Your loss is our gain?
Musk and Meta, it all comes tumbling down
Dear Citizen,
This week, the stock market has taken quite the tumble as new Trump Tariffs come into force. But it’s not just the U.S. economy that has been “liberated” - Musk has also been shown the door by the looks of it.
Trump has allegedly claimed that Musk will step down soon from his post of “special government employee”. It was always a possibility that after 130 days, his conflicts of interest may prove to be a bane for the President. Fortunately, as Politico has it, this frees him up to go on a donation spending spree in the UK and Europe and meddle elsewhere too.
Liberation, indeed. Your loss, our gain.
# THE BRAINS TRUST BOOK CLUB: THE TECH COUP #
Are you surprised by any of this though? For the most part, our incredible board member, former MEP and author, Marietje Schaake, is not.
Her timely new book The Tech Coup is a brilliant primer to understanding the moment. In the book, she gives a detailed account of how private companies, including Big Tech, have over the years managed to capture so much of public life.
We asked her a few questions…
The “Tech Coup” was, in hindsight, an alarmingly prescient title for what we’re seeing right now. Did you envision Big Tech’s capture, at least of the US government, being as comprehensive as it is right now? What surprised you about the first 2+ months of Trump relative to Big Tech?
Marietje: The further capture of state and political power was an inevitable next step from the systemic power grab by Big Tech companies at the expense of democracy that I describe in The Tech Coup. The brazenness and lack of resistance are what surprise me. That Elon Musk would seek a lead role supporting Trump (or is it the other way around?) was clear, but to see Google, Meta, OpenAI and Amazon proudly behind this highly controversial and confrontational President is a choice I would not have imagined.
The fact that people now understand the problem has been helpful to elevate the crisis and threat to democracy higher on European politicians’ agendas, we must hope that the awareness leads to decisive action to decouple from dependence on US technologies that can be weaponized.
What could the EU be doing to push back on Big Tech’s reach? For our US readers, is there any hope that the EU or UK could throw a wrench in the Musk machine?
Marietje: With the combination of procurement, national security considerations, enforcing existing laws and investing in European alternatives, the EU and UK can do a lot to push back against Musk and the broad outsized power of US tech companies. The question is whether there will be enough resolve and courage to make this crucial transition when trade wars and threats will be the answer; but if not now, then when?
A tension we’re seeing right now is with people trying to decide between (a) leaving the Big Tech platforms entirely and “voting with their feet” for alternatives and (b) pushing back in more traditional ways - protests, advocacy, pressing for regulation and government action. Your earlier interviews indicate a bias towards the latter. Where do you sit now in terms of what people can be doing to stop the Tech Coup?
Marietje: The priority should be to scale boycotts, investments into alternatives, procurement and regulation. We must acknowledge the asymmetry in power between the companies and the individual user. However, there is a serious momentum now so I hope everyone will do what they can.
# ONE CLICK: META’s ACHILLES HEEL #
Just when it seemed like the Tech Bros were undefeatable, a British woman has used her individual ‘right to object’ and hit Meta where it hurts.
People versus Big Tech co-founder Tanya O’Carroll sued Meta and has now got them to stop targeting ads to her based on personal data. This provision under the GDPR was previously untested and the news now means everyone in the UK can exercise this right and force Meta away from its model of surveillance capitalism.
Read about this momentous victory here:
Natasha Lomas
# ONE ACTION: POWER IN OBJECTION #
But in order to actually force Meta to change its ways, we need swathes of people to galvanize the moment and exercise their right. Will you?
If you live in the UK, head over here and object now:
That’s it for this week.
The Citizens Team
*PS - Join our Signal Chat if you haven’t already!
