WSJ analyzes Big Tech's 'Report Card on Trump'... Altman, Huang Smile While Cook, Musk Lose Out

Source

Korea Economic Daily

Summary

WSJ reported that NVIDIA and OpenAI—representative AI companies—are expected to benefit from the Trump administration’s deregulation policies.
Meanwhile, Apple and Tesla are expected to see increased uncertainty due to policy changes related to tariffs and subsidies.
Blue Origin is seeking incidental gains in the competitive landscape with SpaceX as its engagement with the Trump administration increases.

WSJ analyzes CEO impacts based on relationship with Trump and trade factors

AI companies like NVIDIA and OpenAI are expected to benefit from deregulation

Tesla and Apple face heightened uncertainty due to tariffs and subsidy issues

With Musk-Trump conflict, Blue Origin seeks to reap incidental gains

With six months remaining before the inauguration of Donald Trump’s second administration, The Wall Street Journal (WSJ) on the 11th (local time) analyzed the 'benefit level from Trump' among major Big Tech CEOs. WSJ comprehensively evaluated factors such as their relationship with President Trump, anti-monopoly, trade, deregulation, and government contracts, and classified CEOs as 'winners', 'losers', and 'neutral'.

Those receiving the 'winner' rating were Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, Jensen Huang, CEO of NVIDIA, and Alex Karp, CEO of Palantir. WSJ said, "NVIDIA is set to emerge as one of the primary beneficiaries of AI chip export policies toward allied nations," and "OpenAI is also expected to benefit from government AI promotion policies including deregulation." In Karp’s case, although there was no direct mention from President Trump, the ongoing use and expansion of government contracts for Palantir’s software weighed positively.

On the other hand, Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, and Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla, received the 'loser' assessment. President Trump has continuously pressured Cook to produce iPhones in the United States, and unlike the previous administration, there is a high likelihood that tariff exemptions for Apple will not be granted.

Regarding CEO Musk, the report mentioned recent conflict with President Trump, saying, "(President Trump) warned that he would terminate government contracts with Tesla and the cancellation of clean energy tax credits could also adversely impact the company."

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta, Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon, and Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, were all viewed as 'neutral'. While both Meta and Google still face antitrust regulations, they are also receiving some benefits from AI deregulation. President Trump, claiming that the government is stifling private innovation, scrapped Biden-era executive orders related to AI immediately after taking office.

In Amazon's case, after considering listing tariff charges on product prices, the plan was withdrawn following a public rebuke from the White House. However, after a heated exchange between President Trump and Musk last month, there have been increasing reports that Blue Origin, the space company founded by Bezos, has been strengthening its engagement with the Trump administration. Citing sources, WSJ previously reported Bezos held more than two phone calls with President Trump just last month. Blue Origin is currently competing with Musk’s SpaceX.

Reporter Dayeon Lim allopen@hankyung.com