1. The U.S. government's ties with startups have grown stronger in recent years, particularly in areas such as AI, automation, space, robotics, and climate tech for defense. However, a prolonged U.S. government shutdown can pose risks to these startups by stifling or halting their progress.
2. The U.S. government is taking ownership stakes in the tech industry, as seen in the Trump Administration's latest deal with Canadian miner Lithium Americas and a Lithium Americas-GM joint venture for mining lithium in Nevada.
3. This shift towards increased government involvement in the startup landscape and the tech industry is a reflection of changes in these sectors over the past decade, with more startups depending on government contracts and regulations now compared to 10 years ago.