When Tech Giants Bow: Reconsidering My Relationship with US Tech
Feb 17, 2025 ·
While this is a tech focused blog, where I generally keep politics out, I believe that reflecting on how US big tech is changing is, in fact, tech related. So, here are my 5 cents, and my plans for the future.
Other voices
For other takes on this topic, I highly recommend Matt Massicotte’s blog post and Marco Arment’s & David Smith’s podcast Under the Radar - Our Changing Relationship with Apple.
A new normal
With the wide-spread assumption that the 2016 election was a glitch, most US tech companies held their ground, seemingly waiting for a return to normal.
As the 2024 election proved such assumptions wrong, the masks came off as US Big Tech rushed to hail the return of the king. Sponsoring and endorsing, with their necks bent and mouths shut.
While I have much to say about Musk and other US Big Tech actors, most has already been said in longer texts elsewhere. I will instead focus on the one that is the most difficult to handle - Apple.
For me, it’s been especially hard to see Apple, of all companies, play its part in this travesty. Apple has been flawed in recent years, but what they do now - or rather don’t do - is very disturbing.
As Matt Massicotte writes in his blog post, “Apple is supporting a regime that is not just destroying democracy in the United States, but is actively working to do so globally.”
This is no understatement. Apple is supporting a regime that is lashing out against allies, attacking countries like Canada and Denmark while cozying up to Russia. This demands some consequences.
What will I do?
While my work makes it hard to opt-out of US tech altogether, I will vote with my wallet and reduce the amount of time and passion I give to these companies and their platforms.
I have already scaled down my presence on X and will expand this to Meta’s platforms as well. I will cancel all US streaming accounts, but will let my children keep one service at a time.
I don’t want my convictions to affect my children the way US boycotts in Sweden impacted some of my friends in the ’80s. I will share my reasoning with them and let them decide.
Regarding Apple, this is where scaling down is most difficult. I’m deeply invested in their ecosystem, so I have to make pragmatic decisions that still align with my values.
My strategy is therefore to avoid buying anything from Apple that I don’t truly need. No test devices, no unnecessary Vision Pro, and no Apple TV+ or Apple Music. Just the bare minimum.
Like Matt Massicotte, I will also stop using the Feedback Assistant for constructive feedback and will no longer put any personal effort into improving Apple’s ecosystem.
Not going to WWDC would be a hard choice, since it’s a rare opportunity to meet so many amazing developers in the community. I will to give it some serious thought.
I will however continue to build open-source tools, and to do my best to support others. I will keep building fun stuff that I want to use and that might benefit others.
As Marco and David concluded in their podcast - our relationship with Apple are changing, but we can still use their amazing products and technology to have fun and help others.
Conclusion
I will do my best to honor these commitments as long as Apple remains silent and complicit. Only a genuine apology will do - one that truly acknowledges their silence and accepts its consequences.
These are sad times, since I and many Europeans with me have always loved US culture, and have felt a connection with our big brother in the West. But that big brother is becoming a bad person.
I hope that everyone at Apple and everyone in the US tech scene who still believe in tech as a force for good will make your voices heard and help put an end to this travesty. Before it’s too late.
Love.
Discussions & More
If you want to discuss this post, please share your thoughts on Bluesky and Mastodon. Make sure to follow to be notified when new content is published.