Big Tech Executives Shift To Support Trump After Election Victory
After years of leading opposition to President-elect Donald Trump, Big Tech leaders appear to have softened their stance following his reelection. Executives from companies like Google, Meta, and Amazon have taken steps to align with Trump, a stark departure from their previous resistance during his first term.
In his earlier presidency, Trump faced public protests from Big Tech figures over policies like immigration and trade. Google CEO Sundar Pichai and co-founder Sergey Brin were vocal critics, even leading protests against Trump’s immigration restrictions. During the 2020 election, platforms like Facebook and Twitter faced scrutiny for censoring stories, including the Hunter Biden laptop controversy, to favor Trump’s opponent Joe Biden.
Since Trump’s reelection, however, these tech leaders have adopted a different approach. Pichai and Brin recently traveled to Mar-a-Lago for a dinner meeting with Trump. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos followed suit, while Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also visited Trump’s Florida residence.
Elon Musk’s vocal support for Trump during the campaign reportedly encouraged others in the industry to reevaluate their stance. According to Peter Thiel, Musk’s endorsement made executives feel “safer” aligning with Trump.
Tech investor Marc Andreessen attributed the shift to frustrations with the Biden Administration’s “anti-capitalist” policies, which he argued have been particularly harmful to the tech industry. He pointed to Biden’s attempts to regulate AI development and impose taxes on unrealized gains as key factors driving the industry toward Trump.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew also met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago amid concerns about a looming ban on the Chinese-owned app. While Trump once labeled TikTok a national security threat, his recent comments suggest he may reconsider the ban.
