*By Carlo Versano* Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and Facebook's operating chief Sheryl Sandberg head to Capitol Hill Wednesday, but the hearing may be more about who's absent rather than who's there. "There's somebody missing from this conversation, and that would be Google," said Washington Post tech reporter Tony Romm. Dorsey and Sandberg will answer to members of the Senate Intelligence Committee and address Russian interference before Dorsey goes back-to-back with the House in a hearing probing whether Twitter is actively censoring certain political views (Twitter has [said](https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/twitter-ceo-jack-dorsey-denies-company-censors-content-based-on-ideology) the platform has not). This will be the first time on the Hill for both executives. "It's all happening at a time when lawmakers are increasingly concerned that social media giants haven't done enough to clean up their acts," Romm said Tuesday in an interview on Cheddar. Google has not offered its CEO Sundar Pichai or Larry Page, the chief of parent company Alphabet. Google instead offered Kent Walker, a lower-rung senior VP of global affairs and chief legal officer, but the Senate committee [demured](https://www.wired.com/story/mark-warner-senate-committee-hearing-google-facebook-twitter/), so it's possible that Wednesday's hearings will produce a striking image of Sandberg and Dorsey sitting next to an empty chair. Romm said he expects it will be a day of "huge PR hits" for Google. "From the perspective of the Senate Intelligence Committee, that wasn't enough," said Romm of Google's offering. Google, for its part, has argued that it's ready and willing to dispatch employees with the most knowledge about a given subject ー and in this case, that may mean Walker. But lawmakers want CEOs and decision-makers. "That's where the buck stops," Romm said. For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/facebook-twitter-executives-to-face-capitol-hill-grilling).

Share:
More In Technology
New Senate Bill Would Require Big Tech to Provide More Protections for Kids
Senators Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) have introduced a new bill to afford greater protection to minors on social media. The genesis of the Kids Online Safety Act came from a Facebook whistleblower case exposing the harm apps can have on the mental health of young girls.
Uber and Lyft Q4 Earnings Beat Expectations Despite Omicron Setbacks
Ride share competitors Uber and Lyft both posted their fourth quarter earnings days apart from each other. Both companies have been trying to get back on their feet after taking some pandemic-related hits, but the Omicron variant had other ideas as the year came to a close, with each company taking a hit in ridership in December. Lance Ippolito, head trader at The Future of Wealth explains how Uber and Lyft measured up this earnings period and why Uber may still have an edge over the competition.
Parallel Systems Working On Autonomous, Battery-Electric Rail Vehicles
Parallel Systems has been selected to receive $4.5 million from the Department of Energy for an advanced testing program of its autonomous, battery-electric rail vehicles. The startup, which has raised more than $53 million to date, was founded by former SpaceX engineers to reimagine the rail system by creating a more efficient, decarbonized freight network. Matt Soule, Co-founder & CEO of Parallel Systems, joined Cheddar's Opening Bell to discuss what the company hopes to achieve.
Load More