Following President-elect Donald Trump’s reelection, Big Tech executives have begun to change their tone, meeting with Trump and pledging support after years of opposition. Leaders from Meta, Apple, and Amazon, who previously resisted Trump’s policies, are now seeking to rebuild their relationship with the incoming administration.
During Trump’s first presidency, tech giants actively opposed his policies, from immigration restrictions to tariffs on Chinese goods. Google CEO Sundar Pichai and co-founder Sergey Brin led public protests, while platforms like Twitter and Facebook were accused of censorship aimed at undermining Trump’s reelection bid.
Big Tech has never been for Trump and have been tantamount in the coup to take him down. pic.twitter.com/gamitnQKjb
— Juanita Broaddrick (@atensnut) January 11, 2021
The reelection of Trump appears to have prompted a significant shift. Pichai, Brin, and Apple CEO Tim Cook have all met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago since the election, according to reports. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg have also sought face time with the president-elect.
"Ah, the irony! Big Tech, once the self-proclaimed champions of free speech, now begging and pleading to align with Trump after realizing their 'resistance' was just a one-way ticket to irrelevance. Who knew that censorship and deplatforming would lead t… https://t.co/XMnpgW8G1v
— NahBabyNah #Trump (@NahBabyNah) December 23, 2024
Joel Thayer, a tech and telecom lawyer, described the meetings as an acknowledgment of shifting public opinion. “The way we think about Trump-like policies is actually fairly good for the American worker and just individuals in general,” Thayer said.
BREAKING: President Trump has filed a MAJOR Class Action Lawsuit against Big Tech and their CEOs pic.twitter.com/Kpdw0LNv1Z
— RSBN 🇺🇸 (@RSBNetwork) July 7, 2021
The Biden Administration’s regulatory approach to the tech industry has also played a role in this realignment. Critics like Marc Andreessen cited Biden’s sweeping restrictions on AI and cryptocurrency as examples of anti-business policies that have alienated Silicon Valley.
Trump’s openness to revisiting past stances, such as his earlier call to ban TikTok, has further shifted the dynamic. Although he once labeled the app a threat, Trump recently joked about its popularity and hinted at reevaluating its future in the U.S.
