The Trump-Musk vision blasts off ... maybe

Former President Donald Trump will return to the White House, bringing his retrofuturistic, tech-friendly, pro-industrial vision for America’s future with him. (Oh, and Elon Musk is coming, too.) The cadre of right-wing Silicon Valley thinkers and activists who threw in with Trump have been vindicated, and there’s evidence that “mainstream” tech is falling in line too: Jeff Bezos sent “Big congratulations” to Trump on X, wishing him “all success in leading and uniting the America we all love,” and Mark Zuckerberg wrote on Threads that he’s “Looking forward to working with you and your administration.” It is, of course, good business sense to make nice with the President of the United States who will be responsible for regulating your products. But tech’s immediate eagerness to engage with Trump this time around—especially in contrast with the anguish following his first win—also points to a shared understanding that a Musk-influenced Trump administration could take a big step back from President Joe Biden’s more active regulatory approach, giving industry a freer hand to shape the digital future.