Arun Gupta — a venture capitalist, academic and author — champions a union of government, academia and entrepreneurship to solve societal problems, stressing tech and data’s key roles in innovation and restoring trust. In an interview with Governing’s Carl Smith, Gupta sees government data as vital for improving services and tackling climate change and geopolitical strife, urging a move to fact-based debates for a sustainable future.
Show Notes
Here are the top takeaways from this episode:
- Gupta wrote the book to address the growing desire among students for mission-oriented work and the need to harness optimism and innovation to solve societal issues through government collaboration.
- The book emphasizes the importance of technology in all organizations, including government, citing statistics about the age distribution of tech workers and the role of data in driving innovation and rebuilding trust between citizens and government.
- Gupta advocates for modernizing infrastructure to attract top talent to government, highlighting the need for interdisciplinary opportunities in academia and partnerships between the public and private sectors at the state level.
- He discusses the significance of utilizing government data to enhance services and user experiences, stressing the potential for data-driven approaches to address major societal challenges such as climate change and geopolitical conflicts.
- Gupta encourages a shift in the culture of debate toward facts and data, emphasizing the role of collective effort in creating a better, safer and more sustainable society in the face of existential threats.
Related link to the book referenced in the episode:
- Arun Gupta, Gerard George and Thomas J. Fewer, Venture Meets Mission: Aligning People, Purpose, and Profit to Innovate and Transform Society, Stanford Business Books, 2024.
Previous Episodes
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Future in ContextMental health, climate and workforce are at the core of a complex cluster of issues confronting lawmakers this year. -
Future in ContextA discussion about the near future and the legislative issues to keep an eye on this year. Technology, budget and transportation top the list. -
Future in ContextNew and growing GovTech100 companies are likely to have an outsized role in making government better. Many now come with deep pockets thanks to investments from private equity.
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Future in ContextA recap of 2023's pivotal trends in gov tech: transportation transitions, cybersecurity challenges and strides in digital inclusivity.
Our editors used GPT-4 to summarize the episode in bullet form to help create the show notes.
