U
D

Conversation

the

04/09/14 | Uncategorized

One of the Most Powerful Women in U.S. Government Joins Dropbox’s Board

Condoleezza Rice, the former United States Secretary of State and National Security Advisor will join the Dropbox board of directors.

By Betsy Mikel (Editor, Women 2.0)

In the heels of hitting 275 million users, Dropbox is adding a fourth person to its board. Condoleezza Rice will be joining the board of directors to advise on matters such as international expansion and privacy. According to Bloomberg Businessweek, the former secretary of state’s consulting firm, RiceHadleyGates has advised Dropbox on management issues over the last year.

“As a country, we are having a great national conversation and debate about exactly how to manage privacy concerns,” Rice told Bloomberg Businessweek about her new position. “I look forward to helping Dropbox navigate it.”

Cloud startups and government don’t often join forces, but this appointment reinforces they should. If startups have global expansion on the horizon, it’s smart to have a voice with expertise in international affairs.

“Dropbox needs people with international experience to help it at once deal with foreign governments that have blocked its use — China, for example — and as it works to spread a product developed in one country to others that are culturally different,” TechCrunch pointed out.

Dropbox made several other big announcements today. They launched Carousel (check out this video), will now offer Dropbox for Business for personal accounts, and launched Mailbox for Android.

Photo credit: The World Affairs Council of Philadelphia via Flickr.

What do you think startups can gain from the expertise of former government officials?

Betsy Mikel is a freelance copywriter and content strategist who helps brands, businesses and entrepreneurs tell their stories. A journalist at heart, her curiosity drives her to find something new to learn every single day. Follow her on Twitter at @betsym.

Editor

Editor

The Switch Editorial Team.

Straight to your inbox.

The best content on the future faces of tech and startups.

"*" indicates required fields

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

SHARE THIS STORY

NEW COHORT STARTS JANUARY 2024

Join the Angel Sessions

Develop strategic relationships, build skills, and increase your deal flow through our global angel group and investing course.

RELATED ARTICLES
[yarpp]