2016 Presidential Election Candidates: GOP Candidate Carly Fiorina Says 'I Can Win' Presidency, Will Rollback FCC Net Neutrality
A day after announcing her bid to become the next U.S. president, former HP CEO Carly Fiorina told an audience of tech enthusiasts Tuesday of her reasons to win the White House and stance on technology issues.
"I think our nation is at a really pivotal point. This is a place now where too many people fear that we are losing a sense of limitless possibilities that has always defined this nation, said Fiorina on Tuesday afternoon, later adding, "we're losing the core of who we are."
Fiorina said work experience, including her tenure as CEO of Hewlett-Packard (HP), have her a "deep understanding" of how the U.S. economy grows and how bureaucracy works.
"That's important because our government is one big-giant bureaucracy," continued Fiorina. She said being in the Oval Office includes making executive decisions, with tough calls, tough times and high stakes "but you learn that from doing it."
On dealing with bureaucracies, Fiorina said the flow of money needs to move away from a "seniority system," where an individual would get paid on how long you have been in a specific job rather than pay for one's contribution to the company. She said bureaucracies are bad for innovation since they do not take risks even if a mistake occurs.
"The goal is to not make the same mistake twice...I made a lot of mistakes in my life...I hope not to do them again," said the GOP presidential candidate.
Fiorina did tie in technology during her interview session with TechCrunch reporter Sarah Lane.
"I understand technology and technology is a tool that can be used to reimagine government and to reengage a whole set of people who in this country feel disconnected from the political process in very serious ways," said Fiorina, adding that is important to have someone in the White House that has fundamental understanding of technology.
The former HP CEO spoke about her public firing from the company, which came in 2005 following decisions for mergers, layoffs and offshore jobs. Fiorina said she has no regrets about her decisions.
Fiorina said there are certain aspects the federal government should not regulate that would affect the tech industry's progress in innovation. Fiorina made it clear she opposed the Federal Communication Commission's (FCC) net neutrality decision, stating it is "not helpful."
"I don't have a lot of confidence in the FCC," said Fiorina, noting she does not believe the commission carefully considered the public comments made ahead of the net neutrality vote.
If she's elected president, Fiorina said she will rule back the FCC regulation on the Internet and criticized the "Innovation Act" currently debated in Congress. She said the legislation is "very complicated" and "written by big companies," and it will be harder for small companies to innovate.
In regards to being a woman in the presidential race, a slight reference to Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was made. Fiorina said, "It's a great thing" to have a woman in the mix, but stressed that issues are the important elements of an election. She also believed women are "caricatured differently" and "scrutinized differently" in politics.
Fiorina hit back if she would run for vice president.
"I'm not running for something else," said Fiorina. "I'm running cause I think I can win this job."
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