Top Google Lobbyist Leaving the Search Giant
November 7, 2011 | 5:24 PM
Alan Davidson, the granddaddy of Google lobbyists, announced today that he is leaving the company later this month to take a sabbatical, according to an email obtained by the Alley. In a sign of just how big the news is, a tech lobbyist emailed the Alley with a one-word reaction, "wow."
Davidson writes:
In 2005, I joined Google in Washington to build a first-rate Internet policy group. It's been a remarkable experience - and a very exciting and intense time -- but I'm ready for a new challenge. After six and half years, I've decided it's the right moment for me to leave my current role at the company. Starting later this month, I will be taking a sabbatical to explore other opportunities.
Davidson was Google's original guy in Washington and the loss of his institutional memory is sure to be felt inside the company, especially as it confronts regulators and lawmakers who are increasingly probing its business practices. With the company defending itself from anti-trust regulations, Google has hired more lobbyists and ramped up how much it spends each year to influence policy.
Davidson declined to comment.
From: Alan Davidson
Date: Mon, 7 Nov 2011 16:54:44 -0500
To: Alan Davidson
Subject: Time for a new challenge
Dear colleagues and friends -
In 2005, I joined Google in Washington to build a first-rate Internet policy group. It's been a remarkable experience - and a very exciting and intense time -- but I'm ready for a new challenge. After six and half years, I've decided it's the right moment for me to leave my current role at the company. Starting later this month, I will be taking a sabbatical to explore other opportunities.
When I started at Google none of us really knew how the Internet, and this company, would grow and change. The mobile, cloud, and social technologies just taking hold then are now full-on revolutions today. At Google, we've grown from one person in shared rental space (me!) to a large regional team with a flagship office in DC. I am intensely proud of the team we have built throughout the Americas, and the work we have done.
When we started the office, I knew that we couldn't affect the major policy debates of the day alone. It has only been in partnership with so many of you that we have been able to make progress on many of the great issues affecting the Internet. As we seek to fill my role, Pablo Chavez will continue to be a good point of contact in our ongoing work together.
Thank you.
With best regards,
Alan
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From: Alan Davidson
Date: Mon, 7 Nov 2011 16:54:44 -0500
To: Alan Davidson
Subject: Time for a new challenge
Dear colleagues and friends -
In 2005, I joined Google in Washington to build a first-rate Internet policy group. It's been a remarkable experience - and a very exciting and intense time -- but I'm ready for a new challenge. After six and half years, I've decided it's the right moment for me to leave my current role at the company. Starting later this month, I will be taking a sabbatical to explore other opportunities.
When I started at Google none of us really knew how the Internet, and this company, would grow and change. The mobile, cloud, and social technologies just taking hold then are now full-on revolutions today. At Google, we've grown from one person in shared rental space (me!) to a large regional team with a flagship office in DC. I am intensely proud of the team we have built throughout the Americas, and the work we have done.
When we started the office, I knew that we couldn't affect the major policy debates of the day alone. It has only been in partnership with so many of you that we have been able to make progress on many of the great issues affecting the Internet. As we seek to fill my role, Pablo Chavez will continue to be a good point of contact in our ongoing work together.
Thank you.
With best regards,
Alan
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