Federal CTO Aneesh Chopra Stepping Down

As a fed who has been in meetings with Mr. Chopra, I give him credit for his vision and passion for change. Unfortunately, these admirable traits often came at the expense of being a respectful and thoughtful listener to others with different points of view and/or expertise on important subject matters. I witnessed him on numerous occasions ignoring facts and operational realities that went against the grain of his vision. Once he got something into his head as being the right approach/solution/technology, he would belittle experts and operators who didn’t agree with his assertions. Not always, but far too often. Further, his gratuitous and frequent use of f-bombs in meetings was offensive to those of us who believe it is an honor and privilege to work in the WH. A higher degree of professionalism would have gone a long way to cultivate the respect of those of us who have been in the WH/OST/OMB mix for many years. Unfortunately, his conduct in meetings (occasional grandiosity frequent profanity) had the net effect of reducing his stature, which is disappointing because he has such great passion and energy. Mr. Chopra has a bright future and I wish him the best. I hope that time and wisdom will smooth his rough edges and teach him to be more respectful of others. Perhaps he will also dispense with the profanity in meetings with strangers.

DC...i'd just like to thank you for posting a comment that was not very polite but was also some very constructive criticism. I guess i'm a bit old fashioned (or as old fashioned as you can be at 37) in thinking this was something best left to an email, but I guess if you're going to talk about someone you claim to know personally, at least you're doing it in a positive manner. It's good to know it's not ALL mudslinging in DC.

Christopher and DC... I'd like to just thank you both for posting comments that are polite and constructive to a point that it offered a unique view on criticism. I guess I'm a bit new age (or about as new age as a 24 year old can be) in thinking that these comments were best left to an internet comment thread for a government news article. You both are gentlemen and scholars. I'm glad to see that it's not all mudslinging on govtech.com

Cool, I have seen many high level Executives throw f-bombs almost every minute. What is definition of being professional ? And yes, if facebook, twitter, google, imac/ipod/iphone founders had all listened to experts and operational folks then these things might have never been even invented. You need Leaders, who listen to others but at the same stick to their decisions and not change with every next expert. Leaders who are qualified and knowledgeable, will "stick" to their guns even after listening to experts, since they might have an intution and experts generally just think inside the box, but Leaders think outside the box.

It would be interesting to read Gov Tech's outside perspective on Mr. Chopra's tenure. No one changes large organizations in two and a half years, and it seems doubtful that the Federal CTO (or the Federal CIO) who serves a short stint leaves any legacy that lasts longer than the news of their departure. It would be interesting to learn of any tangible achievements or of any CTO-driven changes that have the power to last. It seems unlikely that someone with a grand title but little power or authority can do much more than advocate for ideas and changes that they do not have the power or responsibility to realize. It is interesting to read the comment about Mr. Chopra's seemingly vulgar and dead-eared style; these are not the behavioral qualities one reads about in the books on leadership, nor are they the qualities I have seen in a lengthy career in many large organizations.