President-elect Donald Trump has vowed to rein in Big Tech, a longtime enemy, in his second term in office, while simultaneously building relationships with the biggest moguls in the business.
Big Tech has been a consistent sour point for Trump, particularly due to the alleged censorship of conservative figures beginning around the 2016 election. His expulsion from Twitter after the Jan. 6 riot further solidified his vendetta, pushing him to appoint figures who have vowed to put shackles on Big Tech in his second administration. However, these moves have happened in conjunction with a sharp rise in support among some of the industry’s biggest figures, including X owner Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and billionaire Marc Andreessen.
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Trump has selected Andrew Ferguson to lead the Federal Trade Commission, Brendan Carr to lead the Federal Communications Commission, and Gail Slater to head the top antitrust position in the Department of Justice. All have vowed to crack down on Big Tech.
Notably, the reasons for the crackdown are different than that of the Biden administration, which has vigorously pursued Big Tech platforms such as Google and Amazon on market and unfair business practice grounds. In contrast, Trump’s vendetta against Big Tech is centered on free speech and content issues.
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In his X post thanking Trump for selecting him as FTC head, Ferguson promised to crack down on Big Tech.
“At the FTC, we will end Big Tech’s vendetta against competition and free speech,” he said. “We will make sure that America is the world’s technological leader and the best place for innovators to bring new ideas to life.”
Thank you President Trump. Under your leadership, American businesses will become stronger and more competitive, and will better serve workers and consumers, than ever before. I’m honored that you’ve chosen me to be FTC Chairman in your mission to make our country great again.… pic.twitter.com/GxmYWfjpqm
— Andrew Ferguson (@AFergusonFTC) December 11, 2024
Trump led his announcement by saying that Ferguson had a “proven record of standing up to Big Tech censorship and protecting Freedom of Speech in our Great Country.”
Carr has espoused similar rhetoric. Congratulating Ferguson on his appointment, he said that he looks “forward to partnering with Chairman Ferguson to root out Big Tech’s abusive conduct and end its vendetta against free speech.”
Congratulations to Commissioner Ferguson on being selected to serve as Chairman of the FTC. Another outstanding pick by President Trump.
I look forward to partnering with Chairman Ferguson to root out Big Tech’s abusive conduct and end its vendetta against free speech. https://t.co/tIAAkTEFgY
— Brendan Carr (@BrendanCarrFCC) December 11, 2024
He previously promised to destroy the “censorship cartel and restore free speech rights for everyday Americans.”
Likewise, Trump’s biggest Big Tech backers, Musk and Andreesson, have focused most of their criticism of Big Tech around censorship and content moderation.
In a recent interview with Bari Weiss, Andreesson said he was at the Facebook meeting when it first defined hate speech and misinformation. He blamed the Democratic Party and the Left for going too far with the matter, saying it’s “indisputably true that one side went super hardcore for censorship over the last 15 years… call it the Democratic Party or the Left.”
Marc Andreessen (@pmarca) on his front-row seat to the origins of Big Tech censorship: “I was in the meeting at Facebook where we defined the terms hate speech and misinformation for the first time.”
He says it is “indisputably true that one side went super hardcore for… pic.twitter.com/7W1PZp7LxM
— Honestly with Bari Weiss (@thehonestlypod) December 10, 2024
He said the Left had gone on to label contrary opinions as hate speech or misinformation, and ostracize anyone espousing those views.
Though the most vocal, Andreessen and Musk aren’t the only Big Tech figures who have flocked to Trump’s side. WhatsApp founder Jan Koum, the Winklevoss twins, Palantir adviser Jacob Helberg, former managing partner of Sequoia Capital Douglas Leone, and venture capitalist Benjamin Horowitz, among others, all donated millions to Trump’s campaign.
Zuckerberg has also increasingly warmed to Trump. Reportedly feeling embittered after Democratic criticism despite his 2020 election efforts, he has made increased overtures toward Trump since praising his behavior after the Butler July 13 assassination attempt.
“Seeing Donald Trump get up after getting shot in the face and pump his fist in the air with the American flag is one of the most badass things I’ve ever seen in my life,” the Meta CEO said in July.
That praise for Trump’s bravado didn’t result in Zuckerberg endorsing him during the 2024 contest as he tried to stay above politics as much as possible.
Even without the endorsement, Zuckerberg has tried to ingratiate himself with Trump in recent weeks. He congratulated Trump on his “decisive victory,” and met with him at Mar-a-Lago last month. And he reportedly donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund this week in what could be another attempt to put himself on Trump’s radar.
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Meta’s president of global affairs Nick Clegg said Zuckerberg is looking to take on an active role in crafting Trump’s policies toward Big Tech in his second administration.
Whether this relationship will continue amid the Trump administration’s projected continuation of the Biden administration’s antitrust pursuits remains to be seen.