politics
Big Tech basically took Trump’s unpredictable trade war lying down
From Apple gifting a gold statue to the US taking a stake in Intel.
TL;DR
- The tech industry is struggling to anticipate the unpredictable nature of Donald Trump's trade war, which has continued through its first year with no clear end in sight for 2026.
- Companies like Apple and Intel have been directly targeted or pressured by Trump's trade policies, leading to significant investments and controversial deals.
- Chipmakers Nvidia and AMD have agreed to give portions of their revenue to the US from sales of advanced computer chips to China, a move experts find confusing.
- A Supreme Court case could determine whether the International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) grants the US president unilateral authority to impose tariffs, potentially costing the US up to $1 trillion in refunds if businesses prevail.
- Future concerns include 'tariff stacking' on semiconductors and related products, which could lead to quadruple taxation and threaten US tech competitiveness.
- Despite the disruption, many large tech companies have remained relatively quiet, possibly due to fear of impacting government contracts, while smaller businesses have been more vocal in opposing the tariffs.