By Guardian staff reporter
Publication Date: 2025-12-16 12:56:00
Hello and welcome to TechScape. I’m Blake Montgomery, writing to you under a few inches of snow in New York City. This week in tech: an analysis of the trade-off of Donald Trump’s executive order on AI; OpenAI goes on the defensive; and data centers are trying to launch into orbit.
The tech industry got what it paid Trump for
Donald Trump’s executive order, which bans states from passing laws regulating AI and threatens punitive measures such as withholding federal broadband funding, is a win for tech industry leaders and lobbyists who have vehemently opposed AI regulation. It’s also a sign that Trump’s acceptance by the tech industry, which included CEOs who gave him gifts, attended dinners at Mar-a-Lago and donated to the construction of a new White House ballroom, may be paying off.
While technology leaders like OpenAI’s Sam Altman previously spoke about the existential dangers of AI, the industry has shifted its messaging over time…
