‘I’m Here to Help,’ U.S. President-Elect Tells Tech Executives | Hacker News Reader

‘I’m Here to Help,’ U.S. President-Elect Tells Tech Executives

nytimes.com

15 pointsrandomname213 comments

Given that Trump's economic theory is essentially based on repatriated profits being reinvested into the US, he presumably wants to talk with the companies that have those offshore piles of cash, not so much with Tech executives. This seems to me to also be the more plausible reason that Twitter wasn't invited.

Amazon $9 billion offshore Apple $230 billion held offshore Oracle $52 billion Microsoft $93 billion offshore cash Google $73 billion Intel $31 billion Cisco $41 billion offshore IBM $44 billion ...

The theory (that GS is pushing) is that this cash will be used for large scale share repurchases, and I assume that given Trump's appointments he agrees. 2017 should be a year where the effects of 2016 reinforced: narrower and narrower stock market gains, limited to huge companies.

I think there is a good chance of exactly this - cash repatriation in exchange for lower taxation on it, then using that tax revenue for partly funding the infrastructure projects that he's promised to create jobs.

But share repurchases is a lame way to spend the money - though I'm sure the people who get to choose will favour it because it boosts their compensation directly. Trump should ask for (at least some of it) to be used on more productive things like R&D, hiring, and VC deals on long term investments that are currently underfunded.

It's amazing how quickly Silicon Valley Valley falls into line. Before the election, there was a lot of tough talk about fighting against Trump. Now it's all about working with him.

It's the name of the game - and it always has been.

Being in that meeting is not "falling into line". Everyone in that room knows who Trump is. There's no better way to know what needs to be done to fight him than to be on his good side.

"Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer"

Time will tell who's schmoozing and who isn't.

I don't think an individual could afford to miss it.

That's the host exerting power.

On a personal level, it's an ego boost. "Then there was that time I advised the President of the United States" is a pretty good anecdote. Good enough to tip the scales away from making a statement for political or business reasons.

> there was a lot of tough talk about fighting against Trump. Now it's all about working with him.

The tough talk was about fighting against his policy decisions, not against scheduling a meeting.

This was nothing but a ring-kissing ceremony only to boost Trump’s own ego. The entire Trump campaign has been a sophomoric revenge fantasy exacted against the (actual) elites who have excluded him his entire life. Trump is not interested in solving problems—that’s hard work without clear benefit to himself. This meeting was a public airing of the fact that he “won” and now those with real economic or social power need to kowtow to him. Having his children there only reinforces this. It would have been refreshing for someone—anyone—to object to Don, Eric, and Ivanka being present.

Saying, "I'm here to help you folks do well" to the CEO's of American companies, is a lot like telling people you're smart. If you're really smart, if you're really here to help, you don't have to tell anyone, your actions will speak for you. This applies especially if you're the President Elect, it's kind of a given that you should probably try to help American companies; or maybe that's just me.

But hey, I guess it's better than saying, "I'm here to make you guys do poorly." And as everything Trump says, the proof will be in the pudding.

Oh, and once again, Ivanka is in the room. So it really does seem as if we'll have our first woman president (or co-president) after all.

"I'm from the government, and I'm Here to Help"

Clearly Reagan's quote was a warning to us about a future GOP President...

Enablers will not be forgotten.....

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