Mattarella warns of tech tycoons invading state domains, threatens global disorder

Italian President Sergio Mattarella has expressed concern about the concentration of technological power in the hands of a small number of private individuals who are encroaching on traditionally state-controlled domains. Speaking at the COTEC Italian Innovation Society's annual symposium in Venice on Wednesday, Mattarella highlighted what he views as a troubling shift in global power dynamics.

Mattarella specifically criticized unnamed tech tycoons for entering sectors that were historically the responsibility of states and international treaty-designated organizations, with space exploration cited as a primary example. He argued that this concentration of control has made these private actors so powerful that they disregard established rules and norms, potentially overturning them entirely.

The Italian president framed the issue as one of legitimacy and international order. He described these emerging private actors as having "imponderable legitimacy," warning that their unchecked influence contributes to "a new international disorder." Mattarella emphasized that all human activities require established norms, codes of conduct, and grammatical structures—meaning rules and frameworks—to function properly within society.

Mattarella raised fundamental questions about state sovereignty, particularly concerning matters involving national security and citizens' rights. He stressed that clear issues of sovereignty arise when private entities operate in domains traditionally governed by public authority, especially in areas critical to societal security and individual protections. The president's remarks underscore growing concerns among world leaders about the need for international governance frameworks to regulate the expanding influence of private technology companies in global affairs.