There's a Tech Billionaire Pulling Trump's Strings. No, It's Not Elon Musk.

Sign up for the Slatest to get the most insightful analysis, criticism, and advice out there, delivered to your inbox daily. This week has demonstrated that the tech "broligarch" who's most influenced President Donald Trump's second administration isn't Elon Musk, Peter Thiel, or Marc Andreessen--it's Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison, the 80-year-old software tycoon who recently became the second-richest man in the world. Just look at everything that's gone his way. On Thursday evening, the Federal Communications Commission finally voted to approve Paramount's 8.4 billion merger with fellow entertainment firm Skydance Media. The controversial, long-awaited deal only came about thanks to Paramount's appeals to this administration: settling a baseless lawsuit that Trump brought against 60 Minutes for "deceptively" editing its Kamala Harris interview, pressuring subsidiary CBS News to shift its "balance" in a right-wing direction, and canceling presidential foe and beloved comedian Stephen Colbert's highly rated late-night talk show.