CEOs in the News

Tech Titans Present $1 Billion Savings Plan to Trump

While tech CEOs, more broadly, have reacted coldly to Trump’s election over the last two months, they now appear to be warming to growth opportunities posed by the former businessman and self-described deal-maker.

Rometty stood out from the crowd in November by writing a letter congratulating Trump and detailing how the computer company could help his administration. She has continued this approach as part of the Technology CEO Council, which also includes Dell’s Michael Dell, Intel’s Brian Krzanich and Oracle’s Safra Catz.

When Trump met with industry leaders in New York last month, Rometty handed him a copy of the report, entitled The Government We Need, which can be viewed in full here. The initiative isn’t entirely new: tech titans presented a similar report to the incoming Obama administration eight years ago.

“These trends can make our government more efficient, with a potential $1 trillion in savings, and can empower agencies to provide faster, modern, more personalized services.

“We are living through a period of profound change, where cognitive computing systems and the efficiency of the cloud are transforming entire industries,” Rometty said in a statement. “These trends can make our government more efficient, with a potential $1 trillion in savings, and can empower agencies to provide faster, modern, more personalized services.”

Around $500 billion of savings could be achieved by using technology to improve supply-chain operations, while another $270 billion could be saved by preventing fraud and improper payments, the report said.

Big data analytics combined with cognitive computing could weed out a further $205 billion, while $100 billion could be recouped through the modernization of IT systems. Other measures mentioned by the report include utilizing shared services, improving energy use efficiency and protecting against cyber attacks.

It also recommends that the government appoint a chief information office to spearhead the transformation efforts.

“Advanced information technologies are providing dramatic competitive advantages to businesses in virtually every industry imaginable,” said Micron Technology CEO Mark Durcan, who also is chairman of the council. “Modernizing our infrastructure is critical to out future as a nation.”

The other report signatories include Akamai Technologies’ Tom Leighton, Qualcomm’s Steve Mollenkopf and Xerox’s Jeff Jacobson.

Ross Kelly

Ross Kelly is a London-based business journalist. He has been a staff correspondent or editor at The Wall Street Journal, Yahoo Finance and the Australian Associated Press.

Share
Published by
Ross Kelly

Recent Posts

How Michelin Is Shifting Gears

CEO Cabe shares how the company well-known for tires is putting more than a century…

2 days ago

Artificial Harmony Is Costing Your Leadership Team More Than Conflict Ever Could

On the surface, everything looks and feels aligned. Underneath, dissent goes unspoken, accountability erodes and…

3 days ago

The Most Effective Executives Don’t Manage Time, They Command It

Time management asks a tactical question: How do I fit everything in? Time ownership asks…

3 days ago

Want To Build A Family Business That Lasts? Create Rituals

Rituals surface founding values in visible and repeatable ways, transforming abstract principles into lived experiences,…

3 days ago

How Power Digital Turned ‘People-First’ Into A Growth Engine

CEO Jeff Mason explains how proprietary commerce data, disciplined measurement and a culture built for…

4 days ago

New Tariff Uncertainty: The 5 Essential Tactical Questions

There’s far more unknown than known about what happens next following the Supreme Court’s ruling.…

6 days ago