Trump’s critics say the optics of the inauguration show an oligarchy at work Technology news

Silicon Valley’s influence was on display at Donald Trump’s inauguration, with the 47th president of the United States being sworn in alongside some of the tech world’s most prominent CEOs.

Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Alphabet Inc CEO Sundar Pichai and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos occupied some of the most exclusive seats at Monday’s inauguration, sitting closer to the president than even some of his cabinet members.

The ceremony was originally planned as an outdoor event with tech leaders seated a few feet away from Trump at the podium, but was moved inside to the much smaller Capitol Rotunda due to the unseasonably cold weather in Washington, DC.

Highlighting some of the world’s richest people at the event marked a break with tradition, as the best seats at presidential inaugurations are usually reserved for family members and former US presidents.

Along with outgoing President Joe Biden, former Presidents George W. Bush, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama attended the inauguration, although Nancy Pelosi, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, was absent.

The optics of Silicon Valley’s closeness to the president has not been lost on Trump’s critics, who have warned of a growing threat from the tech oligarchy since his re-election in November.

“When I started talking about the oligarchy, many people did not understand what I meant. Well, that has changed,” Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders said in a post on X.

“When the three richest men in America sit behind Trump at his inauguration, everyone understands that the billionaire class now controls our government. We have to fight back.”

Some critics have noted that the combined wealth of just three tech titans — Musk, Zuckerberg and Bezos — has grown to nearly $1 trillion in the past decade, while the federal minimum wage has remained unchanged since 2009.

They also took issue with what they saw as preferential treatment even for family members of tech leaders.

Lauren Sanchez, Bezos’ fiancee, and Zuckerberg’s wife, Priscilla Chan, also attended the inauguration despite limited seating in the Capitol Rotunda.

US media reported that Musk’s mother, Maye Musk, was seated closer to Trump than most lawmakers or future members of his cabinet.

“No Congressional spouses were allowed into the Rotunda for the ceremony today. Different rules for oligarchs,” said a left-leaning media commentator Ron Filipkowski on X.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew’s presence on Monday also raised eyebrows, as did his placement next to Tulsi Gabbard, Trump’s pick for the next director of national intelligence.

TikTok briefly shut down in the US on Sunday after its Chinese owner failed to sell the platform under a law signed by Biden last year.

While much of the tech industry has embraced progressive corporate values ​​like diversity under Biden, Silicon Valley’s top executives have moved closer to Trump after the election.

Musk, who has spent years voicing support for Democrats, has donated more than $200 million to Trump’s campaign and is slated to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency in the new administration.

Bezos blocked The Washington Post’s endorsement of Vice President Kamala Harris during the presidential race, the paper he owns said, citing unnamed sources familiar with the matter.

Before the inauguration, Musk and Zuckerberg flew to Florida to spend time with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort.

Zuckerberg also recently announced that he would end Meta’s fact-checking program, which conservatives have accused for years of censoring votes that support Trump.

Meta, Amazon and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also donated to Trump’s inaugural fund.

In his final speech as president, Biden last week warned of the “tech industrial complex” and its “dangerous” concentration of power in a speech reminiscent of President Dwight D Eisenhower’s famous 1961 farewell address.

Eisenhower’s speech, delivered at the height of the Cold War, famously coined the term “military-industrial complex” to describe the relationship between the defense industry and the US government.