What could be in store for DC tech and economic development in 2026?
2025 was a volatile year for the region, both professionally and personally. Tech jobs slid, there was a record-breaking government shutdown and National Guard troops landed in Metro stations and neighborhoods. Meanwhile, agentic AI hype reached feverish pace, and women founders were left out of funding rounds…again.
I asked a dozen-plus local leaders what they see as being “in” and “out” this year — the 250th anniversary of this nation’s founding — and searched through my recent interviews to find additional trends.
Good news: It’s not all doom and gloom. There’s a desire for more meaningful connections and leveraging DC’s unique strengths as the capital city. Keep scrolling for some predictions of what may lie ahead. Cheers to a better year.
Have one to add? Email dc@technical.ly to share your ideas.
- Out: Chasing national trends
In: Leaning into DC industry strengths
- Out: Tech meetups in downtown offices
In: Gathering at Martin Luther King Jr. Memorial Library
- Out: Established investors snubbing founders
In: Early-stage startup funding
- Out: Mass federal layoffs
In: State and city government hiring
- Out: Tesla Ubers
In: Waymo self-driving cars
- Out: Exclusive steak dinners at restaurants near the White House
In: Open bar happy hours at Union Market
- Out: Women getting 1% of VC investment
In: Female founders pooling capital
- Out: Remote work
In: National companies opening DC offices
- Out: Degrees at prestigious, expensive DC universities
In: Certifications at trade schools building data centers in Loudoun County
- Out: Crystal City
In: National Landing
- Out: “So what do you do?”
In: Personal connections
- Out: Vying for Silicon Valley funding
In: City and state-backed VC investment
- Out: Proprietary closed AI
In: Open source AI
- Out: Hoodies
In: Blazers
- Out: Expensive office rentals
In: Coworking spaces
- Out: Doom scrolling
In: Digital fasts
- Out: Jurisdictions working in siloes
In: Collaboration across DC, Maryland and Virginia
- Out: Agentic AI for the marketing hype
In: Practical, safe and secure AI agents that drive revenue growth
Thank you to Matt Gittleman, John Kaufhold, Ann Marie Guzzi, Sheila Collins and Erin Horne McKinney for contributing.
Chart updated 4 p.m. to swap a mistakenly reversed in/out!
