March 29, 2025
While many lobbying firms have a dedicated tech policy practice, Josh Ackil, co-founder of Franklin Square Group, said the firm is the only one that focuses “exclusively on tech and innovation.” Founded in 2008, it got its start as Apple’s first Washington consultant, helping the company introduce the iPhone to the world.
In the years since, Ackil worries his industry has become a little too dependent on hobnobbing and who-you-know politics: “That is not lobbying. And I think it’s bad for the country.” He insists that his firm differentiate itself by closely studying the complex technology produced by its clients, including quantum computing and autonomous vehicles.
For Silicon Valley entrepreneurs who’d rather stay heads down building their product, Ackil and his colleagues can help clients determine which political threats actually have teeth and which politicians are just grandstanding. “Somebody that can tell them what’s real and what’s not—that’s half the battle of lobbying,” said Ackil.
