"Corporate interests have been linked to American congressmen for decades. There are tons of influential people (e.g. Koch brothers) and (military, prison, pharma, etc.) industrial complexes. Yet, the tech sector's coalition with the current Trump administration truly represents the merging of the corporate world and the state. Something Dean calls parcellating sovereignty. Tech billionaire David Sacks is (and Elon Musk has been) hands-on in the daily operations of the government, supported by a bunch of Silicon Valley specialists in high positions."
"Have a look at the excellent research done by the authoritarian stack! This brings me back to TikTok. Although Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, YouTube, and X are all products of American companies, TikTok is not. Or was not. This thus gives a challenge for the White House. How can they conduct algorithmic governmentality on TikTok if the Chinese own it? They've used other platforms for a decade."
The tech sector and the current administration have formed a coalition that merges corporate power with state functions, a phenomenon termed parcellating sovereignty. Tech billionaires such as David Sacks and Elon Musk have been directly involved in government operations, supported by Silicon Valley specialists in high positions. Peter Thiel and Marc Andreessen wield significant influence over appointments including Vice President JD Vance and departmental specialists. Chinese-owned TikTok poses an algorithmic governmentality challenge because it lies outside American platform control. American platforms have sought to influence debates like Gaza, with Human Rights Watch accusing Meta of silencing pro-Palestine voices and alleging inconsistent YouTube enforcement. Investors including Larry Ellison and Marc Andreessen are moving to acquire TikTok.
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