Technology
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Technology
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As Musk's influence grows, so do fears of his revenge
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Elon Musk's growing criticism of President-elect Trump's opponents and industry competitors is raising concerns he may use his increasing influence to intimidate adversaries.
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These fears are compounded by Trump’s repeated vows for revenge against his perceived enemies, with experts warning Musk could echo and carry out the same rhetoric on his social media platform X in the coming months.
“Musk is a good fit for Trump, because Musk clearly enjoys … vengeance and gets off on retribution,” said Matt Dallek, a political historian and professor at George Washington University.
“This is partly, at least, what animates him, maybe even more so at this point than his business enterprises.”
Neither X nor a spokesperson for the Trump transition team responded to The Hill’s request for comment.
Concerns were amplified last week after Musk went after retired Army Lt. Col. Alexander Vindman, who became an outspoken critic of Trump after testifying in his first impeachment trial.
“Vindman is on the payroll of Ukrainian oligarchs and has committed treason against the United States,” Musk wrote on X, responding to comments Vindman made in an interview about Musk’s reported conversations with Russian President Vladimir Putin.
Musk said Vindman, who served as the top Ukraine expert on the National Security Council under Trump, “will pay the appropriate penalty.”
Vindman responded, “You, Elon, appear to believe you can act with impunity and are attempting to silence your critics. I’m not intimidated.”
Read more in a full report at TheHill.com.
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Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we're Miranda Nazzaro and Julia Shapero — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.
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How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future:
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Bitcoin surged to more than $100,000 per coin on Wednesday after President-elect Trump announced Paul Atkins, a cryptocurrency aficionado, would be nominated to head the Security Exchange Commission (SEC). Google valued the coin at 102,726 U.S. dollars late in the day, while the NASDAQ and S&P 500 markets also measured gains. The digital currency has been teetering around the six-figure barrier for days as Trump begins …
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President-elect Trump took credit for bitcoin crossing the $100,000 milestone late Wednesday evening, hours after he nominated another pro-cryptocurrency businessman to his incoming Cabinet. “CONGRATULATIONS BITCOINERS!!! $100,000!!! YOU’RE WELCOME!!! Together, we will Make America Great Again!” Trump wrote Thursday morning on his social media platform, Truth Social. After weeks of flirting with $100,000, the price …
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Google said Wednesday its artificial intelligence (AI) agent outperformed the world’s best weather predictions. In a blog post, Ilan Price and Matthew Willson, researchers with Google’s DeepMind, said its recently made “AI ensemble model” named GenCast “provides better forecasts of both day-to-day weather and extreme events than the top operational system, the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts’ (ECMWF) ENS, …
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Elon Musk, the co-head of President-elect Trump’s new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), met with incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-S.D.) Thursday morning ahead of meetings later in the day with Senate and House Republicans. Musk walked into Thune’s office with one of his children perched atop his shoulders. “I think we should be spending the public’s money wisely,” he told reporters while walking through …
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New Data: Young Voters Sound the Alarm on KOSA
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New data collected just before Election Day confirms that young voters are concerned that the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) poses significant risks of censorship and harm to marginalized communities. Learn more.
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News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:
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Waymo, Alphabet's self-driving car company, is expanding to Miami, with plans to begin offering its ride-hailing services by 2026, Reuters reported.
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Intel adds to two new directors
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Intel has named former ASML CEO Eric Meurice and Microchip Technology interim CEO Steve Sanghi to its board of directors, CNBC reported.
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Rivian opens up charging station to other EVs
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Rivian has opened its first electric vehicle (EV) charging station that can be used by non-Rivian EVs, The Verge reported.
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Branch out with other reads on The Hill:
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House Democrat: DOGE concept ‘unconstitutional and illegal’
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Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) scoffed at the proposed “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) co-led by Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy, labeling the agency “unconstitutional and illegal” during a Thursday appearance on “CNN Newsroom.” “You know, they haven’t asked to meet with me, but the impoundment of funds that have been appropriated by the Congress is unconstitutional and illegal,” Lofgren, a former lawyer, …
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New Data: Young Voters Sound the Alarm on KOSA
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New data collected just before Election Day confirms that young voters are concerned that the Kids Online Safety Act (KOSA) poses significant risks of censorship and harm to marginalized communities. Learn more.
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Two key stories on The Hill right now:
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Acting Secret Service Director Ronald Rowe and Rep. Pat Fallon (R-Texas) engaged in a shouting match that persisted over gavel banging, as Rowe accused … Read more
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Welcome to The Hill’s annual list of top lobbyists. The lobbyists on this list are some of the best in the business and have been go-to advocates … Read more
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You're all caught up. See you tomorrow!
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