesh Chopra, currently Virginia's secretary of technology, to overhaul the government's technology services.
Aneesh Chopra has been appointed as the US government's first chief technology officer. Photograph: bigmikesndtech/Flickr/Some rights reserved
Chopra has been welcomed with open arms by Silicon Valley; the venture capital firm Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers said in a statement it is "an inspired appointment" while Google's chief executive Eric Schmidt (who was quick to rule himself out of the running when the post was announced a few months back) said Chopra had "built one of the best technology platforms in government in the state of Virginia" - though created in extensive partnerships with Google.
Web veteran Tim O'Reilly said the industry couldn't do better: "He's a brilliant, thoughtful change-maker. He knows technology, he knows government, and he knows how to put the two together to solve real problems."
The very Apple-friendly Chopra's initiatives for Virginia, where he has been since 2003, have included encouraging students and teachers to publish and share material through iTunes and also a competition for school kids to design a maths application for the iPhone.
President Obama made the announcement via US radio on Saturday.
"Aneesh will promote technological innovation to help achieve our most urgent priorities – from creating jobs and reducing health care costs to keeping our nation secure," he said.
Chopra will work alongside Jeffrey Zients, who has also been announced as chief performance officer.
"Aneesh and Jeffrey will work closely with our chief information officer, Vivek Kundra, who is responsible for setting technology policy across the government, and using technology to improve security, ensure transparency, and lower costs.
"The goal is to give all Americans a voice in their government and ensure that they know exactly how we're spending their money – and can hold us accountable for the results."
