3) I think it odd to protest Elon's monopolistic and data-collection pursuits because Google, Meta, and the rest do that as well (not so much U.S. govt. data, but global citizens' data). Let's also keep in mind that the federal contracts of Musk were all acquired/escalated in the Biden administration.
All in all, we're in a topsy-turvy Trump-world, and it's a mixed bag of some excellent things and some that make no sense or worse.
Very interesting report! A couple of thoughts:
1) Trump clearly likes his appointees to duke it out -- as shown by the Elon-Kash clash. That's one among many signs that Trump is his own boss.
2) The MAGA populism, as articulated by Steve Bannon, is actually an impressive, robust philosophy and platform (even if it includes some toxic crap). This long Bannon interview is fascinating as it shows his disdain for most Republicans and for Silicon Valley titans: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/31/opinion/steve-bannon-on-broligarchs-vs-populism.html?unlocked_article_code=1.tk4.nC7b.er1sAOShOHBq&smid=url-share
3) I think it odd to protest Elon's monopolistic and data-collection pursuits because Google, Meta, and the rest do that as well (not so much U.S. govt. data, but global citizens' data). Let's also keep in mind that the federal contracts of Musk were all acquired/escalated in the Biden administration.
All in all, we're in a topsy-turvy Trump-world, and it's a mixed bag of some excellent things and some that make no sense or worse.