SAN DIEGO, California: When Donald Trump was first elected to the White House in 2016, Silicon Valley recoiled in horror. His nativism and open trolling of liberal pieties were an affront to the ultra liberal values of many in the industry, forged in the San Francisco Bay area.
There were also good business reasons for concern. The populism promoted by Trump stood in clear opposition to the internationalist, free-trade agenda that US tech had ridden to global dominance since the mid-1990s. The prospect of trade tensions and fraying alliances abroad, as well as immigration restrictions at home, promised a different world.
With Trump 2.0 now on the horizon, many of the same concerns are simmering, but the tech landscape – and the reaction – has changed. Compared with the shock that galvanised opposition last time around, higher expectations of his victory have dulled the outrage among tech’s rank and file, dominated by Democratic supporters.
Eight years on, the rivalry with China has fractured global tech markets and shaken up electronics supply chains. Big Tech’s wealth and power has exploded, drawing concerted antitrust attention. With artificial intelligence, the industry stands on the brink of its biggest opportunity since the internet.
And, frustrated by the perceived regulatory overkill of the Biden administration and a “woke” liberal establishment, a small but vocal band, led by Elon Musk, has challenged Silicon Valley’s dominant political culture. Those views are widely shared, if not often openly expressed.
