Following a week of intense social media exchanges, the conflict between U.S. President Trump and his former ally Musk has subsided. Currently, Musk has removed several posts that were accusatory towards Trump, including claims linking Trump to the Epstein sexual assault case.
According to two White House officials, the tension between Trump and Musk temporarily eased after their representatives held talks on Friday. However, one official revealed that while both have stopped posting, it does not indicate mutual satisfaction. The future of their relationship remains highly unpredictable.
White House officials opine that despite Musk once calling for Trump’s impeachment and Trump threatening to terminate all federal contracts with Musk’s companies, neither party actually intended to push the situation to an extreme.
The Impact on Key Legislation
Presently, the Trump administration is actively promoting a crucial piece of legislation – the Magnificent Bill. Musk has referred to this bill as “the disgusting pile of pork.” The feud between the two has further fueled public skepticism towards the bill.
Technology and Politics: A Shifting Landscape
In a column, Michael Moritz, Chairman of Sequoia Capital, stated that the breakdown of Musk’s relationship with Trump serves as a warning to Silicon Valley. It confirms that Silicon Valley figures who supported Trump had little real influence, merely acting as “pawns.”
Moritz believes that Musk’s approach of applying corporate management principles to government affairs misjudged Trump’s style of governance. Trump runs the government much like his businesses – both burdened with debts, indifferent to employees’ efforts, and solely focused on personal interests. This, he argues, is the core cause of the rift between the two.
From Moritz’s perspective, the alliance between the American tech industry and the right-wing government is on the brink of collapse. The sudden withdrawal of the nomination of tech company founder Jared Isaacman as the director of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration by the Trump administration may be the latest indication of this breakdown.
Other individuals potentially at risk include David Sacks, an expert in cryptography and artificial intelligence; Sriram Krishnan, a policy advisor; and Michael Grimes, a former Morgan Stanley banker who is now an official at the Ministry of Commerce.
Reactions within the Tech Industry
The situation has also triggered some panic within the tech industry. Prominent figures such as hedge fund manager Ackerman and Palantir co-founder Joe Lonsdale have recently made statements in an attempt to ease the standoff between Trump and Musk.
Most Republican politicians predict that Trump will ultimately emerge as the winner in this conflict with Musk. However, as the world’s richest person and the tech mogul behind the X platform, Musk presents a uniquely formidable opponent for Trump.
Some others suggest that Silicon Valley may not need to panic unduly. They believe that after Musk, new tech entrepreneurs could still wield influence in the U.S. government, citing Altman from OpenAI as an example. An investor noted that technology is not personified by a single individual and will not cease to progress because of one person, even if that person is among the most outstanding in the world.
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