International IT, Business Leaders Weigh In On How Trump’s Victory Could Impact The Global Tech Market

There is a lot of wariness in Western Europe but some optimism as well.

Now that Donald Trump has been elected a second time as president of the U.S., business and technology leaders are watching how the Trump administration may shape those sectors.

The U.S. election has consequences on the business affairs of other countries, particularly in Western Europe.

Computing UK editor Tom Allen and CRN Germany editor Martin Fryba spoke with IT leaders in the U.K. and Germany to gauge their takes on how a Trump administration may affect the IT sector on a global scale.

There were two concerns that tech leaders in both countries shared: rising costs related to increased tariffs the president-elect has vowed to impose on China and how to become less dependent on U.S. technology.

“Where Russia has Yandex and mail.ru, and China has Tencent, Alibaba and Weibo, Europe is startlingly absent of tech alternatives to U.S. firms,” said Mark Ridley, technical co-founder of Reed.co.uk and consulting CIO.

“We will have to undergo a sharp transformation technologically, economically and in terms of security policy in order to keep the U.S. as a partner, but also to emancipate ourselves,” Bitkom CEO Ralf Wintergerst told CRN Germany.

“Trump’s plans for numerous new tariffs, expressed during the election campaign, are worrying German industry,” said BDI president Siegfried Russwurm.

However, some of the leaders also expressed optimism that the Trump administration could spark global innovation and investment in technology.

In the U.S., some of the heads of the biggest tech company leaders took to X to congratulate Trump:

Apple CEO Tim Cook: “Congratulations President Trump on your victory! We look forward to engaging with you and your administration to help make sure the United States continues to lead with and be fueled by ingenuity, innovation, and creativity.”

Microsoft Chairman and CEO Satya Nadella: “Congratulations President Trump, we’re looking forward to engaging with you and your administration to drive innovation forward that creates new growth and opportunity for the United States and the world.”

Amazon founder Jeff Bezos: “Big congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory. No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing @realDonaldTrump all success in leading and uniting the America we all love.”

Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai: “Congratulations to President @realDonaldTrump on his decisive victory. We are in a golden age of American innovation and are committed to working with his administration to help bring the benefits to everyone.”

Read Tom Allen’s full article on what U.K. IT business and tech leaders are saying after the U.S. election here and Martin Fryba’s piece on what German leaders are cautious and optimistic about here.

Tom Allen and Martin Fryba contributed to this report.