By Tom Still
MADISON, Wis. – Writing a weekly column is always a snapshot in time. Things can and do happen to advance the story. Here are a few examples tied to recent “Inside Wisconsin” columns:
Wisconsin links to Microsoft: In a column dated May 8, I wrote about Microsoft’s indigenous approach to making a $3.3 billion investment in an artificial intelligence data center to be developed in Racine County.
For starters, company president Brad Smith and Satya Nadella, its chairman and chief executive officer, both have Wisconsin ties. Smith was born and grew up in Wisconsin; Nadella holds a degree from UW-Milwaukee. The company is also the leading partner in TitletownTech, a venture capital firm formed out of a partnership between the Green Bay Packers and Microsoft. Titletown has invested in startups and accelerated their growth in Green Bay; it is now looking to do more in Milwaukee.
There are other examples. Balamurugan Balakreshnan, Microsoft’s chief AI officer, is attached to the UW-Milwaukee Connected Systems Institute laboratory and spoke at the Wisconsin Entrepreneurs’ Conference in Milwaukee. Raghu Ramakrishnan, who was a UW-Madison computer scientist for 22 years, is Microsoft’s chief technology officer for data and a Technical Fellow in the company’s Cloud and AI division.
The Wisconsin Investment Fund: In a column dated May 29, I described the formation of the $100-million Wisconsin Innovation Fund and how this public-private venture capital fund is likely to garner attention outside the state. That’s happening already in places such as the Silicon Valley.
A unique side of the fund was the state’s decision to invest nearly two-thirds of its foundational capital, which came through the U.S. Treasury under a bill approved by Congress, in venture capital versus other programs. A state-by-state analysis showed Wisconsin was 33rd in total dollars received but invested more dollars on the venture side than 12 other mostly larger states. Another sign of commitment by the Wisconsin Economic Development Corp.
Transitions: Two figures who have been focal points at UW-Madison have retired or soon will. Engineering Dean Ian Robertson, who led efforts to win legislative approval for a building that will help meet state workforce needs by boosting the number of undergraduates, announced he will step down. (Four columns over time outlined the need.) Depending upon on a successor’s timeline, Robertson may stay in the role through December 2024. Over 11 years, Robertson raised about $300 million from donors, hired 130 professors and buttressed the college’s applied research base. Good luck filling those shoes. Charlie Hoslet, who worked for five chancellors in varying roles spanning 27 years and became vice chancellor for university relations in 2016, was honored in late May by colleagues and others. My (very) unofficial title for Hoslet was “vice chancellor for what-not,” as he was always in the jumbled midst of resolving knotty campus issues.
Economic perception versus reality: Two columns this spring (March 27 and May 2) examined the conflict between mostly strong economic indicators across the United States and the uneasy feeling among some Americans that they’re worse off than four years ago. For many people, especially in rural areas, it’s more than a feeling as they contend with nagging inflation in food, fuels, health care and housing.
A poll taken in Wisconsin, Pennsylvania and Michigan after former President Trump was found guilty of 34 charges and released June 4 reinforced the notion that economic issues will likely remain atop the list as the fight for the swing state continues.
“These battleground states continue to prioritize economic concerns over social issues like immigration and abortion,” said Luzmarina Garcia of Florida Atlantic University, which partnered with the Public Research Lab and Mainstreet Research on the poll. “While the economy is the top matter for voters across party lines, we see a stark split on the second-tier priorities.”
The poll noted 30% of Trump voters rank immigration as their second-most crucial issue compared to only 5.5% of Biden voters. Conversely, a quarter of Biden supporters cite abortion access as highly important, versus 5% who backed Trump. The poll indicates a gender gap as well, with abortion mattering more to women than men. Economic anxieties appear to affect both genders equally.
Look for both campaigns to dispatch more surrogates to Wisconsin’s most rural counties, which also happen to be the poorest, in the months ahead.
Still is president of the Wisconsin Technology Council. He can be reached at news@wisconsintechnologycouncil.com
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