POLITICO Tech

Donald Trump officially becomes president today and he’s pledged to save TikTok upon taking office. The app is now technically banned in the U.S., though after much turmoil this weekend, users can still log into their accounts. Trump said he not only wants to delay the ban, but work out a deal that would make the U.S. a partial owner in TikTok. On POLITICO Tech, law professor and former DOJ attorn...

Inauguration festivities get underway in Washington this weekend — and tech executives will be making a splash. They’re hosting lavish balls and intimate receptions, and sitting behind President-elect Donald Trump as he gets sworn into office on Monday. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly and POLITICO White House Bureau Chief Dasha Burns delve into Silicon Valley’s brazen efforts to court the inc...

In his new book, “It Takes Chutzpah,” Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) reflects on his 44-year career in Washington, including a pivotal law he co-authored that gave rise to the modern internet. And as President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House, Wyden says he’s still mustering chutzpah. On POLITICO Tech, Wyden joins host Steven Overly to discuss the incoming administration’s plans for sweeping...

The devastating wildfires burning across Los Angeles have prompted plenty of finger pointing — and artificial intelligence is catching some of the blame. Data centers consume large amounts of water and electricity, and critics have been quick to pounce on the industry’s environmental footprint. Now, California lawmakers are looking for ways to make AI more sustainable. POLITICO’s California tech r...

Just a couple years ago, the crypto industry was a pariah among politicians. Now, it’s poised to have a big year in Washington. And how it got here is no fluke. Industry leaders shelled out massive sums of money to elect crypto-friendly candidates, and the result is a Congress and incoming administration primed to carry out their policy goals. On POLITICO Tech, Coinbase president and chief operati...

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg offered a sharp critique of the fact checkers on his social media platforms last week, saying he will no longer use them because they were too politically biased and undermined public trust. That didn’t sit well with Alexios Mantzarlis at Cornell Tech. Mantzarlis is the former founding director of the International Fact-Checking Network, where years ago he helped set up Me...

TikTok is set to be banned in the U.S. in just nine days. Today, the company will try to convince the Supreme Court to strike the ban down — or at least put it on ice. And President-elect Donald Trump has requested the Supreme Court punt the ban until after he’s taken office and can try to broker some sort of solution. Still, TikTok has some long odds. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly talks wi...

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced major changes this week to how his company will moderate posts on Facebook and Instagram. Meta’s current fact-checking system resulted in political bias and censorship, Zuckerberg said, so the company is moving to a looser model — just as President-elect Donald Trump takes office. Cato Institute scholar and Meta Oversight Board member John Samples joins host Stev...

Tech companies have long struggled to hire enough Americans with technical expertise, and to fill that shortfall, they’ve often hired immigrants with green cards or H-1B visas. Now, Silicon Valley leaders — with Elon Musk at the helm — see an opportunity to recruit even more foreign-born workers. But that doesn’t sit well with the immigration restrictionists in Trump’s camp, which amounts to a pol...

Policymakers around the world are debating how to regulate our use of technology, from addictive algorithms to harmful content. But often missing from the conversation is the control that everyday people wield over how much technology is let into our lives. On POLITICO Tech, host Steven Overly calls up digital minimalism advocate Jose Briones to talk about breaking up with smartphones and social m...

The new year may have just begun, but policy divisions have already emerged — with tech leaders at the center. Elon Musk tanked a bipartisan spending agreement in the House, causing Congress to scramble to avoid a government shutdown. And Trump’s Silicon Valley supporters faced off against his longtime MAGA base over visas for highly skilled immigrants. On POLITICO Tech, Digital Future Daily autho...

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) is already an influential voice on artificial intelligence and cybersecurity on Capitol Hill. And his power will only grow in the new year with Republicans taking control of the Senate. On POLITICO Tech, Rounds tells host Steven Overly how he expects Congress to tackle both issues once President-elect Donald Trump returns to the White House.  Learn more about your ad choi...

Tech companies are laying out their wish lists for President-elect Donald Trump. And the ride-sharing company Lyft has two big asks: nationwide benefits for gig workers and national standards for autonomous vehicles. Lyft CEO David Risher says he’s optimistic about the incoming Trump administration and its deregulation agenda. On POLITICO Tech, Risher tells host Steven Overly why Washington should...

President-elect Donald Trump’s return is making waves in Canada. This week, tensions over how Ottawa should fight a looming trade war with the U.S. prompted Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s deputy to resign. But Canada has been responding to Trump’s tariff threats by making the case that the two countries have intertwined economies, especially in key areas like critical minerals, artificial intelli...

Lately, the guest book at Mar-a-Lago reads like a Silicon Valley roll call — from Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg to Apple CEO Tim Cook — as tech leaders visit President-elect Donald Trump for private dinners and closed-door conversations. Some are also cutting big checks for his inauguration fund. Their goal is clear: win Trump’s favor in hopes his administration will be kind. On POLITICO Tech, Morning...

A far-right candidate was expected to win Romania’s presidential race and then the election was abruptly cancelled — amid concerns that Russia was paying TikTok influencers to boost his campaign. And would you believe it, things only get crazier from there. POLITICO host Steven Overly dives into the latest in Bucharest with Andrei Popoviciu, a Romanian freelance investigative journalist who has be...

President-elect Donald Trump has lashed out at TV broadcasters and tech companies, accusing them of unfair news coverage or censoring conservative speech. And soon, his Federal Communications Commission may try to penalize them. Outgoing FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel, a Democrat, fears the agency’s independence could be in jeopardy. On POLITICO Tech, Rosenworcel joins host Steven Overly to discuss...

While U.S. lawmakers debate kids’ online safety legislation, elected officials in Australia have already taken bold action — banning minors under age 16 from social media altogether. Now, Australian officials will spend the next year figuring out how to implement the law. Among them is eSafety Commissioner Julie Inman Grant, an American and former tech executive who oversees online safety regulati...

Patent lawyers at Google had a question: How many of the company’s big, new ideas were developed using artificial intelligence? The patent world has been grappling for years with whether or not AI can be considered an inventor, and Google needed to know how the technology is being used today. On POLITICO Tech, Google’s head of patent policy, Laura Sheridan, joins host Steven Overly to explain the...

Technology has made it so that we’re always connected. And for many of us, that means the boss can text or email anytime. But several countries are cracking down on after-work communication by enacting so-called “right-to-disconnect" laws. So far, two states in the U.S. have introduced such bills — with more expected to follow. But the Society of Human Resource Management argues the government sho...

It was looking like Congress had few plans to take up tech bills before the end of the year. But in Washington, one weekend and a couple of tweets can make a world of difference. Senators struck a deal to pony up money for key tech and telecom programs. And a major kids online safety bill may have gotten a much-needed boost from Elon Musk and Donald Trump Jr. On POLITICO Tech, health tech reporter...

The government’s plan to potentially ban TikTok next month is still on schedule, at least for now. A federal appeals court ruled on Friday that Congress can legally force its parent company, ByteDance, to either sell the app or be shut down because of concerns about its ties to China. On POLITICO Tech, national security attorney Carrie Cordero from the Center for a New American Security joins host...

Chinese hackers have infiltrated major telecommunications networks, gaining access to the call logs and data of millions of Americans, including President-elect Donald Trump. But while the breach was first detected back in the spring, U.S. officials acknowledged this week that they’ve not yet been able to stop it. On POLITICO Tech, cybersecurity reporter Maggie Miller joins host Steven Overly to e...

Romanians head to the polls for a final round of voting on Sunday and European tech regulators will be watching. The candidate expected to win is a far-right politician named Călin Georgescu, who catapulted himself to the top in part due to his popularity on TikTok. But some regulators and researchers question whether Georgescu has gotten a boost from fake accounts and paid influencers — allegatio...

Silicon Valley investor Marc Andreessen made headlines for backing Donald Trump in the 2024 election, and now stands to gain new levels of influence with Trump’s return to the White House. In a recent interview on “The Joe Rogan Experience,” Andreesen outlined his views on the changing political and media landscape, as well as his outlook for artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency. On POLITICO...