the big tech takeover of trump

a plutocratic oligarchy in waiting

Trump’s only policy always has been (long before 2015) and always will be “whatever is good for Trump.” He does not care one bit about anyone or anything else. He is in service only to himself. The people who have worked with and around him have been abundantly clear that the threat he poses to our country due to his reckless selfishness and ignorance is unique to him (and not an “all politicians are sleazy” conversation).

This self-serving agenda puts him in a unique position to serve the interests of whoever happens to most recently bestow on him the things he cherishes most: money, power, and praise. ($50 and a compliment about his skincare routine will probably cut it for him… until the next person offers something marginally better.)

It also makes him the easiest mark on the planet. His Vice President and administration (not to mention foreign adversaries, but that’s a discussion in and of itself) have a lush opportunity to turn his empty agenda into theirs. We’ve watched it happen once, and we’re poised to see it again if he wins the election. This time, however, they’re more prepared with fewer guardrails and armed to be dangerous.

first it was conservative Christians

In 2015, on a whim and without a platform, Trump ran for president (news to no one now). With a blank slate political agenda ripe for defining, ultra-conservative Christians and Christian Nationalists pounced on the opportunity to serve him in exchange for proximity to power and to make their agenda Trump’s agenda. They installed Mike Pence, a long-time ultra-conservative, as Vice President, who facilitated influence from conservative extremists into the halls of the White House and, most notably, our judiciary system.

Ultra-conservative Christians have a political agenda that’s generally unpopular among Americans. It includes things like abortion bans without exceptions, banning IVF, book bans (that’s a lot of banning for a party that supposedly stands for personal freedom), and the 900+ pages of Project 2025 so unpopular among Americans that Trump is lying to pretend he knows nothing about it. A hot second of fact-checking makes it abundantly clear he’s well-versed in the policies and knows the people behind them quite well because many of them served in his administration. 🙄 The lack of popularity of a Christian Nationalist agenda is why they have to use dark money, underground and corrupt judiciary mechanisms, and gerrymandering to execute it because a majority of Americans would never vote for their policies through transparent and representative electoral actions.

One of the movement’s de facto leaders, unelected, dark-money-funded Leonard Leo, already had outsized influence over American politics and our everyday lives. Pence's tenure in the vice president's office solidified his influence. It ultimately ushered in Leo’s pièce de résistance: three new conservative United States Supreme Court Justices to create a rock-solid foundation for his highly unpopular judicial activism long into the future.

Because Trump is emotionally fragile and empty of any real agenda outside his self-service, his Vice President has an exceptional opportunity to do the bidding of his buddies and the highest bidders. For Pence, that was ultra-conservative Christian Nationalists. But what about JD Vance?

now JD Vance serves Silicon Valley

Although he comes from an impoverished childhood, as laid out in his book Hillbilly Elegy, JD Vance landed at Yale Law School and eventually spent several years in Silicon Valley. Tech billionaires seemingly took him under their wing and paved his path (with their piles of cash) to a Senate seat and eventually to the VP nomination.

It feels a lot like a story of the rich, privileged kids exploiting a poor, vulnerable kid and convincing him to be the front for their operation. The poor kid takes the heat from the public in exchange for being accepted by the cool, rich kids who can hide behind the poor kid’s cover. No matter what Vance does, he’ll never really be “one of them” because his presence in the circle will always be a byproduct of their good graces and political donations. But what do I know…

Silicon Valley watched far-right-wing conservatives seize control of Trump’s essentially non-existent agenda and, according to The Heritage Foundation, implement 2/3 of the policies the Foundation recommended during his presidential term.

Under Biden, Silicon Valley has come under scrutiny from agencies like the Federal Trade Commission, the Department of Justice, and the Surgeon General, who rightfully hold it accountable for its anti-competitive practices and the harmful impacts of its products on consumers and society.

Democrats also support more equitable tax laws that will diminish some of the financial benefits the ultra-rich currently receive at the expense of working and middle-class Americans. Those in Silicon Valley who feel threatened by these policies see Trump’s feeble policy positions as ripe for takeover. If it worked for conservative Christians, certainly it can work for the most wealthy and powerful citizens in the land, right? Much like Pence was the foot in the door for conservative Christians, Vance is that ticket for Silicon Valley.

If it's true that Vance is doing the bidding of his slimy “cool kid” friends, who he’s desperate to impress, to what lengths will he go to stay in the inner circle? Mike Pence seemed to genuinely believe in the work that he was doing; he followed his moral compass (even if it didn’t align with the majority of Americans’ values). That integrity led him to certify the election results despite Trump’s pressure against it.

Vance doesn’t have the same personal integrity. He’s a pawn for the powerful and ultra-wealthy and has shown he will stoop to the depths of devilish (lack of) ethics to stay in their favor.

big tech political power against regulation

Big Tech has long had a significant, indirect influence in Washington. Big Money (which they have) buys Big Influence, thanks in part to all the ways our Supreme Court is making bribery and corruption so very legal. Big Tech bros like Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, and David Sacks (all members of the PayPal Mafia¹) have grabbed JD to move into their “DC era.” They think it’s time to usurp direct power in Washington by putting Vance on the ticket and capitulating deeply and pathetically to Trump’s ego as a means to an end. Are you ready for it?

More recently, Musk stepped in to make his purchase of influence even more explicit, essentially buying votes in places like Pennsylvania. Through Trump, he knows he can not only get outsized influence over policy by being in his ear, but Trump also has agreed to give him a seat in his administration. The wealthiest man in the world does not need a seat at the table influencing the most powerful person in the country. No one should have that much power over anything.

Not only does Musk seek power, but he has significant self-interest in supporting Trump, who he can manipulate. He’s been particularly forthcoming about his motives, telling Tucker Carlson, “I’d be fucked” if Trump loses.² Then he proceeds to laugh about it. This is the stuff you say out loud?! The arrogance is disgusting. You can read more details here about why he thinks he is in trouble if Harris wins (hint: because he’d be accountable for breaking the law).

This happens against a backdrop of voices like Mark Cuban and Kara Swisher, outspoken Big Tech insiders who know the people and projects well. Swisher is loudly calling for more regulation over a group of people disconcertingly disconnected from reality. Cuban warns against the duo dangers of their arrogance and wealth formally in the White House.

Swisher’s book, Burn Book, highlights some concerning traits about the people in Silicon Valley that make their rise to direct political power especially troubling. She shows that Big Tech already has outsized power and a jaded worldview, nearly free of critics as the uber-wealthy become further disconnected from reality. We do not need these people making the rules that regulate the industries (AI, crypto, energy, etc…) that they already control and have dangerous influence over our society.

washington doesn’t work like silicon valley (or it shouldn’t)

Cuban noted that Big Tech bros want seats in the White House administration of a Trump presidency to effectively act as the “CEO's Board of Directors,” much like they do in the companies they run in the Valley. But that’s not how a democracy works. White House administration advises the President, who ultimately answers to the American people (not a Board of Directors).

Their plan to run the government like a private company will not work, or at least it shouldn’t work. The government should not operate like a private company. It serves citizens, not shareholders. Shareholders pay for a voting seat at the table, and their relative power increases with relative investment and wealth. No one has to pay for a voting seat in a democracy; the system should serve everyone equally without a paywall.

Furthermore, there’s value in the system being a bit slow and crunchy to reflect and incorporate the needs of 330+ million Americans. I didn’t always believe this, but I understand now that our government shouldn’t move as quickly and smoothly as private companies at the behest of the top decision-makers.

The tech bros who believe they are all-knowing and untouchable will undoubtedly get frustrated with the slow pace of politics. They already are, which is why they want to take over. More poignantly, they won’t accept Trump's unpredictability and recklessness.

If he doesn’t die of one too many Big Macs prepared by actual employees while the restaurant is open🙄, I have a sneaky suspicion that the tech bros will find a way to secretly oust him and install Vance before the four years are up. Trump’s severely declining mental acuity, poor physical health, obtuse and violent rhetoric, and frequent disdain for following the law offer plenty of avenues to park him at Mar-a-Lago and replace him with a more obedient and astute Vance.

I don’t have a crystal ball, but it doesn’t feel far-fetched that when Trump doesn’t follow their orders, they’ll get frustrated and find a solution. And I’m unsure which outcome is worse, a reckless Trump or an obedient Vance. Ugh…

politics is bought and sold, but to different degrees

Nearly all politicians are disproportionately beholden to the wealthy donors who fund their campaigns. But Trump’s ties to Big Tech level up that ‘pay to play’ game in a way that most of us should want to avoid and exceeds the degree of political influence we’ve come to understand that money can buy.

I hope we can fix our campaign finance laws in the future. I’d love to see campaign finance spending limits, shorter election cycles, and equal influence for people regardless of wealth. But even though we can’t fix it all now, that doesn’t mean we need to dive into the deep end and watch the uber-wealthy turn Washington into the next Silicon Valley start-up, enriching entrepreneurs and leaving everything but our valuable personal data in their dust.

Meet me in the comments: What do you think about Big Tech playing in the political sandbox so directly? Is it something new or more of the same? And is this what we want for our communities?

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1. Not all members of the PayPal Mafia are seeking absolute power via Trump’s empty agenda. Reid Hoffman, who later founded LinkedIn, has been quite outspoken against Trump and donated significantly to Democrats and Harris.

2. It pains me to send you to Tucker Carlon’s YouTube channel, but sometimes, it helps to see it yourself. Are these the type of people we want to run our country? Because they very much will be running our country if Trump wins.