Engineering news
Industry moguls have been locking horns with Donald Trump since his campaign commenced, perhaps with the expectation that they would never have to face the consequences of his presidency. Silicon Valley in particular, often being described as a liberal forefront, did not see eye to eye with him and sided with the Democrats. However, with Trump’s upset win this November, they may now need to be forced to mould their business practices that clash with his staunch nationalist rhetoric and potential policies.
While Silicon Valley’s tone was derisive and hostile, Trump did not hold back the vitriol either. Now that he is filling his cabinet and cementing regulations, his threats to the tech industry could turn into vindictive action. Trump has bumped heads with some of the biggest conglomerates in the market, including Apple and Amazon.
On his campaign trail, Trump openly attacked Apple’s overseas manufacturing, saying “we’re going to get Apple to build their damn computers and things in this country”, adding that he would impose a 35% tax on those who outsource jobs. There is no word yet on whether or not Tim Cook plans to amend his international supply chains.
Trump then criticised Amazon’s chief executive Jeff Bezos over his purchase of the Washington Post, accusing him of using the publication to wield influence in favour of his company. “Believe me, if I become president, oh, do they have problems. They’re going to have such problems,” Trump said in his usual eloquent fashion, claiming that Amazon was “getting away with murder tax-wise”. Ironically, Trump is now being accused of having conflicts of interests between his presidency and his businesses, by having his children run his blind trust while he is in the oval office. Trump has also yet to release his own tax returns, constantly claiming that the documents are being audited.
Trump also promises to block the flow of foreign workers into the USA. The American government offers H-1B visas to engineers and other imported professionals for companies that need to hire for specialty skills. However, Trump argues that the visa is used as a Trojan horse to bring in cheap labour and hinder qualified Americans from obtaining those jobs.
The Consumer Technology Association (CTA), host to more than 2,200 corporations and responsible for putting on the Consumer Electronics Show every year, is already bowing down the Trump. CTA’s chief executive and president, Gary Shapiro, who spent months criticises Trump and his lack of qualifications while currying the favour of Hillary Clinton, was quick to change his tune once a Trump victory looked eminent. Before Clinton had even made her concession speech, the CTA had sent out a press release congratulating the President-Elect and expressing eagerness to work together to create change. Shapiro later defended himself, stating that the company had to adapt to the changing seasons.
Trump also regularly takes to Twitter to rebuke several big companies for their policies. Lockheed Martin and General Motors are two of his famous targets, and now other businesses are starting to worry they might be next. Several companies have chosen to put mergers, acquisitions and exports on hold, in fear of being labelled anti-patriotic.
However, just recently Trump held an off-record meeting with industry titans in Washington DC. Sources say that Trump’s team kept mum on any business policy, and mostly spent the meeting asking the bigshots of Twitter, Uber and Google among others for advice on how to navigate the technological sector. If and how he decides to build bridges with other sectors remains to be seen.
For now, the future of US industries under Trump’s presidency still remains shrouded in mystery.