Rob Cook landed a gig at the Technology Transformation Service, also known as (TTS). According to a press release, on October 31st, Mr. Cook will take on the role of commissioner of the Technology Transformation Service. He will be working closely with the federal government.
The Technology Transformation Service, which is linked to the U.S. General Services Administration, was launched in the spring of 2016 for the following reasons – to “transform the way government builds, buys and shares technology.”
The Technology Transformation Service has been under scrutiny since its creation over a startup called 18F, which lost more than $32 million. Cook will be part of the agency for three years and will have top secret security clearance.
Mr. Cook, a Democrat, has made substantive donations to President Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton‘s campaigns. Cook, a former Pixar executive, who brought the world, RenderMan, the technical innovation behind Toy Story I and II will now be responsible for creating new and tweaking existing federal digital technology.
According to the statement, Cook “will also oversee investments, acquisitions, and the presidential innovation fellows program, among other offices.” GSA Administrator Denise Roth said:
“Rob is someone who has considerable experience both in delivering great technology and in building great organizations. I can’t think of a better or more qualified individual to take our emerging technology efforts at GSA to the next level.”
In 1981, Cook joined Pixar when Lucasfilm owned it. As stated above, he was instrumental in the creation of the RenderMan software, which earned him an Oscar for his work. Cook launched a software company, which he sold to Microsoft and returned to Pixar where he took on the role of vice president of software development. He left in 2012 and became a consultant for Silicon Valley companies. Cook has declined to comment on his new job.