Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos sought to ingratiate themselves with President Donald Trump after he won the 2024 election, and in return he mocked their efforts behind their backs, according to a new book by The New York Times reporters Maggie Haberman and Jonathan Swan.
Zuckerberg once texted Trump a photo of a letter written by one of his grade-school-age children, who wrote that they “looked forward to the golden age of America,” a slogan Trump had repeated at rallies during the presidential campaign.
And over dinner at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club, Bezos denigrated The Washington Post to Trump and essentially described the newspaper as one of his worst financial investments, months before he unsuccessfully sought a business favor from the president.
These episodes are detailed in the book Regime Change: Inside the Imperial Presidency of Donald Trump, a copy of which WIRED obtained ahead of its release on June 23. They illustrate the extraordinary scramble by some of the most powerful men in Silicon Valley to curry favor with Trump before the start of his second term.
Weeks after they met with Trump, he was still regaling associates with stories of how Zuckerberg and Bezos were “kissing my ass,” according to the book. “You would not believe the texts I got from these tech guys. I’ve got to show you,” Trump is quoted as telling some guests.
The episodes also show how Trump reveled in the genuflections of the titans of Big Tech—Google’s Sundar Pichai and Apple’s Tim Cook also met with the incoming president—before relentlessly deriding their efforts.
“Think of where these guys were in 2016,” Trump is quoted as saying of Zuckerberg and Bezos in a conversation with Elon Musk recounted in the book. “They hated me. They were doing everything they could to knock me down. And look at them now.”
Musk seemed delighted in the humiliation of his rivals, according to the book. “First-class groveling,” Musk is quoted as replying.
Presented with the book’s reporting, White House spokesperson Kush Desai did not directly respond. “President Trump is committed to working with every American business and business leader to cement America’s innovative dominance, re-shore critical manufacturing, and accelerate economic growth,” he said.
A person familiar with the Bezos episodes said the Amazon founder has been working with Trump in the same way that he has worked with every president since Bill Clinton, including donating $100 million to Barack Obama’s presidential library, and intended to work with whoever next occupies the Oval Office. A spokesperson for Bezos’ Blue Origin did not respond to requests for comment. Musk and spokespeople for Meta also did not respond to requests for comment.
The book shows Trump frequently mocking Zuckerberg and Bezos as they attempted to win his favor following the 2024 election—revealing, for example, text messages he received from the Meta CEO to various guests.
When Zuckerberg arrived shortly after Thanksgiving 2024, the authors write, Trump played the national anthem over the speakers. It soon became clear that this was no ordinary rendition, but one by a group of detained January 6 rioters known as the J6 Prison Choir.
Weeks later, according to the book, as Trump showed guests and visitors some of the ingratiating texts that Zuckerberg had sent, he stopped on a photo of the “letter to the president” written by one of the Meta CEO’s three children, the oldest of whom would have been 8 or 9 at the time.
Trump was also unsparing with Bezos, who is portrayed by Haberman and Swan as transactionally obsequious in indulging and doubling down on Trump’s criticisms of The Washington Post, as well as sending Trump a selfie featuring himself and his then-fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, over text.
When Trump and Bezos dined in December 2024, according to the book, Trump told Bezos, “This Washington Post is really unfair. You’ve got to take better care”—a remark that prompted Bezos to commiserate with the incoming president.
“The people there are terrible,” Bezos allegedly replied, complaining about the business side of The Washington Post he had hoped to make profitable. “They don’t listen. My other companies, they listen.” (This exchange was earlier reported by the New York Post.)
Months after the dinner, in July 2025, Haberman and Swan report, Bezos sought to capitalize on his relationship with Trump with a business request he hoped would benefit Blue Origin, his space company, which was losing ground to Musk’s SpaceX.
As the meeting started in the Oval Office, Trump asked Bezos about his recent wedding to Sánchez. Bezos told Trump the wedding had been great and mentioned that the actress Sydney Sweeney had attended. “Oooh,” Trump said, according to the book.
But Bezos was there on business, and, the authors write, he soon made a pitch to Trump that it was a national security risk to allow a single contractor—Musk’s SpaceX—to dominate America’s space infrastructure and Space Launch Complex 37 at Cape Canaveral.
Bezos, according to the book, suggested to Trump that he could direct his deputy defense secretary, Steve Feinberg, to advise officials in charge of government space contracts to seek “contractor diversity,” thereby opening the door for Blue Origin to compete with SpaceX.
Trump told Bezos that he would consider his request, Haberman and Swan write. But it never came to pass. In the months that followed, Trump reconciled with Musk, who had again started writing checks to Republicans and instead expanded access for SpaceX’s Starship operation.

Company failures, design flaws and inadequate regulatory oversight were to blame for the deadly 2023 Titan submersible disaster that killed all five passengers on board, according to the final report on the incident released by the Transportation Safety Board of Canada.
“The investigation determined that the as-built properties of the Titan’s carbon fibre cylinder were never validated to ensure they met the theoretical values used in the design process and that the construction and testing of the Titan did not follow standard engineering practices,” the agency concluded in its 136-page report.
It wrote that OceanGate, the US-based company leading the doomed expedition to the Titanic wreckage, didn’t fully grasp the extent of the danger the craft posed to passengers, and was blinded by “groupthink” and “confirmation bias.”
Agency inspectors examined unused pieces of the same material the Titan was made from and found fundamental structural defects that left it subject to compromised structural integrity, according to the report.
Although OceanGate tested the craft at an equivalent depth to that of the Titanic wreckage — approximately 12,500 feet — the report found it failed to test the impact on the vessel after facing the punishing forces of multiple voyages.
“The as-built properties of the Titan’s carbon fibre cylinder were never validated to ensure they met the theoretical values used in the design process, and the construction and testing of the Titan did not follow standard engineering practices,” TSB wrote.
“As a result, OceanGate did not know for how long the Titan’s pressure hull would remain structurally intact when used repeatedly for dives to the depth of the Titanic.”
TSB Canada’s findings echo a US National Transportation Safety Board report on the disaster released in October, which concluded that the faulty engineering of the Titan “resulted in the construction of a carbon fiber composite pressure vessel that contained multiple anomalies and failed to meet necessary strength and durability requirements.”
The NTSB also stated that OceanGate failed to adequately test the Titan and was unaware of its true durability.
The implosion happened during the Titan’s 88th dive on June 18, 2023, during which it lost contact with its support vessel after two hours and was reported overdue that afternoon.
Ships, planes and rescue equipment were rushed to the scene about 435 miles south of St. John’s, Newfoundland, but after several days without contact, it became clear there would be no survivors.
The implosion killed OceanGate CEO Stockton Rush, as well as French underwater explorer Paul-Henri Nargeolet, known as “Mr. Titanic”; British adventurer Hamish Harding; and two members of a prominent Pakistani family, Shahzada Dawood and his son Suleman Dawood, 19.
Christine Dawood, Shahzada’s wife and Suleman’s mother, originally bought two tickets for the Titan voyage for her and her husband, but gave up her ticket so the father and son could take the excursion together.
After the implosion, she went through a lengthy and heartbreaking grieving process, during which even setting eyes on the ocean gave her feelings of despair.
But now she feels “connected” to the ocean, she told the Sun.
“Every time I see the ocean water, I need to dip my feet in and connect with them. I feel that they are now part of the ocean. I don’t feel that the graveyard is where they are,” she shared.
“When the ocean kind of swirls around my feet, it’s just a really good feeling and I feel close with them.”
OceanGate ceased operations in July 2023 after the disaster.
“We again offer our deepest condolences to the families of those who died on June 18, 2023, and to all those impacted by the tragedy,” a company spokesperson told The Post in a statement.
“After the tragedy occurred, the company permanently wound down operations and directed its resources fully towards cooperating with the government investigations such as that completed by Canada’s Transportation Safety Board. We appreciate the professionalism shown by the TSB and the thoroughness of its investigation and final report.”

Penske Media Corp. has acquired the Vox Media portfolio of digital brands, including high-profile news and lifestyle hubs Eater, The Verge, SB Nation, Popsugar, The Dodo, Punch and Thrillist, as well as the studios and creative divisions.
The pact makes PMC‘s the world’s largest digital publisher. The parent company of Variety, Rolling Stone, Deadline, Billboard, WWD, The Hollywood Reporter and many other publishing brands has created a subsidiary, PMX, to house PMC’s publishing portfolio. Ryan Pauley, who has been president of Vox Media, will join PMC as president of PMX Global.
The deal follows the sale last month of New York magazine, Vox.com and the Vox Media Podcast Network to James Murdoch’s Lupa Systems for a reported price tag of more than $300 million. Financial terms of the PMC-Vox Media pact weren’t disclosed.
PMC’s acquisition of the Vox Media brands creates a formidable digital content platform spanning entertainment, music, sports and technology, fashion, beauty, food, art and luxury. PMX assets reach hundreds of millions of consumers every month, and its labels produce more than 300 live events per year. The brands will continue to operate autonomously under the PMX umbrella, including the new additions from Vox. PMC was already the largest shareholder in Vox before the acquisition agreement.
“I am very proud to welcome this tremendous team and leading brands to Penske Media,” said Jay Penske, PMC chairman and CEO. “We have long admired these unique brands and companies, and I’m thrilled to welcome Ryan Pauley to PMC. Ryan is a top executive who has demonstrated a clear ability to build leading technology and evolve media businesses, making him exceptionally well-positioned to lead PMX’s next chapter of growth.”
PMX will also encompass Robb Report, Artforum, Sportico, SHE Media, StyleCaster, ARTnews, FN, IndieWire, VIBE, Billboard Music Charts and BEAUTYINC. The Vox transaction brings expanded bundling opportunities for PMC brands. Vox Media’s premium ad marketplace Concert is part of the transaction, as is Forte, the first-party data platform that drives high-margin ad sales.
Pauley will be based in New York and report to Penske and Craig Perreault, president of PMC.
“These distinct digital brands bring highly engaged audiences with them, complement our existing portfolio, strengthen our content offering, and expand the possibilities for the hundreds of live events PMX will produce each year,” Perreault said. “We believe we are uniquely positioned for the future as the largest publisher in digital media and thrilled to welcome Ryan and his talented team.”
PMX represents “media’s strongest portfolio of brands,” Pauley said.
“Across music, entertainment, food, sports, fashion, beauty, technology and art, this portfolio influences and creates culture with best-in-class brands, extraordinary authority, and deeply engaged audiences and communities,” Pauley said. “Our opportunity now is to steward and grow these brands with a continued focus on brand leadership, editorial strength, audience connection, community, and live events. I’m grateful to Jay Penske for his leadership and vision. He has continued to deeply invest in journalism, live events and experiences, and believing in the power of content and the enduring value of iconic brands.”
As part of the transition to PMX, two PMC veterans have taken on expanded roles. Tom Finn, who is PMC’s executive VP of strategy and operations, has been promoted to chief operating officer of PMX, in additon to his other responsibilities. Ken Delalcazar, PMC’s executive VP of finance, has broadened his scope to serve as chief financial officer of PMX.
LionTree acted as financial adviser to Vox Media and Clifford Chance acted as legal adviser in connection with the transaction.

Americans shopping for a home caught a break this week when mortgage rates edged lower.
The average 30-year fixed mortgage rate fell to 6.47% this week, down from 6.52% last week, which was near the year’s high, according to data released Thursday by Freddie Mac.
But the reprieve may not last. On Wednesday, the Federal Reserve, now led by President Donald Trump appointee Kevin Warsh, signaled it could consider raising interest rates later this year in response to the latest inflation spike tied to the US-Israeli war with Iran.
Last week, two separate reports from the Bureau of Labor Statistics showed that annual inflation rose in May to its highest level in three years. That followed stronger-than-expected employment data.
The 10-year Treasury yield, a key driver of mortgage rates, climbed higher after the reports raised concern that inflation may be more stubborn than investors had hoped for. Bond yields rise when prices fall.
The US-Iran peace plan, announced on Sunday, briefly calmed those fears, sending yields lower for several days. But the relief evaporated on Wednesday amid renewed fears of a rate hike coming this year.
“It’s clear that we’re in a new era and it’s going to take a while for markets to figure out how to react to today’s Fed meeting,” Chen Zhao, the head of economic research at Redfin, said on Wednesday. “But one thing is certain: the committee as a whole is taking inflation very seriously, which means mortgage rates are unlikely to retreat much in the near future.”
Many home shoppers may not be willing to wait around for mortgage rates to fall below 6% anymore.
Pending home sales in May increased by 3.8% month-over-month and 4.8% year-over-year, according to a report released on Wednesday by the National Association of Realtors.
“A late spring buyer rush — even with mortgage rates not budging — is an indication of pent-up housing demand and consumers’ acceptance of above-6% mortgage rates as the new normal,” said NAR chief economist Lawrence Yun.

WASHINGTON (AP) — Federal regulators on Thursday agreed to let large energy users connect more quickly to the nation’s inefficient and electric transmission system to accommodate surging demand from power-hungry artificial intelligence data centers.
Energy Secretary Chris Wright had urged the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission to act in an effort to help the United States better compete with China for superiority in the fast-growing AI sector. Tech companies and data center developers have welcomed the chances for faster connections to the country’s power supply.
But utilities, states and regional grid operators worried that the Republican administration’s plan would remove their authority to manage the process. Clean energy advocates want the agency to advance, rather than undermine, state-level efforts to require the use of renewable energies.
The commission’s actions come as a backlash grows against data centers over fears about rising electricity prices and concerns about the massive amounts of energy and water they use, polluting communities across the country and straining water resources and the electric grid.
Unanimous vote and affordability
FERC members voted unanimously to direct that AI data centers and other large power users are “able to connect to the transmission system in a timely and orderly manner.”
Laura Swett, an appointee of President Donald Trump who chairs the commission, called the vote historic action to push the country’s electricity market into the future while also protecting ratepayers from shouldering the costs of connecting big power users to the grid.
“I know that Americans across the country are concerned about affordability, and so are we,” Swett said, referring the five-member commission.
“Many Americans are increasingly concerned about the interconnection of large (power) loads, and data centers will increase their bills in that stress,” Swett said. “As chairman, I am taking extremely seriously the mission that Congress has entrusted us to ensure that rates are reasonable and that Americans pay their fair share or less.”
Data centers would pay the full cost of any grid upgrades needed for their connection, under the commission order. But that order can do little to address the tightening energy supplies that are driving up electricity bills in some areas and raising warnings of blackouts as the construction of data centers outpaces the speed of new power plants coming online to serve them.
The vote comes eight months after Wright asked the independent agency to take more control over ensuring that the vast network of massive computing warehouses needed to power AI are connected quickly to high-voltage transmission lines.
A search for power
Tech giants are scrambling to find enough power for their data centers and report that, in some places, it will take years to connect to the electric grid.
Besides power bottlenecks, the tech industry is running into widespread opposition from communities Residents do not want to live next to or near a data center, citing fears about rising electricity prices, pollution and water consumption. There have been protests over losing open space, farmland or rural character.
More than 4,000 data centers now operate in the U.S., according to one estimate, with an additional 3,000 planned or under construction, including some that consume more energy than a small city. Such facilities have ballooned in size to accommodate the demands of AI.
Trump has tried to deflect public concerns about AI, seeing the fast-evolving technology as crucial for the U.S. to attract foreign investment and maintain its economic and military prowess. Trump signed an executive order this month that establishes a framework for the federal government to vet the national security risks of the most advanced AI systems for up to a month before their public release.
In December, FERC took an earlier step to help data center operators get electricity quickly, voting to allow tech companies to effectively plug a data center directly into a power plant.
Power demands from data centers
Companies such as xAI, Google, Microsoft, Meta, Oracle, OpenAI and Amazon have signed Trump’s Ratepayer Protection Pledge, in which they agreed to build or buy new sources of power generation for their data centers and cover the expense of infrastructure upgrades.
They also committed to making backup generation available to prevent blackouts in times of emergency, and to hire locally for their data center build out.
Data from the Electric Power Research Institute shows that data centers now account for about 5% of U.S. electricity demand, but could triple by 2035. In Virginia, data centers account more than 25% of overall demand and could rise to more than 40% by 2030.
Tech companies have continued to raise their spending on data centers, but there is evidence that construction is lagging.
A J.P. Morgan report last month said that, based on satellite images, over 60% of data center capacity planned for completion in 2027 hasn’t begun construction, and another 7% is delayed. It said the culprits are typically related to permitting and delays in getting gas turbines, transformers and skilled labor.
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Levy reported from Harrisburg, Pa.