Google Goes to Washington

Giant corporations sending highly-paid lobbyists to Washington are usually up to no good. Fortunately, Google’s motto is Don’t be evil.

“We’re seeking to do public policy advocacy in a Googley way,” said Andrew McLaughlin, Google’s director of public policy and government affairs. “We want our users to be part of the effort.”

In its first major policy assault on a competitor, Google’s Washington office helped write an antitrust complaint to the Justice Department and other government authorities asserting that Microsoft’s new Vista operating system discriminates against Google software. Last night, under a compromise with federal and state regulators, Microsoft agreed to make changes to Vista’s operations.

…Google went on a hiring spree and now has 12 lobbyists and lobbying-related professionals on staff here — more than double the size of the standard corporate lobbying office — and is continuing to add people.

Its in-house talent includes such veteran government insiders as communications director Robert Boorstin, a speechwriter and foreign policy adviser in the Clinton White House, and Jamie Brown, a White House lobbyist under President Bush.

Also check out their new Google Public Policy Blog. It’s about time the good guys got the government on their side. Just last month, Rep. Ed Markey interviewed YouTube CEO Chad Hurley. Maybe now, Ted Stevens will know the Internet isn’t a series of tubes.