The Valley vs. the FDA: Kleiner’s Beth Seidenberg on Getting Along With the Agency Tech Loves to Hate – Re/code
0Silicon Valley loves to hate the Food and Drug Administration.
In my eight months on the health beat at Re/code, the agency comes up repeatedly in interviews, cast as the plodding, paternalistic bureaucrats stifling technological and medical progress.
While health is suddenly a hot topic in the region, a handful of venture capitalists have said they simply won’t invest in companies that require FDA approval — opting for the relative safety (or more obvious exits) of health apps and infrastructure plays over drugs and diagnostics. Others are looking for end runs around the system altogether.
In large part it’s a cultural clash. The ask-forgiveness-not-permission ethos of an Uber or Airbnb, which counts on consumer sentiment to swing policy, doesn’t play with the FDA. You’re not allowed to move fast and break things when it comes to people’s health. And the agency doesn’t take kindly to companies that violate its rules while ignoring repeated requests for information.
But some in Silicon Valley, particularly those who have no choice but to work with the FDA, are striving to locate what is ultimately some obvious middle ground…
Read more – Re/code