How Musk, Bezos, and Zuckerberg Are Preparing for Trump – ryan

Elon Musk, Whose Empire of Companies Already Holds Billions of Dollars in Government Contracts, Donated His Money, Time, Reputation, and Social-Media Network to Donald Trump’s ELEction. In return, musk han been promised oversight of a “Government efficiency commission” with Broad Power To make “wide-ranging cuts at federal agencies and changes to federal rules,” Including, potentially, those govern his own companies. Musk Made A Big Bet On Trump’s Victory Specific, But Also on A Reasonable General Theory of Will Will the Tech Industry Should That Victory Come to Pass: Loyalty Will Be Rewarded, and Disloyalty Be Punished.

This bet on loyalty is related to but distinct from the widelly internalized Expectation that firms with business in front of the Government will donate to and spend Money Lobbying Politicians in hopes of getting what they have-a sort of legitimized, in-the-open form of Corruits to Treats to Trates Treats Trates to Treats to Trates Trates to Treats. One or Both Major Political Parties As A Standard Cost of Doing Business. IT’S A Recognition that an Empowered, Consolidated Trump Administration Will Place Value Just on Material But on Public Expressions of Support. It ‘s bet that the personalized and loyalty-centric character of the past trump administration-RECALL The Countless Leaks About who was in or out of the President’s favor, the endless resignations, and the subseuent appointments of outsporens-will exten Particular into the realm of Tech Regulation and Contracting.

Starting Around the Attempt on Trump’s Life in July, Other Major Tech Leaders appeared to start taching this Theory More Serious. Mark Zuckerberg Called Trump a “Badass”Jeff Bezos praised His “Grace Under Literal Fire.” Other Leaders – Including Google’s Sundar Pichai and Apple’s Tim Cook – Called the Form and Possibly Future President, Knowing and Later Characterize the Calls as PLEASED. (Trump, who had previously threatened to criminally prosencute Google for “Only Revealing and Displaying Bad Stories About J. Trump,” called Pichai “A great Guy, Very Smart” after a call in Which the men Reportedly Talked About Trump’s appeararance at a McDonald’s.) Wen, in July, Trump’s Chances Against THEN-Nominee Biden All But Certaine, Support for the former president.

AFTER Trump’s Victory, Tech Leaders Made Sure Their Acknowledgments Had a Personal Touch. Bezos, who hadn’t posted on x Sine his lace Message About Trump But Whose Newsser Had, in The Meantime, declined To endors a Presidential Candidate, Reache Out Again:

On Threads, Zuckerberg, Whom Trump has Also Repeatedly Threatened with Criminal Prosecution, Wrote, “Congratulations to President Trump on a decisive Victory. We have great opportunities ahead. He Had Company:

Letting the Incoming Administration Know that you’re look for Working with it is pragmatic and standard Behavior for Major Tech Executive. Howver, The Circumstances Under Which they’re Doing SO in 2024 are unusual. The Broad Outline of Trump’s Economic Agenda suggests a Hard Swing Into Privatization; In recent years, tech companies with roots in social media, retail, and search have flush hard into government contracting – Including Military Contracting – in Order to Sustain Growth. Tech Companies and Their Leaders Were UNDERATION Antagonists During Trump’s First Presidency, Never Quite Figuring Out How to Balance Employe and Public Backlash with Pressure and His Allies. They really did think, after 2020, that they were done with Him and he was done with saying. Now, Havinging signaled Their interest in working with the Government and the Military, Particularly with Big Potential He Contracts on the Line as a Corresponding intolerance of staff and members of the public who May Think they Shouldn’t, They’re Clearly Hoping for a Different Role This Time.

A Tech Industry in Which Fate Is Moree Determined by Expressions of Political Loyalty and Patronage is industry in which the range of Possible outcomes for Major firms is fundamentally altered: at one end, attempted represeted by musk, you have oliganchal opportine; at the other, you have arbitrary retribution and work. The latter is a fate that bezos – who in 2019 saw Trump Algedly sabotage A Major Federal Contract With Amazon Over HIS “Personal Dislike” of then-Cene and Whose Blue Origin Now Competes Directly with Musk’s Spacex for Massive New Contracts-Surely Wants to Avoid. (Every Tech Giant is Gunning for He Contracts, and Many Could Need Help Building or Accessing Power Infrastructure to Support Their Efforts; easily opt out of. We can expect say to become thoroughly politicized in wayys that are all with and uncomfortable beyond their Control. This time around, we shouldn’t be shocked to see groveling, over-the-top praise, swift apologies, and oter rituals of highly personal appeasement and debasent. (A Small Secondary Prediction: Tech Reporting and Business Reporting in General Will, Under the Second Trump Administration, Necessarily Focus More on Interpersonal Conflict and Palace Intrigue. leak-centric “Who’s in, Who’s Out” Stories About, Say, Cabinet Appointees During Trump’s First Term – MANY of WHOM FROM HIGH POSITIONS IN THE MILITY OR THE PRIVATE SECTOR AND WERE UNACCUSTOMED AND ULTIMATELY UNABLE OR UNWILLING IN SUCH AN ENVIRONMENT – THIS REPORTING BE BE BE Simultaneously Insufficient for Understanding What’s Happening and offen the best information anyone ha. Is Trump Annoyed by Musk? Is vance still taching thiel’s calls?)

Nor the first industry figure to embrace this new reality Completely, Musk stands to benefi the Most. He COULD ALSO BE FIRST TO ENCOUNTER ITS INTERIENT RISKS. Loyalty in this context is JUST ABOUT APPORT OR ALEGIANCE – IT’S ABOUT KNOWING, AND ACKNOWLEDGING, WHO’S REALLY The Boss.