Tim Sweeney, founder and CEO of Epic Games, the parent company of Fortnite, has criticized Big Tech executives for shifting their political affiliations to gain favor with President-elect Donald Trump.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, Sweeney expressed concern that Silicon Valley’s top leaders would align themselves with the MAGA movement to support a "scummy monopoly campaign" with the incoming administration.
Why It Matters
Sweeney’s remarks come as several tech CEOs, who had not previously supported Trump, have started donating to his campaign or meeting with him following his election. These include leaders from Amazon, Apple, OpenAI, Meta (owner of Facebook and Instagram), and Alphabet (parent company of Google). Trump’s alliances with tech moguls like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel suggest a potential shift toward policies favoring deregulation and benefiting major tech firms.
What To Know
Sweeney claimed these CEOs were acting out of self-interest to promote their companies’ agendas, rather than genuine political allegiance. "After years of pretending to be Democrats, Big Tech leaders are now pretending to be Republicans, hoping to gain favor with the new administration," he wrote on X. "Beware of the scummy monopoly campaign that seeks to undermine competition law as they exploit consumers and crush competitors."
Sweeney has long been a vocal critic of Big Tech's monopolistic behavior. In 2023, Epic Games won a lawsuit against Google after a judge ruled that Google’s Play Store operated as an illegal monopoly.
Under President Biden’s administration, the U.S. government took steps to regulate Big Tech, filing antitrust lawsuits against Amazon, Google, and Meta. The CEOs of these companies may be hoping that the Trump administration will be more accommodating to their interests.
Elon Musk, the owner of X and the world's wealthiest individual, is expected to play a role in Trump’s administration, leading a newly formed agency aimed at reducing regulation and government spending. Musk’s involvement in Trump’s 2024 campaign and his $277 million donation have raised concerns among critics, who suggest he could use his position to further enrich himself and his businesses. Sweeney implied that other tech CEOs might follow Musk's lead.
What People Are Saying
Sweeney posted on X: "After years of pretending to be Democrats, Big Tech leaders are now pretending to be Republicans, hoping to gain favor with the new administration. Beware of the scummy monopoly campaign that seeks to undermine competition law as they exploit consumers and crush competitors."
Casey Burgat, a political science professor at George Washington University, told Newsweek, "Big Tech leaders like [Amazon’s Jeff] Bezos and [Meta’s Mark] Zuckerberg are navigating a delicate balancing act: maintaining good relations with a government that has openly threatened their business models while mitigating potential regulatory or legislative crackdowns."
Brian Hughes, a spokesperson for the Trump-Vance transition team, told Newsweek, "President Trump is surrounding himself with industry leaders like Elon Musk as he works to restore innovation, reduce regulation, and celebrate free speech in his second term."
What Happens Next
Trump’s inauguration on January 20 will mark the beginning of a new phase of collaboration between the administration and Big Tech. Musk has already announced plans to cut regulations and streamline government operations, sparking questions about how these changes will affect competition and innovation.
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