Foreign influences on Big Tech explain its sudden anti-Trump derangement, starting at the beginning of Trump’s term.
Most of Big Tech have international headquarters in Ireland to avoid taxation. This is how they keep their effective corporate tax rate below 15%, on average, while simultaneously advocating for increased taxation of the middle and upper-middle classes. Thus, Ireland effectively regulates Big Tech, on behalf of the European Union.
Ireland was and still is extremely opposed to England leaving the EU (Brexit). The Obama administration also opposed Brexit. Thus, Trump was probably perceived by the Irish government as an adversary. Due to Ireland’s enormous influence on Big Tech, it is hard to believe that it did not pressure Big Tech to take an anti-Trump stance.
According to CIA evidence, expert opinions, and common sense, Putin preferred Hillary Clinton in the 2016 election. However, he might have also preferred or even supported Brexit. That might have been enough for anti-Brexit Britons to suspect that Putin also preferred or even supported Trump.
Many other foreign governments, from China to Mexico, who also wield a large influence on Big Tech, opposed Trump, due to his tough and pro-America trade policies. Additionally, Trump had also promised and attempted to repeal Obamanet. Obamanet had forced all consumers to subsidize Big Tech’s internet traffic. It also prevented consumers from exercising their First Amendment rights and it removed consumers’ choice on how their ISP fees are used. Thus Big Tech, and the Fake news organizations that largely depend on it, would naturally oppose anyone who threatens the massive protections and advantages given to them by Net Neutrality.
The “Double-Irish”
Read Google subsidiary moved $75bn in profits through Ireland in 2019 using “double-Irish”:
“The company, Google Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company, is registered here [in Ireland], but for the purposes of paying tax it was domiciled in Bermuda at the time. The accounts state that because it was tax resident in Bermuda, the firm did not have to pay any tax, as the standard rate there is 0%. It was the last year that the company availed of the so-called “double-Irish” tax arrangement, before it changed its tax structure.”
Also
“The accounts show that Google Ireland Holdings Unlimited Company is a subsidiary of Singapore based Google APAC Technology Pte. Ltd, whose ultimate parent is Alphabet Inc.”
Google Ireland Holdings is not the main company through which Google does business in Ireland. Headquartering EU operations in Ireland allows Big Tech to pay nearly zero in taxes in the EU.
The Big Tech power had significant consequences on Ireland. Ireland has some of the most insane, restrictive, and miserable COVID-19 policies (“Ireland is currently at Level 5. You cannot have visitors to your home …”) while still having a high mortality rate. This is consistent with the observation (known as TechDemic) that Big Tech is the main driver of bad COVID-19 policies.
Trump’s tax plans were beneficial for the US, but not for Big Tech. His intent was to discourage tax avoidance using off-shore tax havens, Big Tech’s favorite strategy. Trump intended to decrease corporate tax rates in the US, but to tax some of the profits reported by multinationals abroad. 2017 Tax Cuts and Jobs Act (TCJA) accomplished the first goal, but I am not sure about the second one. Also, TCJA decreased the deductions for multimillionaire owners and executives of Big Tech. This was another, little known reason why Big Tech opposed Trump.
Conclusion
Financial motives led Big Tech to betray the US. The general assumption that Big Tech was idealistic and trying to do the right thing (with some mistakes) is far from true.