The Tech Industry Went All in on Trump, and Now They’re in Serious Danger Now That Americans Have Turned on Him

As the midterm elections unfolded, tech companies aligned themselves with Donald Trump, positioning themselves for potential consequences in the wake of a Democratic surge. Democratic candidates for various offices, including congress, the senate, and state governorships, advocated for data center moratoriums. Over 40 such measures were proposed across ten states, with 56 percent of Americans indicating that AI and data centers were crucial or major factors in their voting decisions, according to NBC News exit polls.

Notable victories included Sherrod Brown in Ohio, who campaigned against data center construction, and Gina Hinojosa in Texas, who defeated Republican incumbent Greg Abbott. Notable among the tech industry's setbacks was Hinojosa's triumph, which threatens 45 percent of planned US data center capacity, concentrated in Texas, where many AI firms invested heavily.

Elon Musk, who had relocated operations to Texas, acknowledged the seismic shift in the AI industry's trajectory, expressing a newfound preference for data centers in space. Major tech donors, including Elon Musk, Greg Brockman, Marc Andreessen, and Ben Horowitz, contributed significantly to pro-AI candidates, but a survey revealed that three-quarters of likely voters in key battleground states would be less likely to support a candidate receiving donations from AI Super PACs.

The tech industry's close relationship with Trump, who demanded the rebranding of "artificial intelligence" as "Super Intelligence" and pressured companies to comply with his whims, further compounded their predicament as voters turned against them.