Spanish Prime Minister Sánchez Declares War on ‘Technoligarchs’ After Years of Courtship
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez is intensifying his public battle against the world’s tech giants, branding them “technoligarchs” and directly confronting figures like Elon Musk and Pavel Durov. This aggressive stance marks a dramatic shift from earlier in his tenure, when Sánchez actively courted these same leaders, seeking investment and collaboration for Spain.
Sánchez’s recent rhetoric echoes a modern-day Quixote tilting at windmills, as he warns of the dangers posed by the concentrated power of these technology magnates. “Let the technoligarchs bark, Sancho, it’s a sign that we’re riding,” he declared on wednesday, responding to criticism from Telegram founder Pavel Durov regarding the government’s proposed regulations for social networks.
The conflict escalated further with a public clash with Tesla founder Elon Musk, who, via his social network, disparagingly referred to Sánchez as “Dirty Sánchez.” at a recent campaign rally, Sánchez demanded that tech leaders “Get your dirty hands off our kids’ cell phones,” accusing them of seeking control over facts to manipulate voters. “The masters of the algorithm may expand their hoaxes, but they do not have the power of the vote,” he asserted.
This newfound antagonism began in January 2025, with Sánchez specifically targeting Musk as the leader of a “reactionary international.” The shift is particularly striking given Sánchez’s earlier enthusiasm for engaging with tech industry leaders.
Since taking office, Sánchez has hosted bill Gates, Tim Cook, and Andy Jassy at the Moncloa Palace, Spain’s equivalent of the White House, emphasizing potential investment and collaboration. The Spanish government, in collaboration with the Gates Foundation, committed 200 million euros to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and malaria.Sánchez also held meetings with executives from chinese technology companies SAIC Motor and Chery, signaling a broader effort to forge ties with the global tech and automotive sectors.
Many of these now-billionaire entrepreneurs built their fortunes on companies like Microsoft, Amazon, and Apple, all of which have been prominently featured during Sánchez’s meetings. Bill Gates, with a fortune of $107 billion, visited the Moncloa Palace in May 2022, where discussions focused on global challenges like climate change and enduring progress goals.gates later awarded Sánchez the Global Goalkeeper 2025 prize in September of that year, recognizing his commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
More recently,in June 2024,Sánchez met with Amazon CEO Andy Jassy,praising the company’s investment in Spain,including the creation of 25,000 jobs. This engagement occurred as Amazon develops a new logistics center in Aragón. It’s notable that the mantle of the world’s richest person has shifted over time, from Bill Gates to Amazon founder Jeff bezos ($265 billion) in 2019, and then to Elon Musk in 2021.
Sánchez’s relationship with tech leaders dates back to the beginning of his premiership. In 2018, he welcomed Apple CEO Tim Cook ($2.6 billion) to the Moncloa Palace to discuss innovation and digitalization. Sánchez later reciprocated with a visit to Apple’s headquarters in California in 2021, including stops in Silicon Valley and Cupertino. During that trip, he also met with PayPal CEO Dan Schulman, a company co-founded by Elon Musk and Peter Thiel. He also met with Enrique Lores, then CEO of HP, who would soon transition to lead PayPal.
Spain’s outreach extends beyond the US, with Sánchez meeting with executives from SAIC Motor and Chery during a visit to Asia in 2025, as the country seeks to strengthen ties with China’s burgeoning electric vehicle industry.
The prime minister’s evolving stance reflects a growing global debate about the power and influence of Big Tech, and his willingness to publicly challenge these “technoligarchs” signals a new, more confrontational approach.
Related reading
