The Munk School of Global Affairs hosted Margaret O'Mara in Toronto on March 18, 2025. Her presentation was entitled U.S. Politics and Big Tech Power.
From a historical perspective, O'Mara examined the prominent role of U.S. tech leaders and companies in this second Trump era. She traced the evolution of the decades-long relationship between Silicon Valley and Washington, D.C., and the political and economic transformations this relationship has wrought.
How did the U.S. tech sector and its leaders become so extraordinarily wealthy, market-dominant, and politically consequential in the U.S. and worldwide?
Professor O'Mara indicated that Silicon Valley was built on the back of the U.S. government yet has always maintained a paradoxical relationship--criticizing government intervention, except when it suits them.
The Internet was a Pentagon invention as early as the 1940s and 1950s. Two years ago, the Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) bailout was another reminder of the government’s role in keeping the ecosystem afloat. Steve Jobs lobbied Congress for two weeks to get Macs into schools. And today, tech leaders are writing $1M+ checks to presidential inauguration committees to secure influence.
For an industry that often champions the idea of small government, Big Tech has a remarkably selective memory regarding its history. What will happen next as we navigate this next chapter of Big Tech’s political power?
Personal Commentary: It was a fascinating revelation about the connections between the U.S. government and the creators of the high-tech industry in today's world.
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