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Newsletter — Issue 1 — April 17, 2026
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Last Thursday, 233 of Colorado's technology and business leaders joined me in releasing Ensuring Colorado's Innovation Future — an Open Letter addressed to Governor Jared Polis, Sens. Michael Bennet and John Hickenlooper, Attorney General Phil Weiser, and Denver Mayor Mike Johnston. We expressed our concern that an accumulation of unfriendly regulations, misguided legislation, and divisive political rhetoric has made Colorado less competitive and less attractive to the innovators, investors, and companies that fuel our economy. A weakened innovation economy will harm the prosperity and well-being of all Coloradans. We recommended nine action items for our political leaders to take to reverse the trajectory, and offered to partner with them to develop and implement the items.
You can read the full letter and see all signatories — which has grown to more than 270 — at ensuringcolorado.com. If you are not already a signatory, you can sign up on the site.
Read the Open Letter
Add Your Name →
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To sustain the momentum, I will publish this regular newsletter providing ongoing updates on the progress being made, the challenges ahead, and the actions being taken by our coalition and our elected leaders.
Colorado's tech and innovation ecosystem funds our schools, strengthens our healthcare, sustains small businesses, and creates jobs at every level. Together we will reestablish Colorado as a leading geography for innovation, investment, and economic opportunity.
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Breaking Development
The First Test
The same day the Open Letter was released, the first major test arrived — and it's a big one.
As I wrote on LinkedIn, xAI filed a lawsuit on Thursday challenging Colorado's SB24-205, arguing it imposes unconstitutional burdens on AI developers, conflicts with federal law, chills innovation, and creates inconsistent standards for companies operating nationally. The complaint targets the breadth of the bill — particularly its application to general-purpose AI systems — and raises serious concerns about the compliance and liability structure.
This lawsuit reinforces the message of the Open Letter: Colorado's current trajectory is pushing innovation away, not attracting it.
The question now is how our leaders respond. Will Governor Polis, Sen. Bennet, Sen. Hickenlooper, Attorney General Weiser, and Mayor Johnston — all of whom received the Open Letter — show support for the lawsuit's core argument that SB24-205 should be repealed? Will they align with the clear consensus that Colorado needs an approach to AI policy that doesn't disadvantage Colorado in being a leader in AI Innovation? And how specifically will Attorney General Weiser respond — will he defend a law that Colorado's own business community, and now a major AI company, are telling us is broken?
The concerns around AI are real — and they deserve thoughtful policy. But driving AI innovation to other geographies only hurts those who call Colorado home. The lawsuit provides a great opportunity for our elected officials to show leadership. All Coloradans benefit by Colorado being a beacon for AI innovation.
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Leadership Response
Governor Polis Leans In
I thank Governor Polis for the leadership he showed in response to the Open Letter. He demonstrated his commitment by signing the letter, standing alongside me at its unveiling, and issuing a joint press release committing to take action.
In that statement, the Governor promised to convene business leaders from across the state in the coming weeks to identify actionable steps to support long-term growth and competitiveness.
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I hear clearly the feedback from founders, investors, and employers, and we are committed to ensuring Colorado is an even better place where companies can grow, innovate, and create opportunity.
— Governor Jared Polis
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We want companies to scale and grow here in Colorado, as well as for Colorado to be the place where companies from California, Florida and other states — where they feel they are being targeted — can come to and succeed.
— Governor Jared Polis
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That's exactly the tone and ambition Colorado needs from its leaders right now. I look forward to participating in the convening and will report on the outcomes in this newsletter. Governor Polis has already taken steps to convene business leaders from across the state to focus on identifying actionable steps to support long-term growth and competitiveness.
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Coalition Update
Response from Other Recipients
I have heard from most of the other recipients of the Open Letter as well. Each has privately expressed general support for the concerns raised and the substance of the letter.
I am cautiously optimistic that all of them will engage constructively and genuinely in the work ahead — whether through the convening Governor Polis is organizing, through their own independent initiatives, or both. Our coalition stands ready to work with each of them in whatever way is most productive. We are also prepared to work with other political leaders across Colorado to support them in their efforts as well.
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Action Item 3
The Honest Assessment
The Open Letter's third action item calls for a thorough and honest assessment of the structural, regulatory, legislative, and rhetorical factors contributing to Colorado losing ground to competing states. This step is critical — it provides the foundation for fully and appropriately addressing the remaining eight action items.
I have shared an initial draft of that assessment with each of the recipients of the Open Letter, their staff, and several members of the coalition. I will seek feedback from each of them, update the document where appropriate, and make it public once that process is complete. My hope is to build a strong consensus around this honest assessment over the next several weeks.
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Call to Action
How Our Political Leaders Can Demonstrate Their Commitment to Action
While the honest assessment is underway, there is no reason for our political leaders to wait. I encourage each recipient of the Open Letter — and every Colorado political leader — to publicly affirm their support for, and begin making progress on, five of the nine action items that require no study, no legislation, and no budget — just leadership:
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ACTION ITEM 1
Articulate their commitment to ensuring Colorado is a leading geography for technology and innovation.
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ACTION ITEM 2
Express their desire to actively participate in the development of a bipartisan 20-year strategy to ensure Colorado earns, sustains, and extends its leadership as the premier technology and innovation ecosystem between the coasts.
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ACTION ITEM 4
Recalibrate their public rhetoric in a manner that demonstrates authentic partnership with — and sustained commitment to — innovators, builders, and growth-oriented businesses.
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ACTION ITEM 6
Lead a candid public dialogue with Coloradans about the essential role of a thriving technology and business ecosystem in supporting schools, healthcare, small businesses, community stability, and long-term economic opportunity.
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ACTION ITEM 9
Demonstrate through word and action that Colorado's political leadership can prioritize unity among the people of Colorado, elevate civil discourse, and resist the pull of divisive national partisan narratives.
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Governor Polis has already made these commitments publicly. We are calling on Sen. Bennet, Sen. Hickenlooper, Attorney General Weiser, Mayor Johnston, and other political leaders across Colorado to publicly do the same.
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Acknowledgments
Thank You to Our Community Leaders
I thank the leaders and organizations who have stepped forward in support of this initiative and of Colorado's innovation economy.
In particular, I want to recognize Brittany Morris Saunders (President & CEO, Colorado Technology Association) for her leadership in bringing together and representing Colorado's technology community at a critical moment.
I also want to thank J.J. Ament (Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce), John Tayer (Boulder Chamber of Commerce), Dave Davia (Colorado Concern), Debbie Brown (Colorado Business Roundtable), Zeb King (Endeavor Colorado), Tami Door (Downtown Boulder Partnership), Kourtny Garrett (Downtown Denver Partnership), Johnna Reeder Kleymeyer (Colorado Springs Chamber & EDC), Zaneta Kelsey (Access Mode), Loren Furman (Colorado Chamber of Commerce), Charlene Hoffman (Visit Boulder), Su Hawk (Colorado Society of Association Executives), and Jeremiah Baronberg (Colorado-Israel Chamber of Commerce).
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In the News
Press Coverage
The Open Letter generated significant media coverage, reinforcing that this conversation has reached well beyond the tech community.
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Axios Denver
John Frank reported under the headline "Colorado leaders warn of a 'deteriorating' business climate," calling it an "unprecedented letter" that "reflects growing alarm about Colorado's eroding reputation as an innovation hub." The piece noted the coalition cites Palantir's relocation and a new Colorado Chamber report showing rising business exits as signals that the state is at an inflection point.
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The Denver Post
Aldo Svaldi led with "Tech companies fleeing Colorado have business leaders ringing alarm bells," framing the warning in stark terms: if the slide isn't reversed, the damage could be "irreparable for decades to come." The Post added critical data from the Colorado Chamber's departure tracker: 98 companies have relocated out of state since 2019, with 27 in the last year alone, costing Colorado 13,600 jobs. Texas claimed 21 of those relocations. The Post also reported that Colorado lost 11,000 jobs in 2025 — the worst hiring performance since the pandemic — and that 33 of 46 counties lost population last year.
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The Colorado Sun
Tamara Chuang's "What's Working" column connected the Open Letter to the Chamber's 2025 Relocation Tracker and a broader story about regulatory drift. Colorado is now the 6th-most regulated state in the country, up from 11th in 2023, with the rate growing faster than the national average. On CNBC's annual "Top States for Business," Colorado sat in the top 10 for 15 straight years before falling to 16th in 2024. Rachel Beck of the Colorado Chamber Foundation put it plainly: "We continually hear from our businesses that it's the volume of proposed laws. Just keeping up is a big part of the problem."
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The Denver Gazette
Mark Samuelson reported under the headline "Colorado business leaders, Gov. Jared Polis send warning as companies pack their bags," highlighting the scale of the coalition and Governor Polis joining the letter. The piece underscored concerns about "lack of predictability," cited high-profile departures like Palantir, and reinforced data showing 98 companies have exited or bypassed Colorado since 2019, costing at least 13,600 jobs.
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CBS Colorado
Shaun Boyd's coverage focused on the urgency behind the business community's warning, describing companies leaving and jobs declining "at an alarming rate." The piece highlighted the coalition's call for a bipartisan 20-year strategy, elevated concerns about regulatory burden and political rhetoric, and framed the moment as a need to "course correct" before longer-term economic damage sets in.
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