Tech giants are increasingly able to wield significant geopolitical influence. To ensure digital sovereignty, governments must insist on transparency and accountability.
Raluca Csernatoni
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Major technology companies and the billionaire entrepreneurs behind them are becoming geopolitical actors in their own right. A handful of these tech titans now rival nation-states in influence, shaping the rules of the global digital order and even competing with states over governance authority. Some have called this the technopolar world, in which big tech firms act as de facto sovereigns, setting the rules that shape how societies communicate, trade, and even wage war. Their growing leverage raises urgent questions about sovereignty, security, and democracy, as corporate leaders make decisions that have ramifications worldwide.
The twenty-first century’s real geopolitical contest is no longer only between states, but between states and the corporations that command the world’s digital infrastructure. The challenge is not to wrest control back from technology but instead to democratize it, embedding legitimacy within the algorithms, infrastructures, and partnerships that now quietly govern our digital future.
The war in Ukraine brought this shift into sharp relief. Within days of Russia’s 2022 invasion, billionaire Elon Musk provided Starlink, a satellite network managed by his company SpaceX, to keep Ukraine online in the midst of cyberattacks. The private authority of an unelected tech magnate proved vital for the country’s communications and battlefield coordination. Yet, months later, Musk declined to maintain satellite service for a Ukrainian drone mission, raising questions about the U.S. government’s ability to compel private actors to provide critical military support during times of war.
Collectively, the tech sector joined the digital frontlines as a quasi-ally to Kyiv. But Ukraine’s dependence on Starlink also exposed the fragility of outsourcing national security to corporate actors.
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