Silicon Valley's man in the White House is benefiting himself and his friends

Scale and Nature of Current Corruption

• Many commenters describe the current White House as a “grifter administration,” focused on self-enrichment and friends’ enrichment, especially in crypto and AI policy.
• The article’s picture of an AI/crypto czar shaping policy to benefit his own and his peers’ investments is seen as part of a wider pattern: using state power for private gain, then expecting end-of-term blanket pardons.
• Some draw parallels to oligarchic governance in Russia: distract the populace with culture-war grievances while systematically looting.

“Everyone Does It” vs. Degree of Corruption

• One camp insists this is just a more brazen version of longstanding US political corruption: speaking fees, book deals, foundations, revolving doors, Iraq/Halliburton, Obama’s Netflix deal, Pelosi’s trades, Hunter Biden’s foreign board roles, etc.
• Another camp argues there is a qualitative difference: past presidents may have cashed in after office, but did not openly build businesses and meme coins while in office or take enormous, visible crypto and other benefits tied directly to regulatory decisions.
• The “both sides” framing is heavily contested. Some see symmetric corruption (Biden family vs. Trump family, banks vs. crypto), others emphasize a huge asymmetry in scale, directness, and shamelessness.

Safeguards, Institutions, and Norms

• Commenters note that many “safeguards” were really norms, not laws: blind trusts, divestment, avoiding even the appearance of impropriety.
• Firing inspectors general and gutting oversight bodies is seen as central to enabling the current behavior. A link is provided to mass IG dismissals; another notes problematic IGs under prior administrations as precedent.
• Debate over Congress and the Supreme Court: some hope courts will rein in tariffs and overreach; others say Congress is working “as intended” because it reflects voters’ preferences.

Public, Elections, and Democracy

• Several highlight large protests and argue Americans are not broadly “fine” with this, but also note that if the 2024 election were re-run, outcomes might be similar. Others believe current approval drops mean a landslide loss if rerun.
• There is broader criticism of US democracy: gerrymandering, voter suppression, low turnout, and first-past-the-post are blamed for enabling minority rule and extreme candidates.

Nvidia/China Policy Tangent

• A subthread dissects Nvidia’s stance on China export controls, suggesting Huang’s argument is self-serving: the real issue is delaying a robust non-CUDA ecosystem in China and preserving Nvidia’s dominance, not whether China will innovate.

Skepticism of the NYT Piece

• At least one commenter flags a detailed rebuttal letter from the official named in the article and characterizes the NYT story as a political “hit piece” that overreaches on its claims.