A recent study conducted by the Pew Research Center has revealed that Americans generally hold more negative than positive views of tech moguls Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg.
In Silicon Valley, Zuckerberg has attracted attention with his sudden interest in high fashion. The report indicates that the Meta CEO is viewed less favorably than Elon Musk, who has been closely associated with former President Trump. Approximately 54% of U.S. adults reported an unfavorable opinion of Musk, whereas 67% expressed negative views of Zuckerberg.
Both tech executives have faced increased scrutiny since the beginning of Trump’s second term in office. They both attended Trump’s inauguration and contributed donations to the inauguration fund. Zuckerberg has notably altered traditional Meta content moderation policies to reduce fact-checking and measures against hate speech, while Musk has played a significant role in Trump’s administration.
During the early stages of Trump’s presidency, Musk has been actively involved in U.S. government operations, utilizing his political connections to significantly reduce personnel in departments like USAID, which is responsible for providing global humanitarian aid. Concurrently, Musk’s initiative, known as DOGE, has overstated the financial impact of certain budget cuts by billions of dollars.
Musk’s association with Trump appears to influence public opinion along party lines, with 85% of Democrats or those leaning Democratic viewing the Tesla CEO unfavorably. Conversely, 73% of Republicans or Republican-leaning individuals hold positive views of Musk.
Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, is generally more disliked across the political spectrum, although he faces more criticism from Democrats. While 60% of Republican respondents have an unfavorable view of Zuckerberg, this sentiment is shared by 76% of Democrats.
Despite Zuckerberg’s attempts to adopt a more trendy image, such as wearing gold chains and pursuing musical endeavors, it seems the American public remains skeptical.
The Pew study surveyed a panel of 5,086 randomly selected U.S. adults between January 27 and February 2, 2025, capturing respondents’ current opinions.
