Ground shifts on big tech as Trump returns to White House

The welcome mat has been preened in what will be an extraordinary display of tech clout at Donald Trump’s inauguration.

Donald Trump’s inauguration may have been moved indoors but the welcome mat has been preened in what will also be an extraordinary display of tech clout in Washington.

Tech heavyweights including Apple chief executive Tim Cook, Google boss Sundar Pichai, Amazon executive chairman Jeff Bezos and Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg are expected to attend the event.

Shou Chew, chief executive of Chinese social media platform TikTok, is also expected to be there after Mr Trump said he would issue an executive order on Monday to reinstate the service in the US and that he wants the country to have an ownership position in the popular app.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew is set to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration.

The gathering underscores how the pendulum is swinging back towards big tech as it emerges as among the biggest winners of Mr Trump’s return to the White House.

Curtin University internet studies and social media expert, Tama Leaver, said: “TikTok’s half-day ban was a clear opportunity to showcase and promote Trump’s incoming presidency”.

Professor Leaver said every user who saw the ‘TikTok is down’ notice also saw a “promise it would return with Trump’s help”.

“TikTok, like all social media platforms in the US, has contributed to Trump’s inauguration funds and is showing their deference to the incoming president. TikTok users and creators have been kicked around like a political football, with neither side of US politics taking seriously the impact such a ban could have had on the millions of people who rely on TikTok for a living,” Professor Leaver said.

Under the Biden administration, Google also faced a pair of Justice Department cases which could break up the company — a move which Mr Trump has expressed reluctance to, saying it was “dangerous” as China seeks to overtake the US in global tech dominance.

Apple CEO Tim Cook. Picture: Campbell Addy

The DOJ also has lawsuits against Apple, while the Federal Trade Commission is suing Facebook owner Meta and Amazon — which Mr Trump has all said were “great companies”.

Tesla chief executive Elon Musk has become not only one of Mr Trump’s biggest financial backers during his presidential campaign, but also one of his closet advisers. Mr Trump has appointed the South African-born billionaire, and the world’s richest man, to oversee the newly created Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, after Mr Musk vowed to shave at least $US2bn off the US federal budget.

But, it hasn’t all been rosy, with Mr Musk brawling with most other big tech bosses in the past, including OpenAI’s Sam Altman and Mr Cook after he unveiled Apple’s AI offering, Apple Intelligence, mid last year.

Nevertheless, the ground is shifting and a more favourable relationship between big tech and Washington looks likely.

Google chief executive Sundar Pichai.

On Monday, Mr Trump said he was “asking companies not to let TikTok stay dark” and working with the Chinese-owned platform to find a “long-term solution” to a ban implemented under the Biden administration.

The app started halting service on Saturday night for 170 million users in its most important market shortly before a law took effect requiring it to shed its Chinese ownership or close in the US.

It marked the first time the US government has compelled the closure of such a widely used app, and disrupted millions of American businesses and social-media entrepreneurs who use TikTok to connect with customers and fans.

Mr Trump said he wants the US to have a 50 per cent ownership position in a joint venture, although he didn’t provide further details about how such a joint venture would be structured. “By doing this, we save TikTok,” he wrote.

Alex Pollak, the founder and chief investment officer of the $1bn technology investment fund Loftus Peak said after Mr Trump was elected the “‘tech bros’ are back in the ascendancy.”

Tech bosses have been quick to heap praise on Mr Trump’s victory. Google’s Sundar Pichai said: “We are in a golden age of American innovation and are committed to working with his administration to help bring the benefits to everyone”.

Microsoft president Brad Smith said the US “has a unique opportunity to pursue this vision and build on the foundational ideas set for AI policy during President Trump’s first term”.

“Achieving this vision will require a partnership that unites leaders from government, the private sector, and the country’s educational and non-profit institutions. At Microsoft, we are excited to take part in this journey,” Mr Smith said.

Originally published as Ground shifts on big tech as Trump returns to White House