For the first time in its history, WIRED is dedicating an issue to politics, citing concerns about the tech industry's alignment with President Trump. Katie Drummond, the magazine's global editorial director, explains what this shift means for Silicon Valley and for readers.

Washington

Wired Magazine's global editorial director, Katie Drummond, addressed the increasing entanglement of the technology sector with US politics, particularly under the Trump administration. Drummond noted that meetings between tech CEOs and political leaders have become more public, with tech executives openly supporting pro-business policies and benefiting from a regulatory environment that favors innovation and growth.

She explained that the tech industry, once frustrated by stricter regulations during the Biden administration, now sees new opportunities for expansion under Trump, especially with relaxed approaches to issues like artificial intelligence. Drummond cautioned that while the current environment is advantageous for tech companies, the long-term consequences remain uncertain, emphasizing the need for regulatory oversight to ensure that public interests are protected.

WIRED global editorial director on tech's growing political power

The worlds of technology and politics have always overlapped, but a lot of the negotiations, the meetings, tended to happen behind the scenes. Not anymore. Since the beginning of the Trump second term, the meetings have been happening right there for everyone to see. You get images of the president chatting with some of the most recognizable tech CEOs. They are commonplace. You saw him sitting front row. The now cabinet member is there next to him at the inauguration, attending international meetings. You saw that as well recently. Gathering around a table for dinner at the White House, sharing more than just compliments to the chef on the menu with the president. Thank you for incredible leadership, including getting this group together. It's incredible to be among everyone here, particularly you and the first lady. We look forward to working together, and thanks for your leadership. And you and your policies are really helping a lot, so thank you very much. Thank you for being such a pro-business, pro-innovation president. It's a very refreshing change. We're very excited to see what you're doing to make all of our companies and our entire country so successful, the investment that's happening. Kids call it cringe. I don't know what's happening in that video, and because I'm not the only one, Wired Magazine has done all of us a great service by putting a politics issue together. Tech got what it wanted, now what, is the cover line. And we're happy to say that Wired's editor-in-chief joins us now, Katie Drummond, global editorial director. Sorry, I demoted you, to talk about this. The lead story, in addition to your letter, the lead story from Steven Levy, veteran tech journalist. It says, tech got what it wanted by electing Trump. A year later, it looks more like a suicide pack. Yikes. Yikes is right. Well, you know, Steven is pointing out what all of us at Wired have been observing for the last several months, which is, these executives, these CEOs, in plain sight, very openly, essentially capitulating to the Trump administration in whatever way the president seems to be interested in seeing that day. So why did you decide this was big enough to shift your focus from just tech to also having this politics issue? You know, it became very clear, even before the 2024 election, but certainly when Elon Musk jumped into the fray in summer of 2024, and then right up to today, that it is impossible to separate technology from politics anymore. I mean, we're seeing it just this week with the announcement about the TikTok deal, right? There is no world in which we can pull apart technology and innovation and the technology industry, now arguably the most powerful industry on the planet, let alone in this country, from politics and political leaders and lobbying dollars and so forth. So it felt to us like not only an opportunity for coverage, but a mandate, an obligation. We didn't feel like we had a choice. How has the relationship between Silicon Valley changed from the Biden years to now? Well, you know, a lot of people in Silicon Valley and a lot of technology leaders were very frustrated by the Biden administration. They felt like the regulatory environment was too prescriptive, was much too severe, that innovation was being stifled. With Trump and the Trump administration, it's very clear that they see an opportunity to get exactly what they want, right? We saw that over the summer with the Trump administration's AI action plan, which essentially said, we're not gonna really talk about regulation here, wide open lane, go for it guys. And that is exactly what the AI industry wants, right? So they see in Trump the opportunity to build their businesses, right? To take these behemoths to the next level. And that's what they want. I mean, you guys cover tech. How does this affect the health of the tech industry? Well, in the short term, right, they are winning, right? They are seeing in the Trump administration, an ally, a friend, and an opportunity to, for example, build data centers all over the country, right? They are seeing an opportunity for growth and for investment. In the long term, I think it remains to be seen whether this moment in time can continue indefinitely. I have to say, and as Steven pointed out in his piece, he described it as a suicide pact. We at Wired are less confident that this is a viable long-term strategy. And what does this mean then for all of us that use technology? Well, I think the TikTok deal is a great example. I think it's really important for everyone out there to remember whenever they open one of these apps, whenever they use one of these devices, remember who is controlling them in the background, right? It is billionaires and it is a political administration. These are people who, with all due respect, don't necessarily have the best interests of the American people at heart. What they are interested in is shareholder gain, right? What they are interested in is a return on investment. That is what they are driving towards. They are not necessarily thinking about what's actually in the best interest of this country. There's no return on investment if the country spins out of political stability and control, right? If things get really dark. I know there are some people who root for the business community to be a source of stability while politics is crazy. Do you think the tech leaders can be that source of stability or is that gone? I think with every dinner that they have with the president, with every tuxedo that they put on and every palace they walk into and sit down in, I think we are losing that opportunity with every passing minute. I think that they are making their bed and now they're gonna sleep in it and we're all gonna be along for the ride, unfortunately. Where do we go from here? I mean, it is so ingrained, right? Like the two are so linked right now. How is there another road when we're still, just at the beginning of this administration and the tech industry has clearly decided that this is how to work with the administration? Sure, I mean, in the short term, I'm talking about sort of at least the next three and a half years. This is what we're in for. I think it is very unlikely that we sort of see Tim Cook or Sam Altman or Jensen Huang reverse course, right? I think what we can ultimately look towards and hope for is a regulatory environment that allows the tech industry to grow and to innovate responsibly. Again, with someone, ideally, lawmakers and regulators keeping an eye out for the best interests of the American people and not allowing the tech industry to sort of grow in this manner that is frankly out of control, right? There needs to be some check on that. And not let them police themselves. Exactly. Yes, Katie Drummond, thank you so much. That was today's- Thank you. By the way, Wired's inaugural politics issue is on shelves right now and you can read more of their coverage at wired.com. Come for the words and ideas. Stay for the photo illustrations. They are eye-catching.

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