Ideally: They are industry guardrails based on the best thinking of government agencies.

Typically: They are the calcification of the outdated thinking of bureaucrats and commercial lobbyists. A form of legal dogma.

Ideally: They are designed to guide industry action and outcomes to ensure customers and countries are protected from risk.

Typically: They are great for stopping bad actors from hurting people but bad for well-meaning innovators trying to ethically solve problems based on first principles.

As a founder of a Silicon Valley-style startup aiming to disrupt the status quo, they are rarely your friend.

Engage skeptically and vigorously to avoid derailing your vision.

I discuss this a lot in a recent episode of The Startup Podcast.