Trump 2.0 and the Allegiance of Tech Leaders | Amanpour and Company

 

 AI OVERVIEW

The phrase "All Hail the Technocracy" is the cover title of a special issue of

WIRED magazine published in late September 2025. The phrase uses a satirical, ironic tone to critique the tech industry's relationship with the Trump administration. It has also become a topic of discussion on related news and video platforms. 

Context of the WIRED article

• The article focuses on the tech industry's alleged capitulation to or "embrace" of the Trump administration.
• It explores how the industry's alignment with a political figure it once seemed to transcend raises questions about its ideological shift toward "profit at all costs".
• The phrase "All Hail the Technocracy" is meant to be provocative, suggesting a form of governance where unelected technical experts hold power, a concept that critics fear would lead to an authoritarian state. 

Historical and modern interpretations of technocracy

Beyond the WIRED cover, the term "technocracy" has a longer history and several modern interpretations. 

 

Early 20th-century movement

• During the Great Depression, a social movement led by engineers like Howard Scott briefly gained traction in the U.S. and Canada.
• This movement proposed that economic problems were too complex for politicians and should be managed by technical experts. It advocated replacing the "price system" with a system based on energy metrics.
• The movement eventually faded but continued to exist in smaller organizations. 

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Modern political context

• In a broader sense, a technocracy is any system where decisions are primarily made by individuals with specialized knowledge and data-based evidence, rather than by elected officials.
• Today, the term is often used critically to describe governments that appoint unelected experts to lead key departments, a practice seen in countries like Singapore and, at times, in European nations facing economic crises.
• In the current political climate, some argue that the rise of AI and big data, combined with a decline in mainstream political engagement, is renewing discussions about the role of technocracy in society. 

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The phrase as a contemporary criticism
The use of "All Hail the Technocracy" functions as a modern-day critique, combining the concept of expert rule with an implied authoritarian salute ("All Hail"). It reflects concerns about the growing influence of tech companies and their leaders over government and society, potentially at the expense of democratic accountability