From Standard Oil to Microsoft to NVIDIA–how Washington keeps stepping on its own toes
KEY TAKEAWAYS
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US has a long history of targeting its own corporate leaders through antitrust action and tariffs
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Tariffs originated as a primary revenue source for the U.S. Treasury until 1913, when income tax became official
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Modern tariffs are sold as protectionist but often hurt U.S. companies and shareholders
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NVIDIA and AMD now face a 15% fee to export AI chips to China
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Consumers and investors ultimately bear the cost of tariffs
MY HOT TAKES
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The U.S. is uniquely aggressive in disadvantaging its own top companies
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Tariffs marketed as “protectionist” often act as hidden taxes
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The NVIDIA/AMD export fee is essentially an AI chip excise tax
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Tariffs almost always find their way into consumer prices or investor losses
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History proves revenue motivation is never far from the surface in tariff policy
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You can quote me: “We’ve upgraded from taxing imported saddles in the 1700s to taxing artificial intelligence in the 2020s.”