Tech billionaires who backed Trump brace for subpoenas as AI anger reshapes US political landscape

San Francisco, November 6 - Once close allies of former US President Donald Trump, Silicon Valley tech billionaires now face potential subpoenas as a Democratic Congress aims to investigate artificial intelligence (AI) following recent midterm elections. Greg Casar, chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, has called for AI company CEOs to testify under oath, while Senator Ed Markey fears a flood of subpoenas.

This shift in political climate is a stark reality for tech executives who rallied behind Trump after his 2024 win, with notable figures such as Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg, and Jeff Bezos at his inauguration.

Upon taking control of both chambers, Democrats will have the authority to compel executives to testify or disclose internal documents. In the 2020 midterms, heads of Amazon, Apple, Facebook, and Google were questioned for market dominance, potentially putting Musk, OpenAI's Sam Altman, and Nvidia's Jensen Huang under similar scrutiny.

Democratic Senator Abdul El-Sayed, elected in Michigan despite significant opposition, even advocates for a complete halt in the development of powerful AI systems and urges a US-China treaty to prevent superintelligence.

While no major tech boss has commented on the election so far, Musk quipped about data centers in space. The industry has been distancing itself from Republicans since the vote. A pro-AI political fund funded by OpenAI president Greg Brockman and venture capital firm Andreessen Horowitz received no new donations from April to September, as public distrust of AI grew.

Meta has hired former Democratic staffers to represent the company in Congress. Republican commentators argue that voters are primed to reward political parties that hold Big Tech accountable, citing concerns about AI's social and economic impacts.

A recent NBC News exit poll revealed that 56 percent of voters considered AI and data centers crucial or major factors in their decision for Congress. Tech industry leaders, including Chamber of Progress CEO Adam Kovacevich and prominent pro-Trump investor Chamath Palihapitiya, stress the need to address the "AI trade" and data centers' role in the US economy.

Analyst Dan Ives estimates that 10 percent of the 800-1,000 planned new data centers in the US may not materialize. The tech community appears to be shifting its stance, with many expecting Zuckerberg to apologize and face an aggressive Democratic Congress.