Nate’s Notes 110: Jennifer Pahlka on Recoding America

I hope we can all follow Jennifer’s advice.

First, after backpacking in Asia for a year, and then returning to the states, Jennifer realized that our culture and infrastructure could be different because she had seen different.

Second, lots of people talk about public service as giving back. But Jen got more out of public service than she gave, and hopes that we all spend time in public service.

Finally, we need to hold our politicians accountable for not only planting new seeds, but also nurturing the seeds that have already been planted.

In the words of David Graeber, “The ultimate hidden truth of the world is that it is something we make and could just as easily make differently.”

It’s a simple idea. Please take it seriously.

Jennifer Pahlka Bio:

Jennifer Pahlka is the founder of Code for America and the author of Recoding America: Why Government is Failing in the Digital Age and How We Can Do Better. She has served as U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer under President Obama and on the Defense Innovation Board under Presidents Obama and Trump. She also co-founded United States Digital Response, which helps government meet the needs of the public with volunteer tech support. Jennifer received the Skoll Award for Social Entrepreneurship, was named by Wired as one of the 25 people who has most shaped the past 25 years, and her 2012 TED Talk, “Coding a Better Government,” has over 1 million views. Jennifer is a graduate of Yale University.