In his last public address in the Oval Office, US President Joe Biden warned the country about the dangers posed by misinformation and power-hungry tech leaders.
“In America today, an oligarchy of extreme wealth, power, and influence is taking shape. “This situation threatens our democracy, our fundamental rights and freedoms, and everyone’s chance for fair advancement.”
In his farewell speech on Wednesday, Biden recalled former US President Dwight Eisenhower’s warnings about a “dangerous rise to power by the military-industrial complex.”
“Six decades later, I am equally concerned about the possible rise of a technology-industrial complex that could pose real dangers to our country,” he said. Although Biden praised U.S. technology leadership for its innovation and power to transform lives, he expressed concern about “a dangerous concentration of power in the hands of a very few ultra-rich individuals.” He warned that abuse of this power could have “alarming consequences” if left unchecked.
Did Joe Biden refer to Elon Musk?
Although Biden did not name anyone, it is considered that his “oligarchy” comment referred to Elon Musk. Musk had assumed an unofficial leadership position in the new administration by making a personal donation of $250 million to Donald Trump’s election campaign.
In addition to Musk, Mark Zuckerberg may also have been targeted in Biden’s concerns about the rise of misinformation and conspiracy theories on social media platforms. Last week, Zuckerberg announced that Meta would end its third-party verification program in the US on Facebook, Instagram and Threads platforms and remove some restrictions on controversial topics.
“Americans are being overwhelmed by a flood of misinformation and disinformation. “This allows abuse of power,” Biden said, noting that the media is gradually weakening: “The independent press is collapsing. Editors disappear. Social media platforms are abandoning fact checking. The truth is being drowned out by lies told for power and profit.”
On Monday, technology giants such as Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai and Mark Zuckerberg are expected to attend Trump’s inauguration ceremony. It was reported that these names will sit at the ceremony as guests of honor alongside former presidents and their family members. It is also stated that these CEOs donated $1 million per person to Trump’s inauguration fund through their companies or personal donations.