Greg Lin Tanaka
(林田中)
Greg Lin Tanaka was born in Los Angeles to a Japanese-American father and a Chinese-American mother. Raised in a single parent household, he went on to attend the California Institute of Technology and the University of California, Berkeley. Greg moved permanently to the Bay Area in 1993, settling down in Palo Alto’s College Terrace neighborhood in 2004. He is a father, an entrepreneur and devoted public servant, someone with the experience necessary for competent leadership and the outsider’s perspective central to innovative policy solutions. The pressing need for government and policies to catch up with technological advancements and a changing economy prompted Greg to run for Congress. His campaign is built on the belief that Silicon Valley and its residents deserve representation prepared for the challenges and opportunities of a new digital age.
Councilmember Tanaka’s career encapsulates the enterprising spirit and commitment to community service and promoting the public good that makes Silicon Valley what it is today. Greg is a committed public servant with nearly fifteen years of experience in local government and politics in Palo Alto. He initially served in a range of roles in city government, including as chair of the Planning and Transportation Commission, before being elected to the Palo Alto City Council in 2016. As an elected council member, Greg has been a tireless advocate for business friendly and financially responsible policies. His practice of holding regular ‘office hours’ sessions where he listens to the concerns of constituents has gained recognition, and in both of his campaigns for public office, he was committed to transparency and incorporating the input of residents. When the pandemic struck and shuttered businesses and upended lives nationwide, Greg fought in the City Council for policies to revitalize the local economy and help get Palo Altans back on their feet. His work as a ‘Councilmember for everyone’ earned him a whopping 400 endorsements in his 2020 campaign for re-election, and he is dedicated to taking this approach to governance to Congress as a representative for Silicon Valley.
Prior to taking office on the City Council, Greg first cut his teeth as a design engineer before pivoting to the business side of the technology industry. For years, he took a leading role in a series of startups working with both hardware and software, making a name for himself in Silicon Valley during his time at Synopsys and Rambus, gaining indispensable experience in an industry that is rapidly redefining our economy and society. In 2012, he founded the business analytics firm Percolata with funding from Google Ventures and Andreessen Horowitz. At Percolata, Greg pioneered the use of machine learning to help clients like Uniqlo and 7-Eleven make smarter marketing decisions and optimize their operations. Additionally, Greg founded Pika Group in 2020, a web3 startup that develops algorithms to help automate day trading. Throughout his time at the intersection of the tech and business worlds, Greg has developed a unique perspective on how to leverage technological innovations and the power of the internet to better the lives of Silicon Valley residents and everyday Americans. He would bring the instincts of an entrepreneur and the pragmatism of an experienced public servant to Capitol Hill, instead of the narrow-mindedness of political insiders.
Seeing the world change at such a rapid pace during his time in both public service and the world of technology, Greg believes that it is time for Congress to get a reboot, and for Silicon Valley to have the legislator that it deserves. There are a lot of problems to tackle, especially with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic and the challenges posed by emerging technologies and a digitizing world, but there are also countless opportunities that can be harnessed with the right policies and innovative spirit. Greg is running so that Silicon Valley residents can finally have the twenty-first century solutions that they need.