--- title: "Tech CEOs Realizing They Made a Terrible Mistake by Supporting Trump" description: "Tech CEOs are feeling the Trump slump as the president's insane tariffs make it harder than ever for them to make money." date: "2025-04-18" modified: "2025-04-18" authors: - name: "Noor Al-Sibai" job_title: "Senior Staff Writer" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/nooralsibai" url: "https://futurism.com/tech-ceos-trump-mistake" categories: - "Future Society" tags: - "ceos" - "china" - "donald trump" - "tariffs" --- # Tech CEOs Realizing They Made a Terrible Mistake by Supporting Trump ![Tech CEOs are feeling the Trump slump as the president's insane tariffs make it harder than ever for them to make money.]() *\Image: Win McNamee via Getty / Futurism\* Tech CEOs [rallied behind Donald Trump]() in hopes that he would lower regulations and increase profits — and although he's already done the former, the latter now seems like a pipe dream. As [*Vox* reports](), any gains tech companies have gleaned from Trump's deregulation are minuscule in comparison to the economic havoc the president has wreaked with his foolhardy tariffs. As the election ramped up last July, tech venture capitalists Marc Andreessen and Ben Horowitz [insisted in a Substack blog post]() that the only way for the United States to maintain "economic and technological preeminence" over China and its "much darker, more totalitarian" policies would be, essentially, to beat our erstwhile trading partner. Shortly thereafter, the monied pair [revealed on their podcast]() that they were all-in for Trump despite being lifelong Democrats because he was, to their minds, America's last best hope at defeating China and becoming the tech utopia they've always wanted. Though such warmongering sentiments are clearly behind the president's enormous tariffs on Chinese goods, it also undermines the Silicon Valley CEOs who lined up to kiss his ring because, to put it bluntly, almost all the components for American tech [are made in China](). Beyond cutting tech manufacturers off from their Chinese suppliers, the tariffs have also sent shockwaves through the global economy and brought the United States to the brink of a recession. The trickle-down effect from the tariffs has been more like a waterfall, with [tech companies going bankrupt](), [canceling IPOs](), and [losing billions]() in share value. Though Silicon Valley's biggest Trump supporters haven't started publicly trashing dear leader just yet, one need look no further than the never-ending drama between the president and his unelected aide Elon Musk to see just how badly this administration's trade war is messing with Big Tech. Earlier in April, the billionaire [began a fiery spat with Peter Navarro](), the president's trade and manufacturing adviser, calling the Trump surrogate "[dumber than a sack of bricks]()" as they traded barbs over whether or not the tariffs are a good idea. While that drama played out on Musk's social network, the multi-hyphenate business owner allegedly [implored Trump in privat]()e to reconsider the tariffs — a scheme that clearly did not work. With the [stock market rebound]() following the president's announcement of yet another 90-day pause on his reciprocal tariffs — for everyone except China, of course — it's not a huge surprise that the tech CEOs who threw their weight and money behind Trump are not talking smack where other people can hear. Behind closed doors, however, there's unquestionably a lot of hand-wringing and regret going on as these short-sighted Silicon Valley-ers look at [economic forecasts]() for the coming years. **More on tech:** [*Google Is Helping Government Build an AI-Powered Border Surveillance System*]() ## Author At Futurism, I've often been drawn to unpacking the narratives that underlie technological, scientific and medical progress, with a special interest in areas of conflict and ambiguity that end up setting agendas and steering the fates of both elites and the hoi polloi. I'm a committed generalist, but I often find myself returning to work involving NASA and the private space sector, the effects of AI on media and society, and the mechanics of the pharmaceutical industry, with a specific focus on the spread of GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy. Prior to Futurism, I worked for publications ranging from Media Matters and Truthdig to Raw Story and Bustle. I'm also the author of "Myspace Scene Queens," a 2024 title in Instar Books' acclaimed "Remember the Internet" series. My work at Futurism has been cited by outlets including the New Yorker, Slate, Nieman Lab, the Verge, the MIT Technology Review, the Sunday Times, and the Daily Beast. I grew up in North Carolina, attended the University of North Carolina at Asheville, and now live in Brooklyn, New York. In my free time, I'm an avid reader and music fan; you can probably find me at a local poetry reading, concert, underground rave, or DJ set. I'm the proud parent of an ineffable orange cat named Mee-Mow. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()