The Duke of Sussex recently launched a scatthing attack on Donald Trump and Elon Musk, criticising the “sickness in leadership” in politics and tech. Prince Harry made an appearance at the Upfront Summit in Los Angeles on Thursday evening when he warned that “basic morals and empathy” have been “abandoned in favour of power and control”. His speech at the annual event hosting more than 1,000 investors, entrepreneurs and leaders in tech, came just hours after Sir Keir Starmer met Mr Trump at the White House, delivering a handwritten invitation from the King.
The Duke told the audience that he had “never been allowed to vote” and so was not “cornered by a belief in blue or red”. However, he added: “Now this would be a great time to talk about how a sickness in leadership across sectors – from politics to tech – can have a detrimental effect on millions, if not billions, of people. When service to others is sacrificed for personal gain. When basic morals and empathy are abandoned in favour of power and control. But I’m not gonna get into all that now.
”The Duke and Duchess of Sussex have long campaigned against the perils of social media, warning that children are “force-fed” mindless content by powerful tech companies that “refuse to change”.
Prince Harry had previously suggested that social media users were being exploited for what was nothing more than a “human experiment”. During a visit to Colombia last August, he seemed to criticise Musk, the owner of X, when he railed against the false information allowed to circulate online shortly after the UK riots that followed the Southport killings.
The Duke’s latest appearance came as it emerged that he and Meghan had hired a former American Idol talent manager as their chief communications officer.
In his speech, the Duke suggested that he no longer considered the charity work he undertook as a full-time working royal the best way to deliver change.
“The way that I answer the question of how we invest in our shared future is different now living in the US, to when I was living in the UK,” he said.
“Why? Because before I moved, so much of my life revolved around charity.
“Since then, while my charities remain a core part of my life’s work, I’ve also been focusing on upstream solutions and prevention, driven by decisions and investments that address problems before they require fixing.”
The Duke insisted that he had approached “everything” in his life “through the lens of service”.
He revealed that he had spent the last five years quietly investing in companies that align with his values and take a long-term approach to societal problems.
“Too often, social media and tech companies have built products that place engagement over safety,” he said.
“I’ve seen first-hand how technology can bring people together, but more often how it can divide and harm them – especially our children.”
The Duke said that every business decision should reflect a commitment to serving others, adding that his vision for the future involved companies designed “not just for profit”.
“After all, if we carry on at this rate, even the most profitable companies will exist in a world of smoke and rage,” he said.
