Google’s Schmidt to Be Obama’s CTO?

There has been much made about President-elect Obama being the first tech president, given the role that the Internet, Web 2.0 and social networking played in drumming up election support and funding for the 44th president of the United States. But the tech title will become more concretely apropos if Obama decides to create a Cabinet-level position for a CTO, as he has hinted.

One front-runner is Google chief executive Eric Schmidt, who today was revealed to be part of Obama’s 17-person economic transition team. IAC executive and general transition team member Julius Genachowsk, who advised two FCC chairmen under Bill Clinton, is also in the running. Other names floated include former FCC chief Reed Hundt, Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and Microsoft's Steve Ballmer.

And why a CTO? Well, the so-called “Facebook for spies”, for one. Inter-agency transparency and using technology to cut costs also spring to mind as reasonable drivers. Perhaps most importantly, the office would presumably work closely with the FCC to guide growth initiatives and spark innovation and high-value jobs. A CTO also would be integral to any initiative that hinges on a technology component — from green modeling to bridging the digital divide. In short, in the transition to the knowledge economy, an office of the CTO could become a powerful policy-making position. Best to have someone in the position who is committed to innovation and thinking creatively, yet pragmatically.

Regardless of whether a CTO is named, Obama clearly recognizes the value of communications and technology: the transition team also includes Sonal Shah of Google and Donald Gips, vice president of corporate strategy and development for Level 3 Communications.