2024年美國大選有別於以往的一個顯著特點，是硅谷轉向支持共和黨是，而馬斯克等人在其中發揮了很大作用。特朗普二任以來，以硅谷為代表的科技界與華盛頓聯繫更加緊密，最近又不斷傳出關於硅谷同美國軍方深度合作的消息。

不少觀點認為，現在的共和黨和硅谷意氣相投，特朗普政府給硅谷創造了比拜登時期更為寬鬆的監管環境，特別是大力支持人工智能、加密幣等技術開發與商業應用，特朗普本人是社交媒體的重度使用者，對加密幣的熱情尤其高漲。而硅谷科技企業所掌握的人工智能、區塊鏈、平台技術、數據分析、先進芯片等是美國未來競爭力所在，也是當前美國軍方、情報機構和部分國內執法機構強化能力所必需的，這反映在大量的國防和政府採購合同上，也反映在硅谷近年來誕生的很多新型軍工科技企業上，雙方融合更為深入。這也就不奇怪，為什麼以前硅谷科技大佬更多是為政府做顧問、去國會聽證、通過言論影響政策，而現在Meta公司的首席技術官安德魯·博斯沃思可以加入最新成立的陸軍201支隊，成為一名預備役中校。

從更深層次來看，本輪科技與產業革命與此前的信息技術革命、電氣化革命有很大不同，人工智能等技術已超越了效率工具，轉化為政治權力資源，有點類似於更早期深刻改變社會政治結構的工業革命。硅谷與政治的融合恐怕將遠遠不止於此，科技創新對政治生態的深度影響可能才剛剛開始。美國作為全球科技創新和商業化的前沿，接下來其政治生態可能還會發生很多重大變化。

人工智能、加密幣、社交平台是當前最有代表性的三種技術。其中，人工智能的背後是算力、算法和算料，從某種意義上來說算力就是權力，不掌控算力就會失去權力，沒有算法和算料則難以掌控未來方向，硬件堆砌與能源消耗則從更直觀角度顯示出力量的大小。加密幣的背後是區塊鏈技術，它具有去中心化、不可篡改等特點，正在制定新的規則，從底層挑戰和顛覆傳統政治的運轉模式。社交平台代表着影響力，可以進行認知塑造和社會動員，融合社交、媒體、數據、金融、購物、物流、中介等多領域的平台技術還具有強大的資源調動能力。然而在美國，這些技術主要掌握在大型科技創新企業和科技金融資本手中，傳統政治力量可以通過加強反壟斷和技術、資金監管來管理這些技術（比如拜登的民主黨），但如果想獲得來自人工智能、加密幣和社交平台的助力，就必須與之聯姻（比如特朗普的共和黨）。特朗普第一次參選是憑藉在推特上的巨大影響獲得成功，第二次參選又與馬斯克收購推特後的社交媒體支持密不可分，萬斯在從政之前也是硅谷科技與資本圈裡的人物。

這些變化預示着，硅谷的科技和資本正在從傳統的“遊說影響”華盛頓，走向“改變塑造”華盛頓，這將給美國的政治權力結構帶來持續挑戰。比如，美國的傳統政治權力是通過選舉和一定的法律程序授予的，但科技巨頭可以通過技術掌控、市場壟斷和社會影響成為新的“權力極”，直接而魯莽地左右國家和社會政治進程，挑戰美國總統、國會、行政機構的合法性和有效性。加密幣長期發展下去，則可能撼動長期以來由國家掌控的貨幣發行權、管理權、執法權，進而撼動現代國家的根基。

當然，這些變化將是一個長期過程，其演變帶有極大不確定性，美國政治也可能通過創新發現更有效管控科技權力的辦法，化解潛在挑戰。當前的美國正處在這樣一個兩者皆有的混合階段，與特朗普分道揚鑣前後的馬斯克恰好代表了這兩個階段。當馬斯克與特朗普聯手時，代表着科技界仍然在嘗試使用傳統路徑影響美國政治，塑造對自己有利的政策環境並獲得採購合同。但當發現特朗普上台並不能改變國家仍由官僚掌控這一事實，無論是“大而美法案”的條款還是傳統政客的理念都與自己的設想相距太遠時，馬斯克不得不回過頭來，用自己手中掌握的新興科技權力來進行鬥爭。他成立的“美國黨”從某種意義上說就是美國的“科技奪權黨”。並不是所有的科技界人士都像馬斯克一樣激進、擁有強大的科技和資金實力，以及強烈的政治興趣。美國科技創新的模式是產學研一體化，高度依賴風險投資。相比奪取政治權力，風險投資機構更希望獲得投資回報，這也將是制約美國科技界走上前台的一個障礙。

A notable feature of the 2024 U.S. presidential election was Silicon Valley's shift to support the Republican Party. Elon Musk and other big names played a major role. And since Donald Trump's return to the White House, the tech industry has forged close ties with Washington, and reports have even emerged highlighting deepening cooperation between Silicon Valley and the U.S. military.

Many observers believe that the Republicans and Silicon Valley share a growing ideological affinity. The Trump administration has created a more relaxed regulatory environment for tech companies than they had during the Biden era, especially by championing the development and commercialization of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrencies. Trump himself is a heavy user of social media and shows marked enthusiasm for the new currencies. Artificial intelligence, platform technology, blockchain, data analysis, advanced chips and other technologies dominated by Silicon Valley companies are not only central to the future competitiveness of the United States but are also indispensable for the U.S. military, intelligence community and some law enforcement agencies as they seek to strengthen their capabilities.This centrality is evident in a large number of defense and government procurement contracts and in the rise of many new defense-related startups in Silicon Valley in recent years. High-tech and the military are increasingly integrated, so it is no surprise that many tech leaders, who in the past mostly served as advisers to the government, now attend congressional hearings and try to influence policies through public discourse. For example, Andrew Bosworth, Meta's former chief technology officer, joined the U.S. Army Reserve as a lieutenant colonel in the newly formed Detachment 201 — the Executive Innovation Corps, a group designed to fuse cutting-edge technical expertise with military operations.

At a deeper level, this wave of technological and industrial capability is rather different from the previous IT revolution and electrification. Technologies such as artificial intelligence have evolved beyond mere tools of efficiency: They are becoming sources of political power. In this sense, the current transformation bears close resemblance to the Industrial Revolution, which profoundly reshaped social and political structures.The convergence of Silicon Valley and politics, however, will probably not stop. The profound impact of technological innovation on the political ecosystem is just beginning to unfold. As the global leader in both technological innovation and commercialization, the United States could be headed for seismic shifts in its political landscape.

Artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies and social media platforms are arguably the most representative technologies at present. Behind AI lie computing power, algorithms and data. In a sense, computing power is power. Without it, one cannot gain control. Without algorithms and data, it is difficult to steer. The massive hardware infrastructure and energy consumption of today are visible symbols of power from a more intuitive perspective.Cryptocurrencies are built on blockchain technology, whose decentralized and tamper-resistant nature enables the creation of new rules that challenge and disrupt the operational logic of traditional politics at its root. Social media platforms represent influence: They shape cognition and enable large-scale mobilization. While they integrate functions from multiple realms — social, communication, data, finance, shopping and logistics — they also have a strong ability to mobilize resources.In the United States, these technologies largely rest in the hands of big tech companies and venture capitalists. Traditional political forces can seek to regulate them through strict antitrust measures, technology and capital supervision, as former president Joe Biden's Democratic Party did, but to harness the power of artificial intelligence, cryptocurrencies and social media platforms it is essential to combine them, as shown by Trump's Republican Party. Trump's first run for office was successful thanks to his huge influence on Twitter. His second run was closely related to the support he gained on social media after Musk acquired Twitter. Vice-President J.D. Vance also has roots in Silicon Valley's world of technology and capital.

These shifts indicate that in Silicon Valley, technology and capital are moving from merely lobbying Washington to reshaping it — a trend that poses an ongoing challenge to the structure of political power in the United States. Historically, political power has been gained through elections and is governed by legal procedures. But today's tech giants can become new centers of power through technology control, monopolies in the market and vast social influence. They directly, and even recklessly, steer the trajectory of national affairs and political processes, at times challenging the legitimacy and effectiveness of the presidency, Congress and administrative agencies.If cryptocurrencies continue to develop, they may erode the long-held authority of countries over currency issuance, financial regulation and law enforcement, striking at the very foundations of modern political structures.

Of course, these changes will unfold over the long term, and their trajectory has a high level of uncertainty. It's possible that American politics may find more effective ways to regulate technological power and resolve potential challenges.The United States is in a transitional stage, marked by the growing political influence of Elon Musk both before and after his parting of ways with Trump. When he was allied with Trump, he reflected a moment in which the tech industry had leveraged traditional channels to influence domestic politics, shape a favorable policy environment and secure procurement contracts. Then he came to realize that a Trump presidency could not override the entrenched power of bureaucrats, that the provisions of the One Big Beautiful Bill were not aligned with his aspirations, and that the ideologies of traditional politicians persisted. Consequently, Musk had to wield the emerging technological power at his disposal to push back. In a sense, the American Party he founded is a technology power party.That said, not everyone in the tech industry shares Musk's radicalism, strong technological and financial power or strong political desire. The U.S. model of technological innovation — a tight integration of industry, academia and research — is highly dependent on venture capital. For venture capitalists, seizing political power is less attractive than gaining handsome returns on investment, and this sentiment will be the biggest constraint on the U.S. technology industry, ultimately preventing it from stepping to the center of the political stage.