California Gov. Gavin Newsom warned the tech industry of impending federal regulation in a recent interview with Axios.

"The current regulatory framework for these social media companies is going to pale compared to what it will be in a decade," he said in the interview.

Newsom warned against inaction by social media companies like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube. "By the current pace of change, they're gonna get steamrolled," he said.



Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories.

The calls for regulation of major tech companies — from Facebook to Google to Twitter — have grown louder than ever in recent months. Breaking up the big tech companies is even a core policy of Democratic presidential candidate Elizabeth Warren.

The latest voice to join in that outcry is California Gov. Gavin Newsom.

"The current regulatory framework for these social media companies is going to pale compared to what it will be in a decade," Newsom told Axios in an interview for "Axios on HBO" published on Sunday.

"The question for them is are they going to lead in that conversation and engage in it, or are they going to get completely steamrolled?" Newsom said. "By current pace in change, they're gonna get steamrolled."

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill. Associated Press/J. Scott Applewhite

Newsom didn't echo Elizabeth Warren's call for breaking up the big tech companies, but he did say that we're "walking down that path" in regard to stronger government regulation.

He also flatly criticized Facebook's decision not to remove a doctored video of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.

"I didn't understand. It's just fake — it's made up," he said. "It's done for political purposes."

Pelosi had more pointed criticism for Facebook back in May, in a speech at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco.

"When something like Facebook says, 'I know this is false ... it's a lie — but we're showing it anyway,' well to me it says two things," Pelosi said. "I was giving them the benefit of the doubt on Russia ... I thought it was unwittingly, but clearly they wittingly were accomplices and enablers of false information to go across Facebook."

The full interview with Newsom is from the latest episode of "Axios on HBO," but you can see a clip of the interview right here: