Tech Leaders Rally in Support of Trump Following Assassination Attempt

Tech leaders offer support, well wishes for Trump following shock assassination attempt

Join our daily and weekly newsletters for the latest updates and exclusive content on industry-leading AI coverage. Learn More In case you didn't catch the news yesterday, former U.S. president and current 2024 Republican presidential frontrunner Donald J. Trump was shot in the right ear by a would-be assassin during an attempt on his life at a campaign rally in Butler, Pennsylvania, yesterday, near Pittsburgh. Trump was reportedly treated for non life-threatening injuries and released from a hospital shortly afterwards. The attack resulted in the death of the would-be assassin and at least one other individual. The shocking news has galvanized leaders from some of the largest and most notable tech companies in the country to showing support and well wishes for Trump on his recovery, even from former critics of his and targets of his ire. For instance, billionaire owner/leader of six tech companies Elon Musk, who Trump previously derided on his own social network Truth Social for Musk's "many subsidized projects, whether it's electric cars that don't drive long enough, driverless cars that crash, or rocketships to nowhere, without which subsidies he'd be worthless," posted a full endorsement of Trump's 2024 re-election bid on X. Meanwhile, onetime critic and Amazon founder/ex CEO Jeff Bezos, who in 2015 said he wanted to "reserve [Trump] a seat" on a rocket from his private spaceflight company Blue Origin and posted the hashtag "#SendDonaldtoSpace" back then, yesterday posted on X that he thought Trump "showed tremendous grace and courage under literal fire tonight...so thankful for his safety." Google CEO Sundar Pichai similarly posted on X that he wished "President Trump a speedy recovery." Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella took to X to decry "any type of violence in our society" while "sending my best wishes to President Trump for a speedy recovery." OpenAI CEO Sam Altman posted a shorter message on X exclaiming "very glad President Trump is safe!" in his typical lower case sentence starting structure. The outpouring of support and condolences from tech leaders for the former president and current Republican candidate is notable at a time of intense polarization in the country, indicating an effort to foster unity and common decency. Yet some Trump critics will no doubt view the sentiments unfavorably as a boost for him -- especially Musk's full-throated endorsement. How the tech industry navigates the upcoming 2024 U.S. general election in November remains an ongoing challenge in the face of apparent disinformation and influence campaigns by AI-driven bots, imagery, and other factors.

Apple, Google, Microsoft and other tech CEOs outraged over shooting; pray for Donald Trump's recovery: What Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, and others said - Times of India

An assassination attempt on former US President Donald Trump during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania on Sunday has drawn swift condemnation from leaders of major technology companies. The incident, which left Trump with a minor injury and resulted in multiple casualties, prompted immediate responses from the CEOs of Apple, Google, Microsoft, and Meta. Tim Cook, Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, and others took to social media platforms to denounce the act of political violence and express their support for Trump's recovery. "I pray for President Trump's rapid recovery. My thoughts are with him, the other victims and the Trump family. I strongly condemn this violence," wrote Apple CEO Tim Cook on X. Similar sentiments were echoed by Sundar Pichai of Google, Satya Nadella of Microsoft, and Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, all emphasising the intolerable nature of political violence. "I'm wishing President Trump a speedy recovery,"wrote Pichai in his tweet. "I'm shocked by today's shooting and loss of life. Political violence is intolerable and we must all come together to strongly oppose it." Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella condemned the act, stating, "There is simply no place for any type of violence in our society. Sending my best wishes to President Trump for a speedy recovery and to all those impacted by today's horrific event." Mark Zuckerberg, Meta Founder and CEO, echoed this sentiment on the Threads social media platform: "This is such a sad day for our country. Political violence undermines democracy and must always be condemned." OpenAI CEO Sam Altman expressed relief, simply stating, "Very glad President Trump is safe." Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff offered a more detailed response, "A full and speedy recovery to President Trump. May his body be healed, his mind be soothed, and his soul be comforted. May he be blessed with strength and courage, and return to health soon. There is no room in our country for political violence." Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky added his voice to the chorus, saying, "I'm horrified by the political violence on the former President. I'm thankful President Trump wasn't seriously injured. My thoughts are with him and his family." Jeff Bezos, Amazon founder, praised Trump's composure during the incident, "Our former President showed tremendous grace and courage under literal fire tonight. So thankful for his safety and so sad for the victims and their families." The TOI Tech Desk is a dedicated team of journalists committed to delivering the latest and most relevant news from the world of technology to readers of The Times of India. TOI Tech Desk's news coverage spans a wide spectrum across gadget launches, gadget reviews, trends, in-depth analysis, exclusive reports and breaking stories that impact technology and the digital universe. Be it how-tos or the latest happenings in AI, cybersecurity, personal gadgets, platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and more; TOI Tech Desk brings the news with accuracy and authenticity.

ChatGPT maker OpenAI CEO: Thinking a lot about what a difference an inch can make to history ... - Times of India

Sam Altman, CEO of ChatGPT-maker OpenAI, took to social media on Sunday to share his thoughts on the recent assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump, emphasising the impact that small margins can have on the course of history. "Thinking a lot about what a difference an inch can make to history," Altman wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.His comments came in the wake of the failed attempt on Trump's life during a campaign rally in Pennsylvania. Altman took it to the X to call for national unity and a reduction in political tensions. "Hoping this can be a moment where we stare into the abyss and be grateful that there but for the grace of god went we, and collectively decide to turn down the rhetoric and find slightly more unity," he stated. Earlier in the day, Altman had expressed relief that Trump was safe, writing, "very glad President Trump is safe!" The OpenAI executive praised the Democratic Party's response to the incident, noting, "I am happy to see most Democrats having the grace to step up and lead on this point, and resisting the urge to both-sides it." Other tech leaders also expressed their concern and called for unity. Apple CEO Tim Cook wrote, "I pray for President Trump's rapid recovery. My thoughts are with him, the other victims and the Trump family. I strongly condemn this violence." Google CEO Sundar Pichai echoed this sentiment, stating, "I'm wishing President Trump a speedy recovery. I'm shocked by today's shooting and loss of life. Political violence is intolerable and we must all come together to strongly oppose it." Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella emphasised, "There is simply no place for any type of violence in our society," while Meta's Mark Zuckerberg called it "a sad day for our country." Amazon founder Jeff Bezos praised Trump's composure, saying, "Our former President showed tremendous grace and courage under literal fire tonight." The assassination attempt left Trump with a minor injury to his ear, while one rallygoer was killed and two others were critically injured. The shooter, identified as 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks, was shot at the scene. The TOI Tech Desk is a dedicated team of journalists committed to delivering the latest and most relevant news from the world of technology to readers of The Times of India. TOI Tech Desk's news coverage spans a wide spectrum across gadget launches, gadget reviews, trends, in-depth analysis, exclusive reports and breaking stories that impact technology and the digital universe. Be it how-tos or the latest happenings in AI, cybersecurity, personal gadgets, platforms like WhatsApp, Instagram, Facebook and more; TOI Tech Desk brings the news with accuracy and authenticity.

Sam Altman calls for a show of unity after Donald Trump's shooting as Americans 'stare into the abyss'

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, urged Americans to collectively step back from the edge after an attempted assassination of Donald Trump enflamed temperatures across the nation. The United States is facing its deepest political crisis in over three years, after a bullet fired from a would-be assassin's AR-15 rifle grazed Trump's head, leaving him bleeding from the ear but otherwise not injured. One man was killed and two wounded before Secret Service sharpshooters took out the shooter. "Hoping this can be a moment where we stare into the abyss and be grateful that there but for the grace of god went we, and collectively decide to turn down the rhetoric and find slightly more unity," wrote Altman, whose ChatGPT helped launch the AI revolution. His sentiment was echoed by Trump's wife, Melania, who warned the "fabric of our gentle nation is tattered", before going on to praise those reaching out across the political divide. "Let us remember that when the time comes to look beyond the left and the right, beyond the red and the blue, we all come from families with the passion to fight for a better life together," the former First Lady wrote on Sunday. The attempt on Trump's life follows a divisive Supreme Court decision earlier this month granting sitting Presidents blanket immunity. Lawyers for the former president, seeking to free him of any guilt associated with the events on January 6th three years ago, successfully argued the country's head of state can break the law provided it can be deemed an official act. This led to comments, including from a BBC journalist, that Biden was now free to have his opponent assassinated under the arguments of Trump's own legal team. Much like David Aaronovitch of the BBC, LinkedIn co-founder Reid Hoffman was also forced to clarify his prior comments wishing that the former president was an "actual martyr." Meanwhile, some on the left have been outright blunt in expressing their genuine frustration that 20-year-old Thomas Matthew Crooks failed. An aide to Democratic congressman Bennie Thompson of Mississippi was sacked for recommending other would-be killers first take shooting lessons so they wouldn't miss. Trump has long availed himself of similar violent rhetoric, pledging to root out American opponents he branded "vermin". But with pollsters saying the election is now Trump's to lose, he's expected to take a more presidential tone when he formally accepts the nomination on behalf of the party this week. With the ideological fronts gradually hardening over the past two decades, politicians are seeing the number of impressionable swing voters declining. As a result, emphasis has shifted to ensuring your base is more motivated to head to the polls than that of your opponent. Against this backdrop, inflammatory rhetoric serves a key purpose, according to election strategist and former aide to President Obama Julius van de Laar: getting out the vote. "There's a basic principle in political communication observed in particular from the more recent campaigns, which says there's no mobilization without polarization," van de Laar told German broadcaster ARD on Sunday. "This however leads to the open rifts [in society] widening further." Following the attempt on Trump's life, President Biden called for temperatures to cool. His campaign has already shelved a series of attack ads that were expected to run during this week's Republican convention. "I am happy to see most democrats having the grace to step up and lead on this point and resisting the urge to both-sides it." said Open AI's Altman.