[Tech Thoughts] Trump’s presidency has affected the world tech sector, too

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Let's think about the past first quarter of the year and discuss the US-specific trends you may want to watch out for that are likely to affect the world's tech sectors or society at large

The return of Donald Trump to the United States presidency has in many ways sent shivers down the spine of many Americans who do not agree or ascribe to his brand of politics.

It has also created plenty of repercussions across the tech industry at large across the world. As Rappler CEO Maria Ressa once said in an interview, “Where the US goes, it drags the world.”

Today, I thought it might be a good idea to think about the past first quarter of the year, just to discuss trends you may want to watch out for that are likely to affect the world’s tech sectors or society at large.

The US wants to ‘win’ the AI race at any cost

US President Trump repealed Biden-era protections and guardrails for responsible AI development as his government sought to lead the AI race to the top.

On January 23, Trump also signed a new executive order, “Removing barriers to American leadership in artificial intelligence.” The executive order explicitly mentioned as well that, to maintain AI leadership, the US “must develop AI systems that are free from ideological bias or engineered social agendas. With the right Government policies, we can solidify our position as the global leader in AI and secure a brighter future for all Americans.”

To that end, Trump also announced a $500-billion private sector investment in AI infrastructure such as data centers.

These announcements, of course, were overshadowed days later by the arrival of Chinese AI, such as DeepSeek.

The race to lead in AI, as such, moves forward without as much regard for guardrails and safety constraints.

When a techbro has even more power

Adding to things is the rise of Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) as a means of consolidating power in the guise of streamlining services through mass job cuts.

Sources have said that DOGE is using AI to spy on federal workers and is using the Signal app to communicate.

Musk’s cadre of DOGE workers now also have the power within multiple federal agencies and will probably find ways to retain that power somehow even in the event of a change in the government status quo.

As we have seen previously in the case of the White House sharing Yemeni war plans with a journalist through his inadvertent addition into a Signal group chat, that is not good operational security, and therefore something that can be taken advantage off by the US enemies, or by generally anyone nefarious enough, I reckon.

Trump’s US cryptocurrency stockpile

In an overhaul of US cryptocurrency policy, Trump also signed an executive order on January 23, titled, “Strengthening American leadership in digital financial technology.”

With this particular tack, Trump ordered the creation of a working group to propose new digital asset regulations and explore creating a national cryptocurrency stockpile.

Trump’s actions led in March to the naming of a number of cryptocurrencies that would be part of a strategic reserve. This, of course, led the named cryptocurrencies to shoot up in value as an immediate consequence.

The erosion of social media moderation and fact-seeking

Trumpian rhetoric has made it such that content moderation and fact checking on social media platforms have begun to die out, if not directly through the erosion of fact-checking and moderation programs in the US, then through the indirect acceptance that facts aren’t as important as feelings in the current scheme of things.

Trump previously accused the Biden administration of encouraging suppression of free speech on online platforms, though those accusations were centered on government efforts against false claims about vaccines and the US elections.

The reality is that fact-checkers try to ensure that reality is what it is, emotions be damned. Fact-checkers wade through so much disinformation to find the kernels of truth needed to properly exist in the world.

My goodness, those tariffs!

Lastly today, we cannot end a discussion on major Trumpian trends affecting the tech sector and society without discussing US tariffs.

Trump has upended global trade norms with the imposition of his tariffs and, by extension, what may potentially end up being a bunch of different trade wars, and not just in China, but among previously considered friendly countries to boot.

While Trump has paused some of these tariffs — technological and otherwise — in some locations, his trade war with China remains constant. In the immediate interim, this means potentially more expensive tech items, among MANY other commodities.

It may also mean that China will flex its own muscle in other countries, such as in expanding its power to get more countries on its side while halting rare earth and other mineral exports from China to the US. – Rappler.com