Prof G Markets Big Tech Is Now Advising the White House — What Could Go Wrong?
89 snips
Mar 31, 2026 
Liz Hoffman, Semafor’s business and finance editor, dives into Trump’s new tech council, AI policy, and the tension between expertise and conflicts. Jon McNeill, DVx Ventures CEO and former Tesla president, explores SpaceX’s blockbuster IPO, retail investor hype, and the future shape of Elon Musk’s empire. It also tracks the rising economic cost of the Iran war.
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Why Trump Filled The Tech Council With Builders
- Liz Hoffman says Trump's tech council replaces academics with builders to narrow the gap between regulators and an industry they barely understand.
- She argues AI policy is unusually hard because lawmakers lack fluency while the companies competing hardest also want direct influence.
The AI Council Tradeoff Between Expertise And Capture
- Ed Elson and Liz Hoffman frame the council's core problem as conflict of interest versus competence in regulating AI.
- Hoffman says the alternative is often uninformed oversight, but warns this council looks lopsided even if industry rivalry could check one-way policy capture.
Why A Tesla SpaceX Merger Could Appeal To Musk
- Jon McNeill says a Tesla-SpaceX combination would fit Elon Musk's bias for simplicity while pulling AI resources closer to Tesla's autonomy and robotics products.
- He also argues it could solve Musk's cap-table frustration by increasing his effective control through larger SpaceX ownership.
