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Emails reveal how Amazon and Google tap friends in government to influence policies. Critics say there's too much 'coziness' with Big Tech.
Hugh Langley
8–10 minutes
Critics say Big Tech has an outsize role in shaping government policy.
Emails show close ties between US trade officials and former colleagues now working in Big Tech.
The activist group Demand Progress says the US trade department has a "culture problem."
When you work as a Big Tech lobbyist, there's a good chance you're already friends with someone in government.
In 2022, 82.4% of Amazon lobbyists and 81.3% of Alphabet lobbyists previously held government jobs, according to data from OpenSecrets.
Critics have long claimed this revolving door lets Big Tech companies take an outsize role in shaping trade agreements to protect their bottom lines and limit how they can be regulated. In May, Sen. Elizabeth Warren claimed in a report that emails sent between Big Tech companies and the Office of the United States Trade Representative revealed a pattern of Big Tech getting "unparalleled access" to trade officials — including the US trade representative, Katherine Tai — to shape decisions on policies like digital tariffs in their favor.
"Big Tech uses its special revolving door access to furtively push for rigged trade policies," Warren wrote.
Insider reviewed a set of emails sent between USTR members and lobbyists from Google and Amazon from April 2022 to May 2023, which the advocacy group Demand Progress obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request and shared exclusively with Insider.
The emails highlight what Demand Progress calls a "coziness" between Big Tech and trade officials. Some emails show close ties between USTR officials and former colleagues who now work in Big Tech, which critics say gives tech companies immediate and direct access to policymakers that civil society groups don't enjoy.
The emails are limited to correspondence with Amazon and Google lobbyists and do not include communications with representatives of other tech companies.
"All USTR staff maintain a high level of ethical transparency and would never give favored treatment to certain industries or individuals," a USTR spokesperson told Insider in a statement.
The spokesperson also said Tai had been meeting with workers and small-business owners to "ensure their perspectives are included in the development and implementation of US trade policy."
'USTR has a culture problem'
Emails show trade officials reaching out to tech lobbyists for guidance on issues, updating them on the status of bills, and even giving them a heads-up on discussions held behind closed doors.
In May, Andrea Boron, a USTR director for services and digital trade, emailed Google and Amazon to flag that Brazil's telecoms agency was considering imposing network fees on digital service providers including Google and asked for advice on negotiations.
A USTR spokesperson said the email was meant to obtain "more information at a time of uncertainty."
"At no point did USTR ask for Google or Amazon's help in forming a position on this proposed regulation, nor did we seek their help in drafting comments," the spokesperson added.
Several former USTR employees went on to work as lobbyists on behalf of Amazon and Google, including Mary Thornton, who was previously a USTR director and until recently a top lobbyist at Amazon Web Services. Karan Bhatia, Google's global head of government affairs, served as a deputy US trade representative from 2005 to 2007 and is seen in many of the emails.
Karan Bhatia google global policy chief
Karan Bhatia, Google's global head of government affairs.
Byun Young-Wook/Getty Images
Some emails underscore access that the tech giants are granted in important p...
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[ 3.6 ms ] story [ 16.1 ms ] threadEmails reveal how Amazon and Google tap friends in government to influence policies. Critics say there's too much 'coziness' with Big Tech. Hugh Langley 8–10 minutes
When you work as a Big Tech lobbyist, there's a good chance you're already friends with someone in government.In 2022, 82.4% of Amazon lobbyists and 81.3% of Alphabet lobbyists previously held government jobs, according to data from OpenSecrets.
Critics have long claimed this revolving door lets Big Tech companies take an outsize role in shaping trade agreements to protect their bottom lines and limit how they can be regulated. In May, Sen. Elizabeth Warren claimed in a report that emails sent between Big Tech companies and the Office of the United States Trade Representative revealed a pattern of Big Tech getting "unparalleled access" to trade officials — including the US trade representative, Katherine Tai — to shape decisions on policies like digital tariffs in their favor.
"Big Tech uses its special revolving door access to furtively push for rigged trade policies," Warren wrote.
Insider reviewed a set of emails sent between USTR members and lobbyists from Google and Amazon from April 2022 to May 2023, which the advocacy group Demand Progress obtained in a Freedom of Information Act request and shared exclusively with Insider.
The emails highlight what Demand Progress calls a "coziness" between Big Tech and trade officials. Some emails show close ties between USTR officials and former colleagues who now work in Big Tech, which critics say gives tech companies immediate and direct access to policymakers that civil society groups don't enjoy.
The emails are limited to correspondence with Amazon and Google lobbyists and do not include communications with representatives of other tech companies.
"All USTR staff maintain a high level of ethical transparency and would never give favored treatment to certain industries or individuals," a USTR spokesperson told Insider in a statement.
The spokesperson also said Tai had been meeting with workers and small-business owners to "ensure their perspectives are included in the development and implementation of US trade policy." 'USTR has a culture problem'
Emails show trade officials reaching out to tech lobbyists for guidance on issues, updating them on the status of bills, and even giving them a heads-up on discussions held behind closed doors.
In May, Andrea Boron, a USTR director for services and digital trade, emailed Google and Amazon to flag that Brazil's telecoms agency was considering imposing network fees on digital service providers including Google and asked for advice on negotiations.
A USTR spokesperson said the email was meant to obtain "more information at a time of uncertainty."
"At no point did USTR ask for Google or Amazon's help in forming a position on this proposed regulation, nor did we seek their help in drafting comments," the spokesperson added.
Several former USTR employees went on to work as lobbyists on behalf of Amazon and Google, including Mary Thornton, who was previously a USTR director and until recently a top lobbyist at Amazon Web Services. Karan Bhatia, Google's global head of government affairs, served as a deputy US trade representative from 2005 to 2007 and is seen in many of the emails.
Karan Bhatia google global policy chief Karan Bhatia, Google's global head of government affairs. Byun Young-Wook/Getty Images
Some emails underscore access that the tech giants are granted in important p...