Next CTO Reportedly Waiting for Security Clearance
Former Google executive Megan Smith Flickr user Hubert Burda Media
Google exec Megan Smith said to be the White House’s top choice.
The White House has chosen Google executive Megan Smith as the next federal chief technology officer and expects to make the announcement when security vetting is complete, Fortune reported, citing unnamed sources.
Fortune's Dan Primack accurately broke the news of Todd Park’s imminent departure from the job a week before the White House announcement last Thursday. At that time, Primack said the White House was talking with technologists from Google, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Smith is currently vice president of Google X, the company's secretive research arm, whose recent projects include development of self-driving cars and a recent drone-delivery program.
Bloomberg News last week called Smith a top pick, and Fortune at that time added other candidates to the list of potentials, including:
- Twitter General Counsel Alex Macgillvry
- J Patil, a former LinkedIn executive currently with RelateIQ, which recently agreed to be acquired by Salesforce.com
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