Donald Trump, Peter Thiel beckon tech leaders to Trump Tower
One month after his election as president of the United States, we may get a better idea of what to expect from Donald Trump's relationship with tech as he's summoned tech leaders to his gilded tower in Manhattan for a roundtable non Dec. 14.
According to USA Today, the key members of Trump's transition team who extended the invitation included the president-elect's future chief-of-staff Reince Priebus, son-in-law Jared Kushner and sole tech pal, Peter Thiel.
Trump famously claimed he doesn't use a computer, but he does partake (too much) in communicating with his followers via Twitter, where he has bashed big-time tech companies like Apple, Google and Amazon.
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Most notably, Trump criticized Apple when the company refused to hand over a code for accessing locked iPhones to authorities investigating the 2015 San Bernardino terrorist attack.
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And as Trump prepares to take office, concern has been raised as to how he will tackle net neutrality, an issue that Trump has (in)famously opposed, especially when President Obama advocated having the FCC reclassify broadband internet as a utility like water or electricity. (This allows for more stringent regulation of companies that provide internet access.)
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Trump has few allies in Silicon Valley aside from Thiel, who spoke at this summer's Republican National Convention. The PayPal founder has also been serving as a member of Trump's transition team.
You may also remember Thiel as the man who helped fund Hulk Hogan's Gawker-crushing lawsuit, which raised concerns about free speech.
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Some of tech's biggest names including Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, and Satya Nadella have all reached out to Trump in the wake of the election.
Exactly who will be at the summit has yet to be announced. Mashable has reached out to the Trump team for further comment.
Topics Amazon Net Neutrality Donald Trump
Marcus Gilmer is Mashable's Assistant Real-Times News Editor on the West Coast, reporting on breaking news from his location in San Francisco. An Alabama native, Marcus earned his BA from Birmingham-Southern College and his MFA in Communications from the University of New Orleans. Marcus has previously worked for Chicagoist, The A.V. Club, the Chicago Sun-Times and the San Francisco Chronicle.
