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Tech CEOs Praise Donald Trump at White House Dinner (www.wired.com)
submitted 1 year ago by to c/technology@beehaw.org
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[–] [S] 27 points 1 year ago (12 children)

The scene opens confusingly. The camera zooms too close to the president’s face; the table at which the tech executives are seated seems far too long. Mark Zuckerberg is there, and Bill Gates and Tim Cook and Satya Nadella and Sam Altman and on and on, a baker’s dozen or so of Silicon Valley’s most powerful people—cutthroat competitors all—united here to pledge allegiance to Donald Trump.

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  • [–] 21 points 1 year ago (7 children)

    When the scene is open to the public, you can already know it's all a theater.

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  • [–] 15 points 1 year ago (6 children)

    Sure, but what play is being performed here? These men are more than powerful enough to go against Trump, yet every single one of them is playing the part of the obedient subject to the mighty king. The message of this bizarre play is that Trump is in charge, that he demands, in return of leaving you and your business alone, acts of what can only be described as public debasement.

    That's unsettling for a long list of reasons.

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  • [–] 12 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

    These men are more than powerful enough to go against Trump

    I wouldn’t say that, remember a CEO is just a position. If any of them goes against Trump, they can easily be replaced. Except maybe Zuck.

    “I want to thank you for setting the tone such that we could make a major investment in the United States,” said Cook, referring to Apple’s pledge to put $600 billion into US manufacturing. Given that Apple made that commitment under threat of crippling tariffs on smartphones

    Also interesting to see that this has created a political divide:

    Former White House strategist Steve Bannon had a conniption over the dinner earlier in the day. He dedicated a significant portion of his speech Thursday at the far-right National Conservatism Conference to attacking Big Tech “oligarchs,” and during an episode of his podcast he claimed the person who arranged the dinner should be “perp-walked” out of the White House. article

    I think none of these people are happy to be shown in public as weak and submissive, but they must have been told to play the game.

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  • [–] 6 points 1 year ago (1 child)

    These men are more than powerful enough to go against Trump

    Was just discussing this with my wife last night — are they?

    This time around, there is zero oversight, no checks and balances worth mentioning. Donald Quixote has pretty much carte blanche, complete power. If they went against him, he could fine them (their companies), levy crazy taxes or tariffs, kill government contracts and subsidies, and nobody could stop him. Even if a non-evil judge halts an executive order, it will eventually get to the Subpreme Court, get overturned, basically no more than a delay.

    I understand that they could still Do The Right Thing™, throw themselves in their sword in protest, but they're all publicly traded, must have Boards. Most (?) of these men can just be fired if they go against the shareholders.

    Could they really do anything that would be more than a symbolic gesture?

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  • [–] 5 points 1 year ago

    That's my thinking too. If the normal rules applied, then sure they could put up a good fight, maybe even win. In the era of rule by fiat and compliant courts? Not so sure. Although at this stage they can probably outlive him.

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  • [–] 8 points 1 year ago (2 children)

    Is Bill Gates still important in the tech company space?

    I was under the impression that he was not active for over a decade. Having left Microsoft, and focusing on more humanitarian efforts. Does he have any influence, or does tech-company-space activity still?

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