For years, some of America’s wealthiest tech leaders positioned themselves as global climate champions, pledging billions to fight climate change and promote clean energy. But as President Donald Trump aggressively dismantles environmental protections in his second term, many of those same figures are now staying silent, reported The New York Times.
A decade of climate commitments
Over the past decade, tech billionaires have poured money into climate solutions. Jeff Bezos pledged $10 billion to create the Bezos Earth Fund in 2020, while Michael Bloomberg has invested over $1 billion into efforts to close coal plants and block petrochemical projects. Bill Gates has used his wealth to fund Breakthrough Energy, an organization aiming to accelerate clean technology. Laurene Powell Jobs committed $3.5 billion to climate solutions, and Marc Benioff launched an initiative to plant a trillion trees. Major tech firms like Google, Meta, and Amazon also made bold commitments to reduce emissions and transition to clean energy.
Trump’s climate rollbacks and the silence from tech leaders
On his first day back in office, Trump withdrew the US from the Paris climate accord, halted federal approvals for wind farms, and paused subsidies for electric vehicles. His administration has since moved to expand fossil fuel production, open Alaskan wilderness to drilling, and dismantle Biden-era clean energy incentives.
Despite these dramatic reversals, many of the same tech executives who once publicly condemned Trump’s climate policies have remained silent this time around. The New York Times reports that, aside from Michael Bloomberg, influential figures like Bezos, Gates, Powell Jobs, and Benioff have not spoken out against the administration’s environmental rollbacks.
A shift from Trump’s first term
During Trump’s first presidency, Silicon Valley leaders were vocal in their opposition to his decision to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement. Mark Zuckerberg called it bad for the environment, the economy, and future generations. Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted that the move was wrong for the planet, while Google CEO Sundar Pichai expressed disappointment. Even Elon Musk, who is now working closely with Trump to reduce the federal workforce, stated in 2017 that climate change was real and leaving the Paris Agreement was bad for both the US and the world.
This time, however, many of these same executives have shifted their approach. Zuckerberg, Cook, Pichai, and Bezos attended Trump’s second inauguration. Gates dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago before the inauguration and later told The Wall Street Journal that he was “impressed.” Musk has aligned himself with Trump’s efforts to reshape the federal workforce, marking a stark departure from his previous criticisms of the administration’s environmental policies.
Why are business leaders staying quiet?
The muted response from tech billionaires reflects a broader shift in corporate America, where many businesses are now choosing to engage with Trump rather than challenge him. The New York Times reports that companies like Amazon, Meta, Microsoft, and Google all donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee, signaling a more cautious approach. Aron Cramer, CEO of BSR, an organization that promotes corporate sustainability, noted that business leaders need to decide their “red lines” but suggested that many are choosing to avoid confrontation.
What comes next?
Trump’s rollback of clean energy subsidies and federal incentives is already having a significant economic impact, particularly in Republican-led states where wind, solar, and biofuels projects were set to expand. In Montana, a $782 million biofuels project is now stalled. In Georgia, $1 billion in power grid modernization projects are on hold. In Nevada, multiple large-scale solar projects are stuck in permitting limbo.
With Trump moving quickly to undo Biden’s climate policies, the silence from tech’s biggest climate advocates raises questions about how corporate America will respond as the impact of these policies deepens, The New York Times reports.
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