Is the U.S. CTO Empowered to Fix Tech Problems?

The new U.S. chief technology officer Megan Smith has a direct line of communication to President Barack Obama, but there’s a few things she lacks: a budget and authority over other agencies.

“The problem, technology experts say, is that the mandate of the chief technology officer has been nebulous since Mr. Obama created the job five years ago, not least because it does not come with a substantial funding stream, a crucial source of power in the government,” according to a recent New York Times article.

Whether this will impact Smith’s ability to get work done is yet to be seen.