Trump Hires Tech Adviser to Focus on Innovation Policy

Following the hiring of Peter Thiel as deputy chief technology officer, President Trump added another tech aide to his administration. Matt Lira, who most recently worked on tech policy issues in the office of House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., will serve as special assistant to the president for innovation policy and initiatives, according to Recode.

Lira has done much for tech initiatives with the GOP leader’s office since 2015, and in the years leading up to that in various positions within GOP circles. In January, Lira was part of the efforts that made one of Obama’s final acts as president possible — the signing of a bill that codified the Presidential Innovation Fellows program into law.

A federal CTO is yet to be appointed, but with the White House tech ranks slowly forming, it’s only a matter of time before Trump names someone to the position. Obama was the first president to appoint a federal CTO, and as part of his technology legacy, he made the position permanent Jan. 6 with the passage of the American Innovation and Competitiveness Act.