The Emasculation of the Tech Giants

The leaders of America’s tech revolution viewed themselves as rebels, swash bucklers, and nerdy but virile men who ruled the world. They ruled over vast empires; advanced technology faster than government could control it and made many billions of dollars that they were certain protected them from the political class.

These, mostly young white men, were the coolest nerds to ever walk the earth and they reveled in their wealth and power for more than a generation, starting with Microsoft and Apple and their dominance over an industry, business, and society.

The younger generation, including Google and Facebook, became even more visibly entrenched in our daily lives and their moves into AI and other invasive technologies helped shorten attention spans, lessened our interest and maybe abilities to read, reshaped how we received information and understood it, and how we communicated with each other listened to music and watched media.

They were the 21st Century cowboys, a new kind of macho.

This was pre-Musk’s explosion on the scene. He did not have to invent anything, he marketed it, stole it, claimed it as his own, and sold it raising his profile and pushing his net worth into the stratosphere. He was interested in power and products that would be of value to governments, raising his power, wealth, and access. He then recognized his usefulness to Donald Trump. Being the richest man in the world gave him immediate access to the Trump world, where money means everything. The two made it clear to other tech giants that with Musk at the helm they understood the tech world and could indeed take revenge on the outliers.

It did not take long for all those proud alpha males to fall in line and pony up millions to Trump’s campaign and begin to limit freedom of speech on their respective platforms. The impact was felt in all the businesses they owned, even The Washington Post lost its luster, even if the public is slow to realize that Amazon is not their friend and its companies from the Washington Post to Whole Foods are a cash cow to the political lions who plan to send you to bankruptcy as they takeover Social Security and the Treasury.

All the boys were lined up at the inaugural. They showed the respect demanded of them, they clipped their own wings, fearing the fleecing they might otherwise receive from Musk and Trump if they did not get in line.

Oh yes, they believe by agreeing that there are only two genders, men and women, and that DEI is a danger, while they provide demanded information to their new overlords that they will be saved. Maybe they know better, they are smart people, but they are unnerved right now and the worlds they built teeter as their world grows more fragile and their masculinity is turned into cowardice.

They will cull their workforces to ensure only Trump/Musk people are left…some of the best and brightest might have already left, others will be forced to go, and their business and creative engines will falter. We saw the panic when China’s AI company burst on the scene and stole their thunder. Their supremacy, even that of Amazon, is on the line as China’s business leaders assert themselves on the global stage.

What is next for the boy wonders? With the speed of actions taken by the new administration we will know the outcomes pretty quickly. They will be called to the White House, they will spend time at Mar a Largo, they will be at the beck and call of a motley crew of thugs and bullies, and they will try and figure a way to survive and regain their independence. How brave and creative will these boys be? They have lost face and the trust of most Americans and many of their global clients. A good number of citizens are looking for ways to avoid their products where and when they can, and the most talented will seek to start their own businesses with new and exceptional products.

How fast the mighty have fallen and how quickly the machismo of the tech leaders had sand from Palm Beach kicked in their faces. Maybe they will find their strength and independence by joining the people who seek the freedoms being denied, seeking to restore our democracy, hold the guilty accountable, and ensure that no body is above the law. Apple, Facebook, Amazon, Google, and the others, you have a lifeline, you have choices to make. Will you be on the right side of history? Will you join the people who still believe in the vision of America found in the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, visible on the walls of the Lincoln Memorial, in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., and embossed on the Statue of Liberty? Will you heed the words of John F. Kennedy when he asked “what you can do for your country”? You do not have to reassume your type A masculine profiles, but we hope you find your humanity.