Tech Firms Seek Washington's Prized Asset: Top-secret Clearances

Under siege for letting their platforms be co-opted by Russian hackers during the 2016 election, Silicon Valley companies are learning what many businesses with interests in Washington have long known: It pays to have staff with government security clearances.

Major players in technology are bolstering their workforces with former government employees holding top-secret and higher clearances needed to share classified information, as congressional probes and a federal investigation led by Special Counsel Robert Mueller continue to unearth information about Russia's meddling in last year's election.

"We are starting to see platforms in the social-media arena being used by bad actors — in ways for which for they were never intended," Ned Miller, chief technology strategist for the public sector for Intel Corp.'s McAfee, said in an interview. "So the folks that build those newer platforms are now demonstrating interest in acquiring talent that has a lot more cyber-security resources and background."

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