Slashdot Mirror


In the Age of Trump, Tech CEOs Cast Themselves As the New Statesmen (buzzfeed.com)

An anonymous reader shares an insightful story on Buzzfeed News: Mark Zuckerberg isn't running for president of the United States, but you could be forgiven for thinking otherwise. On Tuesday morning, the Facebook CEO kicked off the company's annual developers conference in San Francisco with a glancing shot at Donald Trump, followed by a reiteration of the company's oft-repeated pledge to bring the world together. Zuck's not alone. Last month Apple CEO Tim Cook led his keynote with a similar stump-speech vibe. He dove right into the company's national security and privacy fight against the FBI. Two weeks ago Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella told attendees of the company's annual Build developers conference of plans to "move our society forward," asking "profound questions" of his developers:"Is technology empowering people or is it displacing us? Is technology helping us preserve our enduring values such as privacy, or is it compromising it?" Google CEO Sundar Pichai hasn't delivered his big keynote yet (it's coming up May 18), but late last year he issued an open letter in support of Muslims after Donald Trump suggested he'd blanket-ban the religious group from entering the United States. Welcome to 2016: where tech's biggest leaders are no longer selling themselves as innovators, creative geniuses, or domineering tycoons, but as world leaders -- statesmen shaping the course of human history.According to a report from last month, several tech executives -- including Tim Cook, Elon Musk, Larry Page, and Sean Parker -- met recently to discuss how to "stop Donald Trump." Musk, however, later refuted such reports.

3 of 180 comments (clear)

  1. "an insightful story on Buzzfeed News...." by Stray1 · · Score: 5, Funny

    You lost me....

  2. In the age of Trump "Liberals" love CEOs by mi · · Score: 5, Interesting

    In the Age of Trump, Tech CEOs Cast Themselves As the New Statesmen

    ... and the supposed champions of the people are now happy with the corporate influence.

    Because some CEOs are more equal than others... Oh, wait, Koch brothers hate Trump too, so let's suspend this campaign.

    The noble aim of #NeverTrump justifies all means, does not it? Principles are for wussies anyway...

    --
    In Soviet Washington the swamp drains you.
  3. Re:Nothing New by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Actually they ARE doing it for financial reasons -

    Zuckerberg heads up a PAC which is trying to open up more immigration and H1Bs - because, y'know, he *cares* about the people and it has nothing at all to do with getting cheaper tech labor into the states. That goes for all the tech CEOs listed here.

    Trump is adamantly against that so he must be taken down.