Economic boycotts are a familiar tool of protest. The problem is they often place the greatest strain on the smallest businesses.That was the case during Friday's nationwide general strike, which was designed to pressure the Trump administration to dial back its aggressive anti-immigration policies.For many small business owners, the shutdown created a dilemma. Supporting the cause often means losing a day's revenue and risking their ability to keep staff employed. Across social media, owners voiced solidarity alongside an apology for staying open.There may, however, be another way, according to Scott Galloway, a marketing professor at New York University famous for his critiques of Big Tech.Instead of a blanket shutdown, Galloway is calling for Americans to focus on major tech companies by unsubscribing from — or opting out of — services like OpenAI's ChatGPT, Amazon's Prime Video, and Microsoft Office. A targeted boycott starting on Sunday and lasting the entire month of February could move markets, he says, which would, in turn, affect the CEOs who have the ear of President Donald Trump."We're proposing something quieter and less cinematic than a protest that will run all day on cable TV, but much more disturbing to the Trump administration. A one-day slowdown is irritating. A one-month slump is terrifying," he wrote in a blog post announcing the boycott.Major tech CEOs have sought favor with the president during his second term. Many of them donated to his inauguration, for starters.AI executives, like OpenAI CEO Sam Altman and Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, also accepted an invitation to a White House dinner with Trump in September, where the leaders took turns lauding the president. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Amazon CEO Andy Jassy attended the White House premiere of the documentary about first lady Melania Trump at the height of January's anti-ICE protests in Minneapolis.Supporting the AI industry in its competition with China is a major pillar of Trump's economic age...
First seen: 2026-02-01 10:43
Last seen: 2026-02-01 10:43