The US President-elect and world high tech outlook

It is still the case that the United States of America (US) rules the world as far as technology is concerned. America developed the Internet, and virtually all computer operating systems used all over the world, were either developed in the US or are owned by US companies. So, given the prominence of high technology […]

It is still the case that the United States of America (US) rules the world as far as technology is concerned. America developed the Internet, and virtually all computer operating systems used all over the world, were either developed in the US or are owned by US companies. So, given the prominence of high technology in our daily lives, what happens in the US affects the whole world.
The US presidential election was held last week Tuesday, and Donald Trump, the real estate business mogul, came out on top as the US president-elect; to be sworn in January 2017. Trump was a non-conventional (Republican) candidate – no political experience whatsoever, no respect for the status quo in his party, and he was a straight-shooter tell-it-like-it-is kind of guy, with little or no political correctness. In the primary, he defeated 16 other contestants for the Republican ticket, including Jeb Bush, whose brother George W. Bush and father, George Bush Senior, were both US precedents; too bad for Jeb, there is no royalty in the US.
Trump defeated his Democrat opponent, Mrs. Hilary Clinton. Of course, Clinton is from a well-established political class, who was once a Senator for New York, though they were originally from Arkansas State, and became Secretary of State under President Obama. Her husband, Bill Clinton, was of course a former president of the US. Many people had bet on Mrs. Clinton to be the first woman president of the US. Unfortunately, it never happened – she lost to the Donald. Just like the Brexit movement in the UK, the force behind the election of Trump, in my opinion, was driven more by the need for self-preservation on the part of the majority of rural and white Americans, than by all other factors combined. The motive was just too formidable that no atrocities or negativities attributable to Trump – including accusations of grabbing women’s private parts all over the place – would have mattered. I personally saw his winning coming, especially after objectively rationalizing the Brexit movement. Both in the UK and US, the “natives” badly want their countries back at all costs, as immigrants appear to be taking over at a fast pace!
Trump campaigned to be an effective leader for Americans, not necessarily for the world. He promised to fight for and protect American interests worldwide. Trump wants to bring back American manufacturing and high tech jobs that had been sent to China, Mexico, Brazil, India, and so on. He is excruciatingly anti-immigration, and might as well attempt to build the famous wall around the US that he campaigned so much about. He also feels that the US has been consistently getting a raw deal on most international negotiations, attributing that to the weakness of his predecessor and promising to take charge if elected. Rather than spending to take care of the world, Trump wants to focus on taking care of Americans first. During the campaign, Trump promised to get the US out of all these trade agreements, like NAFTA (North American Free Trade Agreement), or ask to renegotiate them.
On matters of cybersecurity, with Republicans controlling both the House and the Senate, I see Trump being very radical about the need to protect the US – by all means necessary kind of way. I see him getting very tough on countries that have long been suspected, and those actually found guilty beyond reasonable doubt, of hacking US companies and the US government, looking for easy ways to develop their countries’ critical technologies. There is no telling what Trump would do to try to put America back on top again. I predict less diplomacy – less talk and rhetoric – and more actions under President Trump. Decisiveness and pragmatism might begin to rule. So, I do believe that Trump will try hard to make Americans proud of his presidency. Just last week Tuesday, there was a news item in New York Times that a particular emerging global power wants to impose more restrictions on the operations of American companies in their country. It’s not difficult to envision a swift reaction from a Trump presidency.
During the campaign, Silicon Valley – the tech haven of the world – and Hollywood, the home of world’s leading entertainers, was not on Trump’s side, as it saw a very divisive candidate. Will Trump get even when he becomes president? I doubt that there is a fool-proof mechanism for that, if at all he wants to. There are systems in place in the US that allow people to have opinions, no matter how unfavorable they are to anyone, including the president! So, Silicon Valley innovation may not stop because Trump is president. In next week’s article, I’ll tell you what Trump thinks about various tech sectors and companies, so you’ll know emerging US government dispositions that might help shape high tech in the next four years.