logo
episode-header-image
Jun 9
1m 1s

Coming soon: The rise and fall of Trump’...

Financial Times
About this episode

Can Tim Cook save Apple from the trade war? Has Mark Zuckerberg really been a fan of Donald Trump all along? And is the bromance between Elon Musk and the president really over? 


In a new season of Tech Tonic, Murad Ahmed explores the relationships between Trump and some of the titans of the tech world. What is really driving those relationships, and what might they mean for the future of technology in the US and beyond?


Free to read:


‘He is power’: billionaires line up for Donald Trump’s inauguration


Donald Trump lashes out at Apple over plan to ship US iPhones from India


How Jeff Bezos made peace with Donald Trump


What has Elon Musk’s Doge actually achieved?


How Joel Kaplan became Mark Zuckerberg’s most trusted political fixer


How Peter Thiel and Silicon Valley funded the sudden rise of JD Vance


This season of Tech Tonic is presented by Murad Ahmed and produced by Josh Gabert-Doyon. The senior producer is Edwin Lane and the executive producer is Flo Phillips. Sound design by Breen Turner and Samantha Giovinco. Original music by Metaphor Music, Manuela Saragosa and Topher Forhecz are the FT’s acting co-heads of audio.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Up next
Jul 8
Trump’s tech bros: The enigma of Peter Thiel
Peter Thiel is unlike any other Trump tech bro. As well as a wildly successful investor, he’s seen as a thinker - the philosopher king of Silicon Valley. Thiel’s acolytes in the tech world and Washington include vice-president JD Vance but his relationship with the Trump camp is ... Show More
31m 7s
Jul 1
Trump’s Tech Bros: Is ‘Maga Mark’ the real Mark Zuckerberg?
Meta chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has undergone a transformation, both physical and political. The skinny teenager who founded Facebook in his dorm room is now a muscular jiu-jitsu enthusiast who’s called US President Donald Trump a “badass” and wants to see more “masculine en ... Show More
29m 14s
Jun 24
Trump’s Tech Bros: Has Jeff Bezos sold out?
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos was once a vocal critic of Donald Trump. But that changed during last year’s election campaign. Now, he has instructed the newspaper he owns, The Washington Post, to shift its editorial line to be more in line with the president. So what provoked Bezos’s ... Show More
25m 42s
Recommended Episodes
Jul 2024
Silicon Valley is Backing Donald Trump w/ Jacob Silverman
Paris Marx is joined by Jacob Silverman to discuss why tech billionaires have become more supportive of  Donald Trump in the upcoming US election and whether Kamala Harris’ candidacy will disrupt their plans. Jacob Silverman is the co-author of Easy Money: Cryptocurrency, Casino ... Show More
1 h
Aug 2024
Can Musk Get Trump Elected? + Steve Ballmer’s Quest for the Facts + This Week in A.I.
This week, we debate whether Elon Musk’s recent stumping and fund-raising for former President Trump could help him get re-elected. Then, former Microsoft’s chief executive, Steve Ballmer, stops by to discuss his effort to depolarize our politics using government data. And finall ... Show More
1h 8m
Jan 2025
How Democrats Drove Silicon Valley Into Trump’s Arms
The tech investor Marc Andreessen and his fellow Silicon Valley giant Elon Musk weren’t always the Donald Trump supporters they are today. In this episode, Ross asks Andreessen, a founder of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz, about what led to Silicon Valley’s rightwar ... Show More
1h 1m
Nov 2024
(Preview) What Trump 2.0 Could Mean for Tech, Questions on Antitrust, EU and Growth, Elon Musk and the Election
Looking to President Trump's first term for clues about what tech policy might look like for the next four years. Topics include: Apple's balancing act with the U.S. and China, why Meta and Google might have fared better under Kamala Harris, the implications for "Little T ... Show More
15m 38s
Jan 2025
#458 – Marc Andreessen: Trump, Power, Tech, AI, Immigration & Future of America
Marc Andreessen is an entrepreneur, investor, co-creator of Mosaic, co-founder of Netscape, and co-founder of the venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz. Thank you for listening ❤ Check out our sponsors: https://lexfridman.com/sponsors/ep458-sc See below for timestamps, transcr ... Show More
3h 57m
Nov 2024
How Trump Will Impact the Economy, Big Tech, and Social Media
Kara and Scott trade Election Day stories, and discuss where they went wrong with their predictions. Then, a deep dive into what a second Trump term means for the economy, crypto, Big Tech (including Elon Musk), social media, and more. Finally, a few wins to share at the end of a ... Show More
1h 16m
Jul 11
Interesting Times: A Mind-Bending Conversation with Peter Thiel
This week, we’re bringing you a recent interview from “Interesting Times with Ross Douthat,” one of The New York Times’s newest podcasts. In this episode, Ross sits down with Peter Thiel, the co-founder of PayPal and Palantir and one of the most contrarian thinkers in tech. Toget ... Show More
1h 2m
Jul 2024
Silicon Valley's impact on the election and an acquisition making our HeadSpin
To kick off this week's news roundup, Kirsten walked us through Elon Musk’s recent declaration of his intent to move both SpaceX and X’s headquarters out of California to Texas. Whether or not he’ll see those plans through remains to be seen, but of course, the Equity crew had th ... Show More
32m 52s
Jan 2025
EMERGENCY DEBATE: What Trump’s Return Really Means for America & The Real Reason Men Voted for Trump! Is the UK About to Collapse?!
Trump has taken the oath of office, but what does this really mean for the future of the world?   The Diary Of A CEO’s first ever election round table is joined by three renowned voices: Scott Galloway, Daniel Priestly and Konstantin Kisin.  Konstantin Kisin, a political and soci ... Show More
1h 41m