Tech leaders kiss the ring

If erstwhile President Donald Trump is to beryllium believed, immoderate of the richest and astir almighty radical successful the satellite person called him to lavish him with compliments. Though astir leaders of large tech companies haven’t publically endorsed him — with one glaring exception — Trump claims they’ve privately told him however chill helium is, implied they’d beryllium amended disconnected nether a Trump presidency, oregon said they aren’t voting for his opponent.

Among Trump’s claims: Google CEO Sundar Pichai congratulated him connected his stint arsenic a McDonald’s employee, calling it “one of the biggest things we’ve seen connected Google”; Tim Cook called him to complain astir fines the European Union levied connected Apple; Mark Zuckerberg called him aggregate times to “apologize” and said there’s “no way” helium tin ballot for a Democrat aft a shooter astir took Trump’s beingness successful Pennsylvania. 

Of course, it’s imaginable that these men aren’t really lining up to buss the ringing oregon that Trump — a diva who is prone to exaggeration — has sensationalized much mundane conversations. It’s besides imaginable that, contempt their riches, Zuckerberg, Pichai, Cook, and different leaders of large tech companies are successful the aforesaid vessel arsenic the remainder of us: they don’t cognize who volition triumph the statesmanlike election. Poll aft canvass shows that it’s fundamentally a coin flip. And if 1 of the 2 radical who could beryllium president is some vindictive and susceptible to flattery — and successful complaint of appointing radical who determine however to walk billions successful national contracts — wherefore not food him up a small bit?

You tin spot the calculus astatine play. Trump has successful the past made argumentation decisions based connected his grudges and whims and is each but threatening to bash truthful again if helium gets backmost into the White House. In September, helium threatened to prosecute Google if reelected, saying the institution had “illegally” lone shown “bad stories” astir him and “good” ones astir Vice President Kamala Harris. He aboriginal said helium called Pichai to complain astir bias against him successful Google Search. If there’s a accidental Trump is going to beryllium the adjacent president, immoderate flattery mightiness avert a batch of damage.

Here’s what we bash know: Zuckerberg said Trump’s absorption to being changeable astatine was “badass.” Jeff Bezos reportedly killed The Washington Post’s endorsement of Harris, and executives of Bezos’ Blue Origin met with Trump the aforesaid time the Post published its non-endorsement. 

The radical progressive person denied immoderate allegations of bias oregon impropriety. In an emailed connection to The Verge, Blue Origin CEO Dave Limp said the “brief greeting was spontaneous and arranged last-minute connected Friday morning. No 1 could person perchance known astir it successful advance, including Jeff. It’s ridiculous that anyone would connote different oregon notation to immoderate quid pro quo. It’s simply not true.” Bezos wrote a justification of the Post’s non-endorsement, claiming “neither run nor campaigner was consulted oregon informed astatine immoderate level oregon successful immoderate way” astir the decision. Meta spokesperson Dani Lever declined to remark straight and alternatively pointed The Verge to a comment made to New York Magazine in September: “As Mark has said publicly, he’s not endorsing anybody successful this contention and has not communicated to anybody however helium intends to vote.” (Apple, the Post, and Google did not respond to requests for comment.)

This isn’t wholly new. Bezos and Zuckerberg didn’t personally endorse statesmanlike candidates successful 2020. But the Post did endorse Trump’s opponents successful some 2020 and 2016.

Whatever their motivations, tech leaders look to beryllium hedging their bets. It’s unclear whether they’re acrophobic of imaginable retribution from Trump, hoping to beryllium rewarded with authorities contracts, oregon wary of being taxable to further oversight and regularisation if Harris wins. But there’s nary denotation they’ll beryllium harmless with Trump successful the White House. 

Project 2025’s Mandate for Leadership, drafted by Trump allies and erstwhile staffers, lays retired a roadmap for punishing conservatives’ tech adversaries. (The section connected the Federal Trade Commission recommends emulating Europe’s “less affable regulatory environment.”) Trump, too, has said he’d “do something” astir Google, and his moving mate JD Vance has outright called for a breakup of the company. Meanwhile, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI) — a right-wing deliberation vessel that has gotten acold little attraction than the Heritage Foundation, the enactment down Project 2025 — is advising the Trump campaign and has reportedly drafted astir 300 enforcement orders that tin beryllium signed the 2nd helium takes office. Among the AFPI’s plans is the instauration of a caller “Manhattan Project” for defense, which the Post reports would payment tech companies that already person authorities contracts, including Palantir.

Unlike Elon Musk — who has endorsed Trump, appeared astatine respective run rallies, and reportedly enactment hundreds of millions of dollars toward Trump’s reelection effort — Bezos and different tech leaders haven’t gone afloat MAGA. Still, their strategical soundlessness suggests they’re preparing for the anticipation of a Trump presidency — and for the favors and punishments he’ll dole retired if reelected.