An internet pioneer predicts the next big ‘mega trend’ in tech

Billionaire AOL co-founder Steve Case has claimed the next “mega trend” in tech is already here just days after Twitter owner Elon Musk rocked the tech world with the “Twitter Files”.

“For many years, Silicon Valley operated on its own,” but that’s no longer the case, Case said on “Cavuto: Coast to Coast” on Friday.

“Now policymakers are starting to weigh in,” he added, saying tech companies are likely to come under “more scrutiny” in the future. “I think it’s going to be a mega trend over the next decade.”

Maryland Governor Larry Hogan and other government officials recently called for TikTok to be regulated for security risks, with Hogan outright banning use of the app in the executive branch.

MARYLAND BANS TIKTOK USE IN STATE EXECUTIVE OFFICE

Case was reacting to Twitter’s explosive revelations in recent days. The ‘Twitter Files’, as Musk called them, exposed the alleged ‘phantom ban’ of conservative accounts and deep collusion at the highest level between Democratic operatives and Twitter employees to censor the laptop story. by Hunter Biden.

Case, who launched the iconic AOL brand as one of the first big companies on the internet, called Musk a “great innovator” but said getting into the culture wars was different from building jet planes or of rockets.

FOX Business host Neil Cavuto asked Case if more politicians would start “weighing in” on Big Tech companies. Case replied that the backlash against Big Tech was “not a surprise”.

TWITTER FILES: JAMES BAKER EXEMPLIFIES THE REVOLVING DOOR BETWEEN GOVERNMENT, LIBERAL GROUPS AND BIG TECH

“Now that the internet meets the real world, you also see more government intervention,” Case said.

He also called on companies to invest more in “low-tax states” like Texas and Florida and “not just on the coasts.” These states “didn’t get their fair share of venture capital,” Case continued.

America shouldn’t just ‘support entrepreneurs on the coast [in] places like Silicon Valley or New York,” but find innovators “all over the country,” he said.

“If you look at venture capital over the last decade, 75% of venture capital dollars have gone to just three states: California, New York [and] Massachusetts.”

AOL CO-FOUNDER STEVE CASE LEADS VENTURE CAPITAL ‘REVOLUTION’ BEYOND SILICON VALLEY

Case said supporting American entrepreneurs was one of the few places in a “divided” country where supporters were in agreement. There is “broad bipartisan support” for American companies innovating in technology, AI and robotics, he said.

But the status quo has caused a “technological reaction” as “jobs in towns in the center of the country” have dried up and been “destroyed” for lack of funds, he explained.

“We haven’t supported enough new businesses in the middle of the country to make up for lost jobs. As a result, many people in many parts of the country feel left out and left behind,” Case said. By “supporting more entrepreneurs”, we can “start to change that” and create “thousands of jobs in the center of the country”, added the technology pioneer.

Case scours the country for start-up, “innovation” and “entrepreneurial” ideas to ensure America’s continued dominance in technology. “In the next 10 or 20 years, we’re going to see dozens more cities grow” and become “startup hubs,” he predicted.

GET FOX BUSINESS ON THE ROAD BY CLICKING HERE