Big Tech executives are racing to secure influence with Donald Trump’s second administration, using it as a fresh opportunity to reset relations with the mercurial president-elect.
Meta and other Silicon Valley firms including Amazon and OpenAI have donated $1 million or more to Mr Trump's inaugural fund (Meta did not donate to Mr Trump's 2017 inauguration or Joe Biden's 2021 inauguration).
And chief executive Mark Zuckerberg was among a number of executives to hold court with Mr Trump at his Mar-a-Lago estate in Florida since the election.
The conciliatory overtures by Silicon Valley show that its executives are hoping to turn over a new leaf with the future president, who once suggested Mr Zuckerberg could “spend the rest of his life in prison” and has previously bashed Amazon chief executive Jeff Bezos.
Mr Bezos has made a number of moves in recent months, blocking the Washington Post's (which he owns) endorsement of Kamala Harris, and rejecting a cartoonist's sketch that showed the Amazon boss bowing down to Mr Trump. Amazon Prime Video also announced it is licensing a documentary film about first lady Melania Trump.
Meta has also been lurching towards a more MAGA-friendly position. The company on Tuesday said it is ditching fact-checking system with “community notes” – similar to the ones on Elon Musk's platform X – in what he said would bring the company “back to our roots around free expression”.
He also said the company would remove topics on topics such as immigration and gender that he said are “just out of touch with mainstream discourse”, and pledged to work with Mr Trump to “push back on governments around the world that are going after American companies and pushing to censor more”.
Meta is also realigning some of its team to be better positioned under the new administration.
The company on Monday named UFC president and Trump ally Dana White, a popular figure among conservative white males, to its board of directors.
Former George W Bush official Joel Kaplan is now Meta's chief global affairs officer, replacing Nick Clegg, formerly the leader of the UK's Liberal Democrats. Mr Kaplan defended the company's decision to move end its fact-checking system, saying that the programme “too often became a tool to censor”.
Republican Kevin Martin was also elevated to vice president of global public policy and Jennifer Newstead, who served in the State Department from 2017-2019, was recently named Meta's general counsel, Semafor reported.
According to CNBC, Microsoft also recently acknowledged that it had donated $1 million to Mr Trump's inauguration fund, although the company also pointed out that it had previously donated $500,000 to Joe Biden's inauguration fund, and $500,000 to Mr Trump's fund after his first White House victory in 2016.
Meanwhile, Apple's Tim Cook also joined other Big Tech executives in donating to Mr Trump's inaugural fund. Mr Cook, once nicknamed “Tim Apple” by Mr Trump, also donated $1 million to the inauguration, Axios reported. The company donated $57,000 to his 2017 fund.
Those reports are the latest in what has been a curious, occasionally contentious but almost always civil relationship between Apple and Mr Trump.
Mr Trump in 2016 threatened to enact tariffs on Apple products for manufacturing devices overseas, only to ask Mr Cook to serve on the administration's American workforce policy advisory board three years later.
Artificial intelligence
Some companies are posturing for a technology far more pervasive today than in 2017: artificial intelligence.
Microsoft is publicly offering suggestions to the incoming Trump White House on how to capitalise what it calls a “golden opportunity for American AI”.
“The country has a unique opportunity to pursue this vision and build on the foundational ideas set for AI policy during President Trump’s first term,” Microsoft vice chair Brad Smith wrote in a lengthy blog post on Friday.
“Achieving this vision will require a partnership that unites leaders from government, the private sector, and the country’s educational and non-profit institutions.”
Then, of course, there are the new technology companies on the block, like OpenAI, which helped put artificial intelligence into mainstream with its ChatGPT tool.
The best indicator for what to expect from Mr Trump's AI policy is likely the Republican Party’s official 2024 platform published back in July. The platform pledged to support AI development “rooted in free speech and human flourishing”, it read in part.
Mr Trump signed an executive order during his first term which sought to “drive technological breakthroughs in AI” while “reducing barriers to the use of AI technologies.”
OpenAI chief Altman said he looks forward to working with Mr Trump on how to harness the new technology, saying the US must lead the tech race against rival China.
“I think it’s very important to the American innovation economy and our position in the world that we allow our small companies to do what they do,” he said during a Fox News segment on Sunday.
“We clearly had regulatory overreach as a country.”
One tech executive who has not yet been invited to Mar-a-Lago is Nvidia chief executive Jensen Huang, although he told Bloomberg Television he would be happy to meet with the president-elect and offered to help the coming administration.
A change of pace
Some say that amid the re-emergence of Donald Trump in the White House, those in the most prominent of technology circles have learned how to navigate based on Mr Trump's first term.
"In the upcoming Trump era, it isn’t enough to have great tech or a strong sales team," said Sam Blatteis, chief executive of The Mena Catalysts, a market entry firm for Web3 multinationals expanding in the Gulf economies.
"Relationships will play an outsized role, and high tech companies must take a crash course in ‘spoken MAGA’. It is a special language — different than how they communicated with the Biden White House," he explained, referring to Mr Trump's inward looking campaign theme, 'Make America great Again'.
Mr Blatteis said that it's not necessarily a surprise that president-elect Trump has become the the "man to see" among US technology executives in the know, but no matter how well they think they know Mr Trump, he warned, they'll probably have to get used to unpredictability being the new normal.
"As Trump appoints an armada of new policymakers to run key tech-related agencies, who is running them, and how much real influence they have, is hard to pin down," he said.
"It’s about quietly having the right conversations ... politics will become more important than traditional commercial business plans in shaping market outcomes," he added.
UAE SQUAD
Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Rameez Shahzad, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zawar Farid, Ghulam Shabber, Ahmed Raza, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Qadeer Ahmed, Chirag Suri , Zahoor Khan
Company name: Farmin
Date started: March 2019
Founder: Dr Ali Al Hammadi
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: AgriTech
Initial investment: None to date
Partners/Incubators: UAE Space Agency/Krypto Labs
Ballon d’Or shortlists
Men
Sadio Mane (Senegal/Liverpool), Sergio Aguero (Aregentina/Manchester City), Frenkie de Jong (Netherlans/Barcelona), Hugo Lloris (France/Tottenham), Dusan Tadic (Serbia/Ajax), Kylian Mbappe (France/PSG), Trent Alexander-Arnold (England/Liverpool), Donny van de Beek (Netherlands/Ajax), Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (Gabon/Arsenal), Marc-Andre ter Stegen (Germany/Barcelona), Cristiano Ronaldo (Portugal/Juventus), Alisson (Brazil/Liverpool), Matthijs de Ligt (Netherlands/Juventus), Karim Benzema (France/Real Madrid), Georginio Wijnaldum (Netherlands/Liverpool), Virgil van Dijk (Netherlands/Liverpool), Bernardo Silva (Portugal/Manchester City), Son Heung-min (South Korea/Tottenham), Robert Lewandowski (Poland/Bayern Munich), Roberto Firmino (Brazil/Liverpool), Lionel Messi (Argentina/Barcelona), Riyad Mahrez (Algeria/Manchester City), Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium/Manchester City), Kalidou Koulibaly (Senegal/Napoli), Antoine Griezmann (France/Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Egypt/Liverpool), Eden Hazard (BEL/Real Madrid), Marquinhos (Brazil/Paris-SG), Raheem Sterling (Eengland/Manchester City), Joao Félix(Portugal/Atletico Madrid)
Women
Sam Kerr (Austria/Chelsea), Ellen White (England/Manchester City), Nilla Fischer (Sweden/Linkopings), Amandine Henry (France/Lyon), Lucy Bronze(England/Lyon), Alex Morgan (USA/Orlando Pride), Vivianne Miedema (Netherlands/Arsenal), Dzsenifer Marozsan (Germany/Lyon), Pernille Harder (Denmark/Wolfsburg), Sarah Bouhaddi (France/Lyon), Megan Rapinoe (USA/Reign FC), Lieke Martens (Netherlands/Barcelona), Sari van Veenendal (Netherlands/Atletico Madrid), Wendie Renard (France/Lyon), Rose Lavelle(USA/Washington Spirit), Marta (Brazil/Orlando Pride), Ada Hegerberg (Norway/Lyon), Kosovare Asllani (Sweden/CD Tacon), Sofia Jakobsson (Sweden/CD Tacon), Tobin Heath (USA/Portland Thorns)
Wenger's Arsenal reign in numbers
1,228 - games at the helm, ahead of Sunday's Premier League fixture against West Ham United.
704 - wins to date as Arsenal manager.
3 - Premier League title wins, the last during an unbeaten Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.
1,549 - goals scored in Premier League matches by Wenger's teams.
10 - major trophies won.
473 - Premier League victories.
7 - FA Cup triumphs, with three of those having come the last four seasons.
151 - Premier League losses.
21 - full seasons in charge.
49 - games unbeaten in the Premier League from May 2003 to October 2004.
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
GAC GS8 Specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 248hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 400Nm at 1,750-4,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 9.1L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh149,900
The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%0D%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E4.0-litre%20twin-turbo%20V8%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E666hp%20at%206%2C000rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E850Nm%20at%202%2C300-4%2C500rpm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E8-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EQ1%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efrom%20Dh1.15%20million%20(estimate)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
David Haye record
Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4
Healthy tips to remember
Here, Dr Mohamed El Abiary, paediatric consultant at Al Zahra Hospital Dubai, shares some advice for parents whose children are fasting during the holy month of Ramadan:
Gradual fasting and golden points - For children under the age of 10, follow a step-by-step approach to fasting and don't push them beyond their limits. Start with a few hours fasting a day and increase it to a half fast and full fast when the child is ready. Every individual's ability varies as per the age and personal readiness. You could introduce a points system that awards the child and offers them encouragement when they make progress with the amount of hours they fast
Why fast? - Explain to your child why they are fasting. By shedding light on the importance of abstaining from food and drink, children may feel more encouraged to give it there all during the observance period. It is also a good opportunity to teach children about controlling urges, doing good for others and instilling healthy food habits
Sleep and suhoor - A child needs adequate sleep every night - at least eight hours. Make sure to set a routine early bedtime so he/she has sufficient time to wake up for suhoor, which is an essential meal at the beginning of the day
Good diet - Nutritious food is crucial to ensuring a healthy Ramadan for children. They must refrain from eating too much junk food as well as canned goods and snacks and drinks high in sugar. Foods that are rich in nutrients, vitamins and proteins, like fruits, fresh meats and vegetables, make for a good balanced diet
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
MATCH INFO
Manchester United 1 (Greenwood 77')
Everton 1 (Lindelof 36' og)
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Zakat definitions
Zakat: an Arabic word meaning ‘to cleanse’ or ‘purification’.
Nisab: the minimum amount that a Muslim must have before being obliged to pay zakat. Traditionally, the nisab threshold was 87.48 grams of gold, or 612.36 grams of silver. The monetary value of the nisab therefore varies by current prices and currencies.
Zakat Al Mal: the ‘cleansing’ of wealth, as one of the five pillars of Islam; a spiritual duty for all Muslims meeting the ‘nisab’ wealth criteria in a lunar year, to pay 2.5 per cent of their wealth in alms to the deserving and needy.
Zakat Al Fitr: a donation to charity given during Ramadan, before Eid Al Fitr, in the form of food. Every adult Muslim who possesses food in excess of the needs of themselves and their family must pay two qadahs (an old measure just over 2 kilograms) of flour, wheat, barley or rice from each person in a household, as a minimum.
MATCH INFO
Sheffield United 3
Fleck 19, Mousset 52, McBurnie 90
Manchester United 3
Williams 72, Greenwood 77, Rashford 79
FFP EXPLAINED
What is Financial Fair Play?
Introduced in 2011 by Uefa, European football’s governing body, it demands that clubs live within their means. Chiefly, spend within their income and not make substantial losses.
What the rules dictate?
The second phase of its implementation limits losses to €30 million (Dh136m) over three seasons. Extra expenditure is permitted for investment in sustainable areas (youth academies, stadium development, etc). Money provided by owners is not viewed as income. Revenue from “related parties” to those owners is assessed by Uefa's “financial control body” to be sure it is a fair value, or in line with market prices.
What are the penalties?
There are a number of punishments, including fines, a loss of prize money or having to reduce squad size for European competition – as happened to PSG in 2014. There is even the threat of a competition ban, which could in theory lead to PSG’s suspension from the Uefa Champions League.
HOSTS
T20 WORLD CUP
2024: US and West Indies; 2026: India and Sri Lanka; 2028: Australia and New Zealand; 2030: England, Ireland and Scotland
ODI WORLD CUP
2027: South Africa, Zimbabwe and Namibia; 2031: India and
Bangladesh
CHAMPIONS TROPHY
2025: Pakistan; 2029: India
Final scores
18 under: Tyrrell Hatton (ENG)
- 14: Jason Scrivener (AUS)
-13: Rory McIlroy (NIR)
-12: Rafa Cabrera Bello (ESP)
-11: David Lipsky (USA), Marc Warren (SCO)
-10: Tommy Fleetwood (ENG), Chris Paisley (ENG), Matt Wallace (ENG), Fabrizio Zanotti (PAR)
