Only in America does one of the brightest privacy, cybersecurity, and regulatory specialists in the world need to be a Chemical Oceanographer just to navigate the regulatory waters.
Paul Rosenzweig is that Chemical Oceanographer. He’s also an attorney and the founder of Red Branch Consulting in Washington, D.C. And even from 3,000 miles away he can help California’s tech community avoid drowning in regulations, allowing you to disrupt to your heart’s content.
A regular moderator and panelist for Stanford, Rosenzweig knows his tech policy backwards and forwards. And that knowledge and expertise can be a vital resource for tech companies.
With the tech sector increasingly helping drive America’s economy, decisions made in Washington can have a profound effect on startups and established companies. That’s where Rosenzweig’s big brains come in. With his insider knowledge of the goings on inside the Beltway, he can help avoid the legal pitfalls that routinely kneecap medium-to-large companies.
"The major problem innovators run into," Rosenzweig says, "is the pace of technology moving so quickly that policy cannot keep up. Policy is made through policy making institutions, and our institutions are bounded by existing processes and inherent limitations. There are hurdles everywhere."
There may be hurdles everywhere, but Rosenzweig is the type of thinker who can drum up solutions. As companies like Uber have learned, regulations can be a minefield; try to sprint forward at the speed of innovation and you can easily find yourself stuck in 20th Century quicksand. Rosenzweig can show you the path forward.
He also has a keen understanding of how the molasses-like pace of regulating can cripple a bright idea. "In world where notice and comment rulemaking takes 18-24 months to complete," he says, "our system for making policy is simply ill-suited for the task. Disruption can be a major headache for regulators."
Rosenzweig doesn’t move fast and break things; he moves fast and fixes things. The key to successfully avoiding regulatory traps, he says, is to take a breath and accept how the process works. "When you have a brilliant idea," he says, "your natural instinct is to set sail with it as soon as possible. But in this age when everything is connected, governments are slow to react, and privacy is a major concern, you can easily hit an iceberg."
While the dragging heels of regulators are often frustrating, Rosenzweig is quick to point out that there are few regulatory issues that can’t be creatively solved. Laws can be complicated and burdensome, but they can also evolve. "Regulators very rarely want to stop a technology in its tracks," he says. "By working with the system instead of racing out in front of it, you’re more likely to succeed, in the short term, especially."
With his extensive experience with the often dysfunctional workings of Washington, Rosenzweig can definitely guide you and your innovation toward a smooth launch. You can learn more about him at www.paulrosenzweigesq.com and www.redbranchconsulting.com.
