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Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Criticizes Elon Musk, AI And Big Tech’s Power Grab
In a candid address to the tech world, Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak delivered a wide-ranging critique touching on three critical areas – tech executives like Elon Musk stepping into politics, the evolution of AI and how big tech’s subscription models are reshaping user relationships.
Speaking at Barcelona’s Talent Arena developers fair today, which runs alongside the Mobile World Congress, the 74-year-old engineering pioneer offered a unique perspective as someone who helped launch the personal computing revolution – and didn’t mince words about executives like Musk stepping into government roles. “I think that the skills required in politics are very different to those skills needed in technology companies,” Wozniak stated emphatically. He believes “it does make sense to run a government like a business,” but added, “I don’t see that happening in the case of Elon Musk” – referring to the Tesla CEO who now leads President Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
The Apple co-founder emphasized the fundamental differences in leadership approaches between technology and politics. “When you run a business, you look for a consensus and a sharing,” Wozniak explained. “If half your employees feel one way and half the other way, you negotiate, you compromise.” This collaborative approach, he suggested, stands in stark contrast to what he perceives as Musk’s style of wiping the slate clean and starting fresh – a strategy he believes is ill-suited for government.
Wozniak also expressed skepticism about AI capabilities. “I trust the I, but not the A,” he quipped, suggesting confidence in intelligence while remaining skeptical about artificial systems. While acknowledging AI will provide “a lot of ideas and directions on how to proceed,” he emphasized that AI lacks human emotional capacity. Wozniak further raised concerns regarding AI’s potential for misuse, particularly with regards to misinformation. “AI can trick you into things,” he warned, adding that blindly trusting AI output makes one vulnerable to manipulation.
Finally, the tech pioneer took aim at big tech’s shift towards subscription models, lamenting how major companies have become “very big and they own our lives.” Wozniak expressed nostalgia for an earlier era when ownership was straightforward. “When Apple started, it was you who would set up your computer and it was all of your own work,” he reflected.
