‘Tech bros’.
It’s hard to use that expression without doing a little sick in my mouth. Tech used to be the last bastion of the geeky, the socially awkward but bright-as-a-button innovators who wanted to change the world for the better. Now, it feels like it’s more or less billionaire egomaniacs kissing the ring of Donald Trump, schmoozing, brown-nosing and sliding the odd dollar or two in his back pocket. A man cannot have too many gold toilets, after all.
Musk, Zuckerberg and Bezos’ support for Trump, vocally and financially, is well-known. Perhaps the name that caught most people by surprise though was OpenAI’s Sam Altman, who also made a $1m personal donation to Trump.
“President Trump will lead our country into the age of AI, and I am eager to support his efforts to ensure America stays ahead.”
That this openly gay man would choose to sidle up to Trump – who is at present eliminating DEI offices and positions and erasing mentions of LGBTQ+ resources from the White House website – is something that will surely raise a few eyebrows (and turn a few stomachs), not least considering Altman’s criticism of Trump’s leadership and policies in the past.
But this blog isn’t about Sam – this is about tech’s answer to The Chuckle Brothers: Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
Musk and Zuck – maverick pioneers or a gruesome twosome?
The eradication of DEI policies is part of a shifting trend towards a more overtly conservative tech space, with Zuckerberg himself telling podcaster Joe Rogan that the corporate world is "culturally neutered" and should have more “masculine energy”. Musk, meanwhile, has also been beating his chest, suggesting that “a republic of high-status males is best for decision-making”.
While Musk and Zuckerberg’s witterings may echoe much of Trump's own verbal diarrhoea, it seems their ‘I am man, hear me roar’ bluster curries little favour with the American public. Over half of U.S. adults (54%) say they have an unfavourable view of Elon Musk, including 36% who have a very unfavourable opinion of him. It’s worse news for Zuckerberg, with around two-thirds of Americans having an unfavourable view of the Facebook founder.
Why is this? One would think that Musk and Zuck would fit quite snugly into the current, anti-‘woke’ (don’t you just hate that word?) narrative that is so prevalent, particularly in the United States. But it turns out, being a billionaire tech bro doesn’t automatically endear you to the public.
Firstly, they aren’t just very wealthy CEOs – they’re very wealthy celebrities who are talked and written about incessantly. People don’t just dislike them for their wealth or politics (and the far-right rhetoric of Musk jars with many); they dislike them for being everywhere…all the goddamn time.
Then there are their dubious business practices. Zuckerberg’s Meta has been the poster boy for data misuse over the past few years, while Musk’s handling of Twitter/X has been, well, a shitshow. Erratic business decisions and a total disregard for user experience has prompted users and advertisers to flee the platform in their droves.
Why are they sucking up to Donald Trump?
Let’s be honest: it’s a self-preservation thing.
Zuckerberg, for example, perhaps sees the benefit of cosying up to the Trump Administration because it’s politically advantageous. In April, Meta faces trial in an antitrust case, where it is alleged by the U.S. Federal Trade Commission that it bought Instagram and WhatsApp to crush emerging competition. Zuckerberg will be acutely aware that having Trump in his corner could make a real difference to the outcome.
Meanwhile, Musk’s sycophancy has paid off, landing him a senior government advisory role. It feels like an uneasy alliance, one that may unravel at any point thanks to their shared propensity for outbursts, outlandish claims and quick tempers. For now though, they’re BFFs. Musk has Trump’s ear and will no doubt use that ear to his own advantage, and that of his various business ventures.
Has the bubble burst for Facebook?
If you’re of a certain age, you’ll remember all too keenly the fizz of excitement around Facebook when it first hit the mainstream. For those of us of a more introverted nature, Facebook provided the perfect opportunity to stay sociable, but from within the comforting presence of our own four walls. The idea was simple, beautiful: connect with friends, family, community and like-minded people and share updates in a space tailored to you and your interests.
But nowadays, Facebook is a different beast altogether. Yes, you might still see some nice pictures of Aunty Brenda’s holiday in Tenerife, but more commonly you’ll be faced with irrelevant or repetitive product ads (you once bought a sofa online and now we’re going to flood you with ads for couches for eternity! MWAHAHAHA!).
Also, Facebook and its grim little algorithms are determined to inform me with alarming frequency that I am old. So very, very old. And as a very, very old person, I must be bombarded with ads for Tena Lady, anti-ageing products and diet apps (old AND fat apparently – f*ck you, Zuckerberg).
But personal gripes aside, Meta’s decision to replace third-party fact-checkers on Facebook and Instagram with a ‘community notes-style’ system went down like a lead balloon. This change essentially means that anyone can say anything with no official measures in place to curb misinformation.
Despite this, the numbers suggest that Facebook isn’t going anywhere just yet. Meta still rakes in billions, with WhatsApp, Facebook and Instagram all in the top five most-used social media apps. And while younger audiences might have abandoned ship for TikTok and Snapchat, Facebook remains a powerhouse.
What About Twitter/X?
X currently has over 500 million monthly active users, but that number is dropping daily. According to Emarketer, from when Musk acquired Twitter in 2022, X has lost seven million monthly active users in the U.S alone. In the UK, the data suggests a sharp drop of just over 8% in the last year.
The decline of X’s brand value paints an even bleaker picture. According to a September 2024 report from Brand Finance, X's brand is now worth $673 million, down from $5.7 billion before Musk's takeover in 2022. Revenue has also experienced a sharp decline, falling by 40% when compared to the previous year, based on internal company data from June 2024. No wonder he wanted to try and sue advertisers for pulling their ads from his platform (although that in itself is quite shocking, don’t you think!?). Who’d have thought telling advertisers to go f*ck themselves wouldn’t work, eh?
Final Thoughts
It would be daft to say the world of tech was at any point a beacon of diversity and inclusivity – it’s always been a very male-dominated industry. But it was at least an industry that seemed to champion innovation and, in its own way, progress.
Now, social media’s promise of free speech and a better tech-fuelled world has become warped and remoulded into something more unpalatable, often peddling out conspiracy theories, hate speech and just plain falsehoods with few measures to keep it in check.
And while Elon Musk is the figurehead of these changes, empowered by his relationship with Donald Trump, Zuckerberg appears all too happy to follow in his footsteps.
Masculine energy? More like ego wrapped in entitlement.
What does this mean for you, the marketer?
Well, we suggest you think hard about not only how you advertise but also where. Adido is no longer on Twitter as we didn’t want to give anything more to Musk. We predict the perception of any tech associated with Trump is going to come under scrutiny at some point and given the speed at which things are changing right now, we think you should keep close tabs on all your outposts to ensure you don’t turn off possible clients.
