That's the question the tech industry has been asking since a real-estate mogul turned reality star, with a spotty reputation with tech, was voted in as 45th president of the United States.
One thing is clear. Silicon Valley in general isn't excited about the next four years. In July, 150 tech leaders, including Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak, Reddit co-founder Alexis Ohanian, Wikipedia founder Jimmy Wales and Vint Cerf, considered the "father of the Internet," wrote an open letter calling a Trump presidency "a disaster for innovation." Some in the industry, notably broadband service providers, criticized him for policies they believe would stifle investment in infrastructure.
The outlook is "beyond grim," weighted down by fear that the industry and world would suffer from this election, the New York Times reported Thursday.
Ouch.
Since Trump, 70, didn't say all that much about tech during the campaign (he did call out "the cyber" when talking about cybersecurity concerns during one debate), industry watchers are left reading whatever tea leaves they can find until the president-elect reveals more-definitive policies.
Given that the tech industry accounts for 12 percent of all jobs, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, and given Trump's message about improving America's economy and competitiveness, his technology policies will have a long-lasting impact.
"The onus is on him to convince us that what we have seen in the past, the erratic behavior that has been defining character of the campaign, is not what will lead policy and that we'll see a more pragmatic approach," said Evan Swarztrauber, communications director for the DC-based think tank TechFreedom.
Here's what little we do know about Trump's stand on some important tech issues.
Net neutrality
Net neutrality became a relatively big deal in the 2008 election, but little was said during this election cycle about last year's policy.
Net neutrality is the idea that all traffic on the internet should be treated equally. This means your broadband provider, which controls your access to the internet, can't block or slow down the services or applications you use over the web.
That said, we do know Trump isn't a fan of the FCC's current regulations. In 2014, at the height of the debate to rewrite the rules around Net neutrality, he tweeted, "Obama's attack on the internet is another top down power grab. Net neutrality is the Fairness Doctrine. Will target conservative media."
It's possible that an FCC led by Republicans could eliminate all or part of the rules and strip the FCC of some of its authority. If that happens, broadband providers could create so-called fast lanes and charge internet companies, like Netflix, different rates to deliver their services.
Loosening regulations around telecom will likely benefit broadband and wireless carriers. The NCTA, the Internet and Television Association, which lobbies for the cable industry, said it's eager to work with President-elect Trump.
"We look forward to participating in a constructive and robust discussion about policies that will continue to make America a global technology and entertainment leader," they said in a statement Wednesday.
Industry consolidation and broadband
Trump also seems to have taken a populist view against mergers and acquisitions. That could spell trouble for big pending mergers, including AT&T's $85 billion takeover of entertainment giant Time Warner. When that deal was announced last month, Trump vowed to block the merger if he was elected.
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What does a Trump presidency mean for tech? - CNET
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