What Google could gain from an Obama White House

Barack Obama is building some powerful Silicon Valley support for the home stretch of his presidential campaign. Google CEO Eric Schmidt says he's officially endorsing Obama and will join him at rallies and events over the coming days. Schmidt had previously served as an informal adviser to the Democratic campaign.

While Schmidt has made it abundantly clear his support is personal and not on behalf of Google, the exec's position is undoubtedly the driving force of his influence -- and his search engine colleagues seem to be okay with it, if their donations serve as any sign. Google workers have given a total of US$487,355 to Obama's campaign, the Wall Street Journal reports, and only $20,600 to John McCain's.

Tech Talk

Obama has long been touted as the more tech-oriented of the two candidates. His campaign has created everything from an iPhone app to a text-centric communication system for supporters, while McCain has made headlines for his general lack of computing know-how. Still, when it comes to actual technology-related legislation, both senators have taken their share of stands. So what would Google stand to gain from an Obama election?

-- A Possible Position

There have already been calls for Schmidt to take the chief technology officer job Obama has said he'd create within his cabinet. Many have speculated that it may not be a long-shot at all. Schmidt himself, when asked about the possibility, has only indicated he's "very busy running Google."

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