Capitol Weekly’s Top 100: Ron Conway

No. 80 Ron Conway

For most of his career Ron Conway has been far better known in board rooms than in legislative offices, but with AI regulation all the rage right now in the Capitol, the so-called “super angel” of Silicon Valley has definitely gained the attention of every California lawmaker. This is due mostly to his deep, deep pockets (i.e. many donations to various Democratic PACs and causes), and also for his well-known leadership in the tech world. He isn’t one to show up in the Capitol himself, but he is someone Gavin Newsom listens to on all things tech, as do all the cool kid legislators trying to thread the needle on Big Tech regulation. We don’t know what impact his input could have on the number of AI and other tech bills currently working their way through the Legislature, but it is easy to imagine his influence playing big if a SB 53 gets to the governor’s desk. He is also a longtime donor to Kamala Harris’s campaigns, and would presumably be so again for whatever office she might seek next. Or not.