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Biden's Cyber Ambassador Urges Trump Not to Cede Ground to Russia and China in Global Tech Fight

Nathaniel Fick, the ambassador for cyberspace and digital policy, has led US tech diplomacy amid a rising tide of pressure from authoritarian regimes. Will the Trump administration undo that work?

America’s outgoing cyber ambassador has a warning for his successors in the incoming Trump administration: Stay engaged with tech and digital security debates on the world stage, because otherwise, Russia and China will fill the void. Fick sees a chance for Trump’s administration to focus on these kinds of investments, with the strategy mirroring military-equipment sales to foreign governments, where diplomats arrange deals that improve partners’ security and benefit US businesses. Looking back on his time as America’s cyber ambassador—which saw him spend a total of more than 200 days traveling the world on nearly 80 trips to visit key US allies and partners—Fick is proud of how his team launched an entirely new bureau inside the State Department, grew it to around 130 employees, and delivered results that he says are transforming digital diplomacy.

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