Trump and Musk War of Words: How Will the Tech Community React?

The discord between Elon Musk and Donald Trump is not simply a war of words, but it is a rare confrontation between two of the most influential figures in America.

Amid a wave of controversy surrounding the Republican spending bill that Musk criticized, tensions exploded on June 5 with a series of harsh statements from both sides.

Musk publicly mocked Trump's connection to convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, even calling for the former president's impeachment.

In response, Trump threatened to cancel lucrative federal contracts that have benefited Musk’s tech empire, including SpaceX and Tesla. A confrontation filled with politics, interests and egos between two powerful “kings”.

Public "backstabbing" between two giants

“Elon Musk and I had a great relationship. Now I’m not so sure,” Trump said from the Oval Office, before suggesting that Musk criticized the tax bill simply because it was bad for Tesla.

Musk did not let it go. On his own platform, X, the billionaire fired back that Trump was distorting the truth and claimed that the Republican candidate would have lost the election without his support.

Clearly, this is no longer a personal conflict but a noisy breakup between two forces that have great influence on American politics and technology.

According to the leading US political news site Politico, the White House hastily scheduled a call with Musk to calm the situation. Musk, although leaving open the possibility of “making peace for America”, continued to attack Trump with his strongest weapon, the $420 billion social network and a series of endless sarcastic posts.

On the afternoon of June 5, Musk launched a poll on X, asking whether it was time to form a new political party “that represents the middle 80% of Americans.” Preliminary results showed that more than 80% of the nearly 2 million respondents said “yes.”

For Trump's part, he could respond by cutting government contracts for Tesla and SpaceX, or even re-opening the issue of Musk's immigration status, something right-wing stalwarts like politician Stephen Bannon have long hoped for.

But the question is, who will be on whose side? When two influential figures confront each other, the entire technology world will be caught up in the battle and the “technology billionaires” will not be able to stand aside any longer.

Question Marks for David Sacks and Mark Zuckerberg

In theory, David Sacks – a senior advisor on AI and cryptocurrency at the White House – could be the first to be forced out, given his well-documented long-standing close relationship with Elon Musk. But the reality could be different.

Not only has Sacks not backed down, he has also publicly defended Trump's tax bill, which Musk is vehemently opposing. At the same time, Sacks is also a key figure in the cryptocurrency sector, an industry that is favored by the Trump administration.

Unlike Meta or Google, favorite targets of conservatives led by Stephen Bannon, blockchain companies are still operating quite well, so giving up their current positions is not a reasonable option for Sacks.

Meanwhile, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, whom many Americans dislike even more than Musk, is in a dilemma. Immediately after Trump’s re-election, Zuckerberg quickly shifted to the right, loosening censorship policies and implementing features that mimic the X platform. But what does that relationship really bring?

On the foreign front, the Trump administration is pushing back against EU efforts to tighten regulation of Big Tech, which would benefit Meta. But domestically, the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) is still pursuing an antitrust case against Zuckerberg’s company. The trial is over, and the verdict could have a major impact on Meta’s future.

So, despite not being clearly favored by Trump, Zuckerberg has little choice but to remain neutral or continue to move closer to the White House. As evidenced by the first-quarter financial report meeting, he publicly praised the Trump administration for “prioritizing winning for the American technology industry and protecting national values ​​and interests on the international stage.”

Sam Altman – Trump's new "tech friend"

If Elon Musk falls out of favor with the White House, Sam Altman, co-founder and CEO of OpenAI, could be next in line to fill the tech power vacuum. And if tensions between Musk and Trump continue to escalate, Altman is the one who stands to benefit the most.

Altman is planning to build a global network of AI data centers and joined Trump earlier this year to announce the Stargate project – a major move that has been strongly supported by the White House. That backing certainly doesn’t sit well with Musk, who runs rival xAI.

Last February, shortly after Stargate was introduced, the New York Times pointed out that Musk had invested hundreds of millions of dollars to support Trump in the hope of having a leading voice in US AI policy.

But while Musk was busy "arguing", Altman quietly approached the new administration, avoiding any direct conflict and skillfully maintaining influence.

After his shock ousting from OpenAI in late 2023 and his return to power just days later, Altman has shown he knows how to “play the game.” If you need a new Trump-friendly face in tech, you’d be hard-pressed to find someone better than Sam Altman.

Jeff Bezos – the outsider who clearly benefits

In the context of Musk and Trump's public "war of words", Jeff Bezos - the boss of e-commerce corporation Amazon - may be the biggest beneficiary of this earthquake in the technology world.

Although he has never been close to Trump and was even a frequent target of the former president’s attacks while in office, Bezos has maintained a “keep quiet and move forward” strategy. But if Musk loses his advantage with the government, Bezos could very well step up, especially in the space race.

Blue Origin, the aerospace company founded by Bezos, has long been a direct competitor to SpaceX for federal contracts and NASA-funded space missions.

Meanwhile, Kuiper – Amazon's satellite internet project – is being accelerated to catch up and possibly overtake Musk's Starlink, especially in developing and remote areas.

Not being caught up in the political whirlpool, Bezos has the advantage of “clean hands,” and that could become a strategic advantage if the Trump administration needs a less controversial but still capable technology partner to replace Musk.

In the world of technology and American politics, the loudest people don't always win big. And Jeff Bezos seems to understand that better than anyone.