Golden Globes highlight tension between big tech and Hollywood

Sunday night’s Golden Globes kicked off the splashy 2020 awards season. Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood” took home three awards. Awkwafina became the first Asian-American woman to win best actress at the Golden Globes for “The Farewell.” And HBO’s “Succession” (T) and Amazon’s (AMZN) “Fleabag” each snagged two awards.

But one of the most memorable moments happened before the first award was even presented. Fifth-time host Ricky Gervais, a British stand-up comedian known for “The Office,” finished his opening monologue with a scathing critique of tech giants that have also become players in Hollywood.

“Apple roared into the TV game with ‘The Morning Show,’ a superb drama about the importance of dignity and doing the right thing, made by a company that runs sweatshops in China. Well, you say you’re woke but the companies you work for in China — unbelievable. Apple, Amazon, Disney. If ISIS started a streaming service you’d call your agent, wouldn’t you?” he said, drawing scattered, awkward laughter from the crowd. (While Disney (DIS) did launch its own streaming service last year, it is not seen as a tech company).

77th Golden Globe Awards - Arrivals - Beverly Hills, California, U.S., January 5, 2020 - Ricky Gervais and Jane Fallon. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni
77th Golden Globe Awards - Arrivals - Beverly Hills, California, U.S., January 5, 2020 - Ricky Gervais and Jane Fallon. REUTERS/Mario Anzuoni

“So if you do win an award tonight, don’t use it as a platform to make a political speech. You’re in no position to lecture the public about anything. You know nothing about the real world. Most of you spent less time in school than Greta Thunberg,” he said, referring to the 17-year-old known for skipping school to protest climate change.

“So if you win, come up, accept your little award, thank your agent, and your God and f... off, OK? It’s already three hours long,” he added, before transitioning into the award categories. As of Monday afternoon, Gervais’ monologue was the No. 1 trending video on YouTube.

Big tech has gone from having a powerful presence on our computers and phones to dominating Hollywood, catapulting executives into the spotlight. Amazon’s Jeff Bezos became a fixture at awards shows. Apple CEO Tim Cook was sitting next to Jennifer Aniston and Reese Witherspoon on Sunday at the Golden Globes. Hollywood stars, known for their activism surrounding issues like climate change and pro-choice efforts, might be more quiet about tech as they are now relying on them for their paychecks.

77th Golden Globe Awards - Arrivals - Beverly Hills, California, U.S., January 5, 2020 - Apple CEO Tim Cook . Picture taken January 5, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake
77th Golden Globe Awards - Arrivals - Beverly Hills, California, U.S., January 5, 2020 - Apple CEO Tim Cook . Picture taken January 5, 2020. REUTERS/Mike Blake

For its part, Apple, which manufactures most of its products in China, has been looking to diversify its supply chain amid the U.S. trade war with the world’s largest exporter in the world. The company’s manufacturing supply chain has employed 3 million people. Apple purports that 96% of those employees are in “compliance with Apple Working Hours Standards across all work weeks,” according to its latest “Supplier Responsibility” report.