TikTok Vows to Fight US Ban After Biden Signed Bill 
US Finalizes Ban List for Chinese Chipmakers; Boosts Mexico Semiconductor Ties 
Toyota Teams with Tencent, Nissan Joins Forces with Baidu in China AI Drive 
Post-Halving Surge: Standard Chartered Predicts Bitcoin to Hit $150K on Reduced Market Leverage 
South Korean President Yoon faces foreign policy challenges after the National Assembly election 
US Commerce Secretary Asserts Huawei Chip Lag, Affirms Export Control Success 
Worldcoin Targets OpenAI Alliance, Faces Scrutiny Amid Regulatory Challenges 
Rishi Sunak wants to cut the cost of ‘sicknote’ Britain 
AI-powered ‘deep medicine’ could transform healthcare in the NHS and reconnect staff with their patients 
Joe Biden Proposes Record 44.6% Capital Gains Tax in Latest Budget Plan That May Favor Cryptocurrencies 
Hertz to Offload 30K EVs This Year, Deepens Cuts Amid Mounting Fleet Losses 
Qualcomm Responds to Snapdragon X Elite Benchmark Cheating Claims 
Tesla Cybertruck Spotted in Sydney Sparks Debate: Potential Australian Release? 
When Peter Thiel announced that he was donating money to the Trump campaign during the President-elect’s run for office, Mark Zuckerberg came to his defense, saying that Thiel was free to have his own political beliefs. At the time, the Facebook Founder was criticized for what many in the tech industry considered was promoting the victory of a dangerous demagogue. However, new details surfaced to suggest that Zuckerberg’s defense of his fellow tech billionaire might be his way to curry favor.
The Guardian recently reported on a particular exchange of text messages between Mark Zuckerberg and billionaire investor Marc Andreessen, indicating his intention to hold public office. Andreessen is one of the shareholders at Facebook that expressed substantial support for Zuckerberg to remain in power should he proceed to become a government official. As a result, there is now a lawsuit filed by a shareholder, basically accusing Andreessen of not representing the common good of the investors.
During the text exchange, both Zuckerberg and Andreessen were discussing how to bring up the proposal for the Facebook CEO to hold public office without losing control of the social network. The discussion was low on specifics, especially with regards to the type of office that Zuckerberg wants to be involved in.
However, it is clear that the tech figure is considering entering the government and that the pair knows how uncomfortable it’s going to make the shareholders. More than that, it also casts a shadow on Zuckerberg’s defense of Thiel, which he tried to frame as a matter of freedom of speech.
As Business Insider reports, Thiel is now the biggest connection that Silicon Valley has with the Trump administration. If Zuckerberg wants a high-level government position, the best way for him to get it is through the tech industry pariah. There’s no evidence that the Facebook CEO is planning on asking Thiel for anything, but there’s no denying the possibility that he might.
