In his first few days in office, Donald Trump announced a $500 billion joint venture with OpenAI, Oracle, and Softbank to invest in growing the US’s AI infrastructure and rescinded former President Joe Biden’s executive order requiring safety submissions from AI developers. His big, beautiful bill showers much more money in the industry, and aims to eliminate state oversight or regulation of AI companies as well.
The Israeli military uses Artificial Intelligence to find and target Hamas fighters, but with a civilian death toll estimated at 52,000, critics allege the system is not reliable and may even be providing cover for widespread bombing and ethnic cleansing. And that US companies are complicit.
Tech billionaire support for Donald Trump is paying off in some of the expected ways, such as extraordinary access and deregulation. But Trump has wreaked havoc on the stock market, disappointed his crypto backers, and failed to save Mark Zuckerberg from a grilling at the Federal Trade Commission.
Distaste for Elon Musk and his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) is fueling protests at Tesla showrooms, a boycott of the company’s cars, and a rapidly deteriorating stock price. But Musk can easily make up the losses from the federal government he is gleefully gutting. Musk is poised to continue making billions from federal subsidies and contracts despite the obvious ethical problems.
JD Vance’s appalling speech at the Paris Artificial Intelligence Summit announcing that the US will not agree to minimal international safety standards or consumer protections was not surprising given the Trump administration’s deregulatory fervor and fervent billionaire support. But with lucrative government contracts hanging in the balance, two of those billionaires are feuding. Sam Altman, CEO of Open AI, recently said no to Elon Musk’s offer of $97.4 billion to purchase his company. Musk also heard no from 21 technology workers at DOGE, formerly the US Digital Service, who quit their jobs saying they refused to use their skills to “dismantle critical public services.”
Israel’s assault on Gaza has decimated its people and infrastructure. Rebuilding will take decades, and in the meantime, the population remains dependent on international aid. Not only has Israel put drastic new restrictions on United Nations aid, but Donald Trump is pulling US funding for UN aid programs, suggesting that Palestinians should be forced out, the US take over and “build a Middle East Riviera there.
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The post-election fallout on Elon Musk’s platform, X, has triggered a digital exodus reminiscent of political protests past. On November 6, over 115,000 users deactivated their accounts, frustrated by Musk’s overt alliance with Donald Trump and X’s growing reputation as a hub for hate speech and misinformation. High-profile figures like Stephen King, Jamie Lee Curtis, and Barbra Streisand publicly announced their departures, with many migrating to emerging platforms Bluesky and Threads. Bluesky, created by former Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey, saw over 1 million new users in a single day, as Wired aptly dubbed the movement: “the new ‘I’m moving to Canada.’” The message is clear—people are seeking safer spaces for online discourse, and Musk’s X may no longer be it.