The ‘Tech-Industrial’ Oligarchy Is Already Here
In Joe Biden’s otherwise wan and gloomy farewell address, the president delivered one memorable turn of phrase. Borrowing from Dwight Eisenhower, he warned of an ascendant “tech-industrial complex,” and that “an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that really threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedom and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.” Dwight was right and Joe is too. But — and this goes for both of them — what a thing to say right before relinquishing the ability to do anything about it.
In just a few days, Donald Trump’s second inauguration will provide plenty of visual evidence to back up Biden’s new coinage. Reportedly sitting on the dais behind the president, alongside Cabinet members and elected officials, will be most of the most powerful people in tech, fierce rivals with a collective net worth approaching a trillion dollars: Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai, and TikTok CEO Shou Chew.
Some are ecstatic to be there, while others are making it known, Mr. “badass” President, that they’ve come around. Others would probably rather be anywhere else, but they won’t be: In tech’s new loyalty era, your continued membership in the runaway “tech-industrial complex” depends in some way on the feelings and judgment of a single man. American business leaders have always sought favor with the administration in power, and it’s correct and important to acknowledge the current situation as a matter of degree, not a clear break from an innocent past. But Trump’s billionaire tableau can be understood as his argument to the contrary: Big tech was my enemy, and now it belongs to me.
