Five years after Google opened its Washington office, CNNMoney.com catches up with the search giant and its various efforts to influence public policy, including "everything from patent reform to
foreign policy." Google reportedly lobbied 13 government agencies last year, which set it back about $6 million.
Tech giants like Microsoft, IBM, and Oracle all spent more -- but not much
more, according to CNN Money. Meanwhile, Google employs 30 staffers in Washington, and regularly relies on top-tier lobbying groups like the Podesta Group, Dutko Worldwide and McBee Strategic
Consulting. In 2009, some 16 bills that Google lobbied for included a proposal to create an investment fund for clean energy and another to publicly detail who is using radio spectrum.