A dream team of tech-powerhouse leadership is on the East Coast today, lending a bit of a helping hand to a president whose approval ratings are hurting -- bad.
President Obama will meet with Apple CEO Tim Cook, Twitter CEO Dick Costolo, Yahoo CEO Marissa Mayer, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg, Google executive chairman Eric Schmidt and a half dozen other executives at the White House to discuss updates to the performance of the Obamacare enrollment site. The botched rollout of HealthCare.gov has left individuals unable to sign up for health care, as the administration previously promised.
Related: HealthCare.gov: Your Reminder Not To Skimp on Quality Assurance
Also on the docket for the meeting is digital surveillance. The National Security Agency has come under fire for invading individual’s online privacy and just yesterday U.S. District Judge Richard Leon ruled that the agency’s use of phone records “almost certainly” violates the U.S. Constitution. The issue has enraged many in the tech world, with Google's Schmidt having called the NSA's actions "outrageous."
Today’s roundtable of the tech leaders of the U.S. is not the first time that the White House has name-dropped to gather support for his health care reform. For example, this summer, Obama asked Amy Poehler, Jennifer Hudson, Aisha Tyler, and Jon Bon Jovi to the White House to ask them to help him encourage young people to sign up for Obamacare.
Related: Why Obama Asked Amy Poehler and Jon Bon Jovi to the White House. Hint: It's Not a SNL Sketch