power grid, everyone will be homeless. you won t be able to go anywhere. you won t be able to live in your home. i just think it s a more important issue. reporter: o dowd became a billionaire after founding green hills software in 1992. and sells software to automakers related to self-driving, but says he is not a competitor to tesla, and there is no conflict of interest. it kind of begs a question, is this an actual real run for senate, or is this just to try and draw attention to the cyber security issue in our country? it is both. but by not taking positions on other issues, i m letting pemak single issue. reporter: nolan higdon is a history and communications professor at csu east bay, and did not mince his words about o dowd s wealth. this sounds like a very wealthy individual, possibly oozing with narcissism and hubris who thinks just because of their wealth, they re somehow entitled to this position. i want to be polite about this because i think he is a goo