Major Tech and Political Developments in 2025
In 2025, significant events shaped the technology landscape and intersected with political turmoil. On May 30, Elon Musk was presented with a golden key by Donald Trump in the Oval Office. In June, Musk stirred controversy by claiming in a post on X that the US president had been named in government files related to Jeffrey Epstein. This revelation caused widespread disruption, affecting tens of thousands of government jobs and sensitive data across agencies including USAID.
Following the collapse of Dogecoin, Musk redirected his focus to SpaceX and Tesla. SpaceX experienced growth and set sights on a 2026 IPO, while Tesla encountered backlash and stiff competition from China amid a global sales slump. The artificial intelligence sector flourished, with the so-called Magnificent Seven tech giants—Apple, Amazon, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Nvidia, and Tesla—investing hundreds of billions into new software. This surge drove US economic growth but also raised concerns about a market bubble. Concurrently, a US-China tech race intensified, with massive datacenter constructions impacting land, water, electricity, and chip supply.
Tech giants adopted policies reflecting the Trump administration's priorities by embracing deregulation, rolling back diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives, and cooperating with ICE. A Trump executive order prohibiting AI regulation was signed weeks prior. Meanwhile, Australia implemented a world-first ban on social media for those under 16, resulting in millions of children and teenagers losing access amid ongoing legal challenges. Additionally, Peter Thiel delivered feverish lectures on the antichrist, which were leaked and published to the public.
