A God complex, Apple’s leadership change and tech goes to war

US military leans heavily on Silicon Valley Keystone

The United States has the Swiss media guessing about the future of technology firms in conflicts, how John Ternus will fill Tim Cook’s shoes as Apple CEO – and whether Donald Trump has divine powers.

Welcome to our press review of events in the United States. Every Wednesday we look at how the Swiss media have reported and reacted to three major stories in the US – in politics, finance and science.

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Trump has composed controversial social media posts Reuters / Truth Social

Mixing politics with religion can often end badly. The Swiss press think United States President Donald Trump is shaking this explosive cocktail too hard by depicting himself as Jesus on social media and then getting into a spat with the Pope.

“Even by his standards, Trump has generated considerable outrage,” noted the Neue Zürcher Zeitung newspaper.

Commentators are struggling to understand a strategy that could backfire by alienating one of Trump’s political power bases: the Catholic community. “Trump’s tirades against the Pope have confused his supporters. Perhaps…he wanted to distract from the war in Iran when he logged onto Truth Social on a dull Sunday evening,” said the NZZ.

But is this behaviour madness, a God complex or a masterstroke of intimidation to help Trump get his way by sowing fear and doubt in the minds of his enemies?

Swiss public broadcaster SRF puts it another way: “Is Trump an arsonist? Or does he deliberately start fires to attract the fire department? The latter would correspond to the madman theory.”

But it could also be an eccentric and elaborate “negotiation strategy in which one party deliberately creates the impression of being unpredictable and psychologically unstable,” mused SRF.

“(Perceived) impulsiveness and irrationality become weapons. The goal: to intimidate the other party by making them expect anything.”

• SRF opinionExternal link: Trump madman or genie? (German)
  
• Analysis from Tages AnzeigerExternal link (German, paywall) and NZZExternal link (German, paywall)

Apple’s CEO-elect John Ternus Keystone

Barely has Apple celebrated its 50^th birthday than it announces a change of leadership. But who is the next CEO-elect John Ternus, and what direction will he take the global tech giant in future?

“A blend of Tim Cook’s stability and Steve Jobs’ passion for products,” is the verdict of Le Temps. The newspaper also wonders how these traits will convert into performance. “Some questioned the relevance of an internal candidate when the brand could have benefited from the arrival of a legitimate figure in AI, a major challenge.”

The Swiss media concurs that Apple faces twin future challenges. Harnessing artificial intelligence is a long-term priority for the company. “More than three years after the launch of ChatGPT, the company is significantly behind the industry leaders and has still not unveiled a redesign of its AI assistant, Siri,” said Le Temps.

A more immediate challenge for the incoming Ternus will be placating the erratic US President Donald Trump.

“It remains to be seen how, or even if, the new Apple CEO intends to navigate the Washington minefield,” said public broadcaster SRF, whilst wondering whether Ternus will match the success of current Apple CEO Tim Cook in placating the unpredictable Trump.

• SRF analysesExternal link the incoming Apple CEO (German)
  
• Le TempsExternal link chews over Apple’s leadership change (French, paywall)

Defence is becoming more high tech Keystone / Alessandro Della Valle

The constantly blurring lines between civilian and military use of cutting-edge technology is causing concern for the Swiss media. Fears centre on Silicon Valley companies with ties to the US military.

“Some companies are already manufacturing autonomous warships for the navy, an artificial pilot for the air force, and military software,” says Tribune de Geneve.

But not all tech heavyweights are alike. Palantir is singled out by the Tages Anzeiger for preaching that “America’s tech elite should not focus on dating and consumer apps, but rather on a US and Western nationalism.”

On the other hand, the AI company Anthropic has been cold shouldered by the White House for refusing to play ball too much with the US military.

The Tribune de Geneve also bemoans US policy that refuses to consider a “global governance of military AI”. “This refusal by a government to allow the rules for the use of military software to be set by others should legitimately worry all defenders of multilateralism,” the newspaper said.

The growing encroachment of technology in conflicts puts companies at risk of retaliation, says the Neue Zürcher Zeitung.

“As tech companies become arms suppliers, they lose their independence. They face the threat of direct military attacks on their infrastructure or targeted cyberattacks to cripple their services,” the newspaper notes.

• Analysis by NZZExternal link (German, paywall) and Tribune de GeneveExternal link (French, paywall)
  
• Tages AnzeigerExternal link on Silicon Valley’s military use (German, paywall)

The next edition of ‘Swiss views of US news’ will be published on Wednesday, April 29. See you then!

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