Silicon Valley Leadership Group

10/09/2026

Yesterday evening, members of SVLG’s Civic Impact and Regional Government Affairs teams had the opportunity to attend the California Black Health Network’s (CBHN) networking and panel discussion event at the Domini Hoskins Black History Museum and Learning Center in Redwood City, thanks to an invitation from San Mateo County Supervisor Lisa Gauthier.

The event brought together community leaders and advocates for meaningful conversations on the intersection of public policy, voter education, and health equity. We are grateful for the opportunity to connect with those working to advance health equity.

10/07/2026

The San Mateo County Board of Supervisors adopted a first-of-it's kind permitting framework for commercially deployed robots. SVLG provided comments at the meeting and was honored to receive Supervisor Ray Mueller's official recognition of our leadership in this emerging policy area.

As the lead business group engaged on this issue, we are grateful for Supervisor Mueller's collaborative approach to regulating the emerging robotics industry. Led by SVLG and I-CAP's Ziyang Fan, our team contributed important definitional refinements early in the drafting process and worked with members to advance industry expert input on the final ordinance. As robotics technology evolves, we look forward to continuing our partnership with forward-looking regional leaders to ensure regulation is current, competitive, and coordinated across jurisdictions.

10/02/2026

SVLG’s Civic Impact team recently attended the Silicon Valley Community Foundation’s Annual Meeting, focused on “Philanthropy in a Changing World.”

As funding sources, local infrastructure, and technology continue to evolve, our shared mission remains the same: making Silicon Valley a better place to live and work.

We appreciated hearing about SVCF’s impact and investments across our region, as well as perspectives from philanthropic, public, and private sector leaders on responding to evolving community needs. We look forward to continued opportunities to collaborate and strengthen our local ecosystem.

09/29/2026

SVLG member Lam Research Corporation is continuing to invest in the Bay Area and the infrastructure that powers semiconductor innovation.

They recently opened Atlantis, a new 470,000-square-foot logistics hub in Livermore designed to centralize key operations, expand automation, and support future growth.

Investments like these reinforce the Bay Area’s critical role in the semiconductor ecosystem and help strengthen the infrastructure needed to support the next generation of advanced technologies.

Congratulations to the Lam Research team on this important milestone!

Lam Research expects to employ hundreds of workers at a new tech hub in Livermore.

09/29/2026

SVLG member Aurora Innovation recently outlined its 2030 vision: more than 30,000 Aurora Driver-powered trucks on the road.

"We have emerged from the building phase and are revolutionizing how goods move, unlocking safety benefits, and creating immense economic value across the freight ecosystem." —Chris Urmson, Co-Founder and CEO of Aurora

SVLG is proud to see continued advancements in their cutting-edge technology for road safety and efficiency.

Learn more at

Company offers industry-first driverless passenger rides on a segment of its Dallas-to-Houston commercial route DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--…...

09/28/2026

SVLG congratulates member San Jose State University on its first inclusion in the U.S. News & World Report list of national universities. Following SJSU’s 2025 R2 research designation, the university is now evaluated alongside research institutions across the country rather than primarily against institutions in its region.

Read more at

San José State University moves into the top third of nationally-ranked universities by U.S. News and World Report for the first time and is in the top 25% of nationally-ranked public universities.

09/25/2026

On Wednesday, SVLG CEO Ahmad Thomas delivered opening remarks at the Tech Leaders Night to help kick off the WeAreDevelopers World Congress America event in San José.

Ahmad highlighted the importance of advancing an AI narrative that recognizes the technology's positive benefits in augmenting human capabilities, promoting inclusive growth, and fostering continued innovation -- priorities at the heart of SVLG's work to help ensure Silicon Valley and California continue to lead the global innovation economy.

Thank you to the team at WeAreDevelopers for hosting this great event in the heart of Silicon Valley. San José continues to be a premier destination for business and large technology convenings like this one.

09/21/2026

Building a future-ready workforce means aligning education, industry, and innovation around the skills California’s economy will need next.

Thank you to San Jose State University, President Cynthia Teniente-Matson, and NCHEMS for bringing leaders together for an important conversation on AI, workforce readiness, and California’s economic future.

SVLG shared insights from our research on AI and the workforce, and how we’re working to translate that research into action through the California Innovation Foundation.

We appreciate the collaboration as we work to strengthen California’s talent pipeline and long-term competitiveness.

Explore SVLG and the Institute for California AI Policy’s latest research and publications:
https://svlg.org/publication-library/

09/16/2026

AI is creating new opportunities across the economy, and preparing more Californians to participate in that future is key to our continued leadership.

In a recent San Francisco Business Times viewpoint, Kenneth E. Maxey II, CEO of the Urban League of Greater San Francisco Bay Area, highlights the importance of expanding AI literacy, education and workforce pathways so communities across Silicon Valley can benefit from the opportunities ahead:

“Our community agrees there are risks, but we are not afraid of AI. We are afraid of being left behind.”

California has an opportunity to lead by connecting innovation with education, skills development and pathways into the jobs and industries of the future — strengthening our communities, our innovation economy, and our state’s long-term competitiveness.

Black Bay Area resident don't just want protection from AI's risks. They want a piece of the AI opportunity, too, Kenneth E. Maxey II writes.

09/15/2026

SVLG CEO Ahmad Thomas issued a statement following the recent AI headlines.

Read the statement 👉

Tech & Innovation Statement from SVLG CEO Ahmad Thomas on Recent AI Headlines September 14, 2026September 14, 2026 “Over the weekend several prominent frontier AI companies demonstrated important leadership by initiating a thoughtful conversation around how to most effectively pair continued innov...