Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has been promoting his upcoming book about the “tyranny” of big tech companies, but a tweet he posted Thursday night made some wonder if he even knows what those companies are.
“Thanks for making The Tyranny of Big Tech a best seller all week on Amazon! You can get your copy here,” Hawley tweeted, directing his followers to buy his book from one of the world’s biggest tech companies and thanking them for shopping there.
Along with Amazon, Twitter and the iPhone that Hawley used to tweet about his book are about as “big tech” as it gets.
In his book, Hawley, a staunch supporter of Donald Trump who promoted the ex-president’s attempts to overturn the 2020 election result, claims that big tech companies are a product of “corporate liberalism.” While many of the book’s ideas for reining in those companies have support from both parties, a Washington Post review of the book said the Missouri senator’s message is clouded by misfired attempts to tie the issue back to liberal movements.
Hawley’s arguments about the dangers of “cancel culture,” another central theme of his book, have also fallen flat. On Thursday, CNN’s Brianna Keiler dove into the irony of Hawley’s claims he’s been canceled or silenced when, in reality, he regularly appears on massive platforms and is on Fox News “as often as you brush your teeth,” she said.
“‘Silenced,’ he says. But he’s not and he knows it,” Keilar concluded. “He’s a smart man who sees opportunity in acting like a martyr.”
Earlier in the week, Hawley accused the media of trying to silence him even while he was doing a live interview with The Washington Post about his book.
“Don’t try to censor, cancel and silence me here,” Hawley said.
“Senator, we’re hosting you here,” technology policy reporter Cat Zakrzewski explained to him.