Tech lobbyist warns US not to ‘cut off’ innovation in new book

During the COVID pandemic, as companies of every size and scope had to shift business models and strategies, Gary Shapiro was dutifully taking notes. 

The lobbyist and CEO of the Consumer Technology Association, the Arlington-based trade group representing some of the world’s highest-profile tech companies, he sat at the center of the DC innovation scene for decades. He decided to chronicle lessons he’s learned from and witnessed in a new book, “Pivot or Die,” released today. 

Shapiro’s fourth book, it snapshots case studies and lived experiences about different entities that’ve been forced to pivot for survival. Many of the examples are from the pandemic, like when CES, the annual CTA-run innovation showcase that’s one of the nation’s largest trade shows, went virtual in 2021. 

“The changes from COVID forced everyone to pivot quickly,” Shapiro told Technical.ly. “I thought there [are] valuable lessons that could be shared with those who haven’t witnessed a lot of what I have witnessed.”

A front-row seat to big-deal pivots 

Shapiro said he started writing this book with seemingly endless examples of what to include. 

His drafts featured some sports analogies to pivoting, which “somehow fell out” of its pages during the editing process, he quipped. But after writing several books and more than 1,000 opinion pieces for several news outlets, he sometimes sees passages that he doesn’t even remember writing. He also credited his editors for helping him make changes in “Pivot or Die” and his other work for the better. 

“Pivot or Die” largely features changes he’s watched startup founders lead, in addition to his own experiences. 

Take the case of Jamie Siminoff, who Shapiro met at the CES conference back in 2011. The founder of the now-acquired video doorbell company Ring decided to change the business model and partner with a manufacturer to improve its product after receiving lackluster reviews and rejection on “Shark Tank.”

Shapiro also wanted to place an emphasis on the DC region, which his employer calls home. He weaves in the story of Steve Case confounding AOL in Vienna, for instance. 

“Some of the brightest people in the country are in the Washington area,” Shapiro said. 

Examples like these are scattered throughout the book, and Shapiro emphasized that pivoting isn’t just about strategic business decisions, but also about mustering honesty and strength to acknowledge when something isn’t working.

While he aimed “Pivot or Die” at founders, executives and policy experts, Shapiro hopes more people get something out of the book. These lessons, and points in his three other books, are applicable to anyone, he noted.  

Pivoting away from public regulation  

A longtime lobbyist, Shapiro also witnessed tech regulation debates from the rise of the internet to current artificial intelligence concerns. He addresses the state of regulation in the book, and argues that the US needs to shift and build an innovation strategy to maintain a global competitive edge.

He also writes that the US needs to move away from the array of antitrust laws against major companies like Google and Meta. Shapiro started his career as an antitrust lawyer, and explained that increasing efforts to rein in Big Tech — including juggernauts among the Consumer Technology Association’s highest-profile members — will harm the startup ecosystem. 

He believes policy efforts like the antitrust American Innovation and Choice Online Act are ultimately harmful and too restrictive. 

“It’s bipartisan almost, to say how bad tech is,” he said. “There’s clearly a real threat out there because of this hostility. … If we cut off, and this is my entire career now, a sprouting of innovation, it could cut off a whole tree of good benefits.”