January 05, 2025 | Read Online

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Good morning. We're excited to bring you a fascinating interview with James Lindsay on the budding term "woke right," trying to pinpoint exactly what that means and who it describes. Also, Trump is collecting more billionaire support while other corporations shift right. Business leaders are cozying up to the man they used to vilify.

Mentioned in this edition: Tim Cook, Joel Kaplan, George W. Bush, Nick Glegg, Mark Zuckerberg, Donald Trump, Elon Musk, Tim Pool, Matt Gaetz, Meta, Apple, Tesla, X's algorithm, Rosary In A Year, the "woke right," and more.

Have tips? Send them to me at ari@upward.news

WHAT WE'RE WATCHING

🍎 Apple CEO Tim Cook donates $1 million to Trump's inauguration. Tim Cook's personal donation to President-elect Trump's inaugural committee is part of his strategy to build a collaborative relationship with Trump, which has previously included private dinners and strategic policy discussions. Cook's donations reflect another corporate juggernaut to cozy up to Trump, preceded by Amazon and Meta's $1 million donations.

🌐 Meta revamped its global policy team with a right-winger. Meta's elevation of Joel Kaplan, a prominent Republican and former George W. Bush administration official, represents another rightward corporate shift to align with new Republican leadership. This marks a departure from the company's previous ties to progressive policies under Nick Clegg, highlighting a recalibration of Meta's political strategy that has also been reflected by its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg.

🚀 Musk's Tesla doubles down on H-1B visa workers. Tesla, under Elon Musk's leadership, has significantly expanded its reliance on H-1B visa workers, more than doubling initial employment approvals in 2024 and climbing into the top 20 US employers of these foreign workers. This comes as Musk publicly defended the controversial program, even while Tesla faces criticism for replacing laid-off American employees with foreign workers.

👀 WHO WE'RE WATCHING

🔒 This section is for members only

Mentioned behind the paywall: Tim Pool, Joe Rogan, Matt Gaetz, Elon Musk, Rosary In A Year, The New York Times, One America News, The Daily Wire, and X's algorithm

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James Lindsay's origin of the "woke right"

The label "woke right" has been appearing more and more in political debates, particularly within intra-right circles but also from the center-left looking in. Its rise has coincided with the post-October 7 political landscape in America, where the Israel-Palestinian conflict is no longer viewed monolithically on the right.

So, what does the label mean? And why have prominent figures like Tucker Carlson and Candace Owens been accused of it?

James Lindsay is an author, mathematician, and cultural critic known for his critiques of communism, social justice movements, and postmodernism. He frequently speaks on the influence of ideology in education and culture, and his work can be found at New Discourses.