President-elect Donald Trump has chosen Matt Gaetz as Attorney General and Brendan Carr as head of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). These are figures who frequently criticize major technology companies such as Google, Apple, Meta, Amazon, and Microsoft.

Brendan Carr

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President Trump chose Brendan Carr to head the FCC. Photo: Sipa USA

Carr called some of the biggest tech companies “censorship organizations.” Having served on the FCC, he argued that the FCC should take the lead in eliminating Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act, the “shield” that protects internet companies from liability for user-generated content.

As an ally of Elon Musk, Carr recently wrote an op-ed in the Wall Street Journal criticizing the FCC for withdrawing $885 million in funding for the Starlink satellite internet service. It seems Carr will use his newfound power to try to prop up Starlink as well as Kuiper.

Furthermore, he also supported banning TikTok, a policy that Trump himself pursued during his first presidential term. It remains unclear how the new Trump administration will handle TikTok as the deadline for the company to sever ties with its Chinese parent company, ByteDance, approaches.

Matt Gaetz

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President Trump nominated Matt Gaetz to serve as Attorney General. Photo: CQ Roll Call

Former Congressman Matt Gaetz has been a long-time critic of Big Tech. In 2021, shortly after President Trump was banned from social media due to his involvement in the Capitol Hill riots, he argued that tech companies were stifling Americans' free speech.

Gaetz also called for stricter antitrust enforcement, a stance similar to that of current FCC Chair Lina Khan.

While serving as a member of Congress in 2020, he attempted to pass a package of bills that could be considered one of the biggest changes to antitrust in decades.

During a 2023 hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, Gaetz expressed concerns about Google's monopolistic power and encouraged Jonathan Kanter—the Assistant Attorney General for Antitrust—to continue pursuing cases like Google's.

Elon Musk

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Elon Musk has been invited to head the government's Department for Efficiency. Photo: Bloomberg

Elon Musk was targeted by Trump for the Department of Government Effectiveness. Musk is both a tech leader and a prominent critical voice. He often uses his influence on X to attack rivals like Google. For example, he once suggested that Google was involved in election interference and banned search results about Trump.

The billionaire is also at odds with Apple and CEO Tim Cook. Earlier this year, he threatened to ban all Apple devices at his companies after the iPhone maker announced a partnership with OpenAI, the startup he co-founded.

JD Vance

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JD Vance, President Trump's choice for Vice President of the United States. Photo: Moneymaker

JD Vance – Trump's choice for Vice President – ​​has long wanted to disrupt Big Tech. He says his experiences in Silicon Valley have taught him to be wary. He specifically names Facebook and Apple because their businesses rely on keeping users glued to screens full of ads.

He called tech companies "parasites" of the economy . He called for the dissolution of Google and praised FCC Chair Lina Khan. He also campaigned for the repeal of Section 230.

(According to Insider)