'Musk? He's horrendous': Martha Lane Fox on diversity, jobs and the threat from tech bros

The investor and former Twitter board member believes rejecting DEI initiatives is simply denying US companies talent, writes Richard Partington

- Richard Partington

As Elon Musk grinned in the Oval Office, one of Britain’s most influential tech investors looked on in horror.

“He is absolutely horrendous. I have said it multiple times: I think it is horrifying what is happening,” says Martha Lane Fox.

For the British peer and ex-Twitter board member, the sight of Musk holding forth from the bully pulpit of Donald Trump's White House shows the Silicon Valley dream has gone sour.

“The richest man in the world, who can stand there alongside the president, and kind of carte blanche make jokes about how he’s carving up people’s jobs in the government. Then he can be there with a chainsaw laughing on stage...

“It is really, really alarming, and I find it extremely unpleasant at a values-based level - but also, just how can we be watching this in plain sight? It makes me feel very anxious. I think it is gross.”

In an interview with the Observer to mark International Women’s Day, the president of the British Chambers of Commerce (BCC) warned the diversity pushback orchestrated by Trump and his tech bro acolytes will not only damage society, but also the economy at large.

Since his return to the White House, the US president has shut down all federal diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) initiatives, while Musk’s “department of government efficiency” (Doge) is ripping up funding schemes.

Some of the world’s biggest companies are following suit. Amid a wider pushback against everything from environmental targets to sustainable development, among the most prominent taking part are US finance and tech companies, including Goldman Sachs, Accenture and Amazon, while UK businesses such as GSK have also fallen in line.