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Publisher’s Letter: Beginnings, Endings and Anniversaries

In our first issue of 2025, we reflect on the legacy of Government Technology and preview some of the stories in this issue.

Walking into the future digital art
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I’d like to personally welcome readers to the first print issue of 2025 for Government Technology, now in its 38th year of publication. We have a lot of interesting topics to tackle this year as we work alongside government, education and industry to encourage innovation in public service. For a quick preview of what’s in store in the magazine, check out our 2025 editorial calendar and reach out to our team if you have ideas on what else we should be covering.

And as I reflect on the legacy of Government Technology and the incredible opportunities in the year ahead, I also wanted to take a moment to acknowledge someone who has had an extraordinary impact not just on Government Technology and e.Republic, but on me personally — Paul W. Taylor.

Paul’s name is surely familiar to longtime followers of Government Technology. You have likely enjoyed his commentaries on digital government, listened to his distinctive talents in the podcast booth, or enjoyed a thought-provoking session that he led at one of our live events.

Paul has been a part of e.Republic for 23 years, first serving as my deputy in the Center for Digital Government and taking on other key roles such as chief strategy officer, chief content officer, executive editor, and most recently, senior editor. But titles alone don’t capture his immense influence. His vision, strategic mind, and commitment to editorial excellence have been the foundation of so much of what we’ve accomplished.

As Paul begins his next chapter, I want to wish him the best of luck and thank him for the countless ways he has impacted the people fortunate enough to work with him.

His work truly exemplifies e.Republic’s mission to make government and education better.

This issue marks another important milestone for GT: It’s the 10th year that we have published our GT100 list. It’s a who’s who in the market of technology firms serving state and local government.

When we started the GT100 back in 2015, the dominant players were seen as untouchable giants whose success couldn’t be replicated. Smaller companies struggled to break into the market and connect their solutions with government buyers. But what a difference 10 years makes — a convergence of changing technologies, evolving customer expectations, available investment capital, and forward-leaning public servants unleashed unprecedented market transformation. Gov tech wasn’t a new market, but rather a movement that needed to be connected, analyzed and curated for discovery.

We get into the details of the GT100’s decade long journey with a commentary from GT Biz Editor Ben Miller, Ten Years of Learning. And Thad Rueter puts the 2025 market in context in our cover story: Bigger Fish: Major Gov Tech Players Are Absorbing the Little Ones. The GT100 list itself is here.

State technology leaders speak directly to the evolution of the gov tech marketplace that we chronicle in our continuous coverage. We asked them whether they would rather work with incumbent providers or startups on their IT projects, and got answers that probably would have looked very different in 2015. Without exception, they’re open to both. That sounds a lot like innovation.

This story originally appeared in the Winter 2025 issue of Government Technology magazine. Click here to view the full digital edition online.

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Cathilea Robinett is president and CEO of e.Republic, the parent company of Government Technology.