Today’s business titans have become some of the most controversial figures in U.S. politics. Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg, and others are at the center of growing concerns about the impact of social media and artificial intelligence on the nation. These figures, who only a few years ago were celebrated as pioneers of technological innovation and credited with strengthening the economic position of the United States, are now viewed in a markedly different light. In August, a CNBC and Generation Lab poll found that more younger Americans don’t trust AI leaders than have confidence in them.

These business leaders are promoting technologies that could create national security risks while worsening economic inequality and threatening the jobs of both white-collar and working-class Americans. They are members of an elite class that wields overwhelming political influence through its wealth, embodying the dangers that money poses to a democratic system. They oversee companies whose power is so immense that they render the principle of free enterprise and market competition increasingly fragile. Indeed, as was clear during his second inauguration, many of them have become closely intertwined with the Trump administration, participating in a close alliance between business and government that many Americans have criticized when observed in other countries.

Today’s business titans have become some of the most controversial figures in U.S. politics. Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, Sam Altman, Mark Zuckerberg, and others are at the center of growing concerns about the impact of social media and artificial intelligence on the nation. These figures, who only a few years ago were celebrated as pioneers of technological innovation and credited with strengthening the economic position of the United States, are now viewed in a markedly different light. In August, a CNBC and Generation Lab poll found that more younger Americans don’t trust AI leaders than have confidence in them.

These business leaders are promoting technologies that could create national security risks while worsening economic inequality and threatening the jobs of both white-collar and working-class Americans. They are members of an elite class that wields overwhelming political influence through its wealth, embodying the dangers that money poses to a democratic system. They oversee companies whose power is so immense that they render the principle of free enterprise and market competition increasingly fragile. Indeed, as was clear during his second inauguration, many of them have become closely intertwined with the Trump administration, participating in a close alliance between business and government that many Americans have criticized when observed in other countries.

This is not the first time that Americans have confronted this problem. Throughout the nation’s history, numerous individuals once celebrated as symbols of economic success have come under intense grassroots and media........

© Foreign Policy