Author: Elodie Pigois

The incoming president Mr Trump has mastered Twitter, but he doesn’t do email and rarely uses a computer, so let’s say nothing good at the first sight in perspective in term of technology. « Donald Trump rarely opens his Apple computer », Friends say,« he doesn’t surf the Web, preferring to read print newspapers, and he keeps stacks of magazines on his desk. », “He considers email as distraction”. Friends and other people who have dealt with Trump (who is 70 years old) say he is a reluctant user of technology in opposition with the ex-president Barack Obama, who modernized the White House’s information technology and forced the administration into the social media era.

So we can ask ourselves, Trump and Technologies: what could we expect? 

Donald Trump was elected 45th president of the United States and the political agenda of the new President of the United States concerning the technological industry is « light » let say, but it contains is already worrying the techno-sphere .

Even from the very beginning of his campaign, his program in term of technologies was qualified as « crazy » or « inexistent ». But we have to see the evidence : Trump was vague and confused about its positions, without sparing its public a few aberrations such as the call to boycott Apple ( i mean APPLE, it’s like call to boycott the vatican for the techno-sphere) or the stigmatization of “Chinese hackers”, fondation of its cybersecurity plan. Worst, recently a news made USA freak out : the President may use the TV and his old Android phone not secure to keep him company in his new big house. Even if it’s just to satisfy his addiction to tweeter, he is not supposed to be connected at any time to an insecure wi-fi. It could be an open gate for hackers to have an access to national secret informations or even worst hackers could turn on the camera and the microphone of the phone and spy inside the White House easily.

Even if the American head of state is not expert (or even familiar) with the digital world, he demonstrates good intentions by surrounding himself (or at least he is trying) of heavy weights of Silicon Valley. And unlike the boss of Uber, the CEO of Space X and Tesla will stay a member of the economic advisory committee of the 45th president of the United States. Elon Musk recalls, however, that he does not support the recent actions of the Trump administration. After the descent to the hell of Uber in the USA during the muslim ban protest*, a similar reaction was expected from other « big bosses » on the board (Bob Iger (Disney), Doug McMillon (Walmart), Indra Nooyi (PepsiCo ), Ginni Rometty (IBM) and Elon Musk (Tesla, SpaceX). Yet some stay in their positions, notably the CEO of Tesla who is highlight by the media about it. So what are his reasons to continue to sit beside Trump? And it is not for the best?

The Musk’s arguments seem legitimate and he speaks perfectly about it :

Let’s say again that the propose of this councils is just to give advise to the President. So is that not a good things to have a man inside ? Someone who has the courage to say what he thinks and tries to make our world changing for the best . Even if Elon has to prove his loyalty to the « people », he looks like someone who cares (and if we are lucky enough may he will makes trump’s mind change …).

And what about others high-tech giants, what is the trend? We can notice a “softening” in the comments, like Jeff Bezos (CEO of amazon) who tweeted “Congratulations to @realDonaldTrump.I present him my most open mind and wish him a great success in his service for the Country « While few months ago he proposed instead to get rid of the Republican candidate by” reserving a seat for him on the rocket Blue Origin “, his other company active in space transportation. The relationship between Trump and the silicon valley has not  really good started. From the unconcerned of the beginning to the call for the boycott of Apple, we could’t expect a miracle.

But since November, the technology sector is down at wall street, which corresponds to the election of the president. And it’s not the recent rise in value of Weibo on the stock exchange (Chinese tweeter) that now exceeds twitter itself that will delight our dear Mr. Trump. Add this to the anti-muslim ban petition signed by all the silicon valley even Tesla (whose the CEO is in the economic council of Trump) and we can imagine the conflictual nature of the exchange between Washington and California.

But why Apple, Amazon, Google and others are fighting muslim ban?

Firstly because it’s not ethical. But mostly because the restriction on visas endangers those companies that employ thousands of engineers from around the world. And when techno-sphere sees a sharing of knowledges, Trump sees a potential industrial spying and a threatening for the national security.

But let’s try to see the positive side too, the new president is a fervent defender of the “Made in USA”. And the ease of repatriation of  decollated factories was mentioned as well as a tax cut for companies that repatriate money to the United States. Two good news that recalls its Campaign slogan.

So can we expect to see the America great again? Mr President will have to deal with the digital world the bring back the golden age of America because now there is the business. 

*To remind the company was accused of get profit from the muslim ban especially during the taxi strike in New York, an #DeleteUber was created on the social networks and the presence of the CEO to the economic council of trump did helped.  The result was more than 200,000 deletions in less than a week and the departure of Travis Kalanick from the president’s council.