'Unsubscribe From ChatGPT, Microsoft Office And Amazon Prime!' Anti-ICE Activists Urge Americans to Drop Big Tech

The power to shape policy rarely comes from marching alone — it comes from where Americans spend their money. As tensions escalate around the Trump administration's immigration enforcement tactics, a prominent marketing strategist is proposing an unconventional protest strategy that trades placards for passwords: a month-long boycott of America's biggest tech companies, beginning on Feb. 1.

The New Weapon in America's Anti-ICE Activism

Scott Galloway, a blunt-spoken professor of marketing at New York University, has become known for his scathing critiques of Big Tech. Rather than supporting traditional general strikes — which disproportionately hurt small business owners forced to choose between their principles and their payroll — Galloway is urging Americans to take aim at the companies whose CEOs whisper directly into President Trump's ear. The target list is telling: unsubscribe from OpenAI's ChatGPT, cancel Amazon Prime Video, ditch Microsoft Office.

'We're proposing something quieter and less cinematic than a protest that will run all day on cable TV, but much more disturbing to the Trump administration,' Galloway wrote in his call to action. 'A one-day slowdown is irritating. A one-month slump is terrifying.'

The strategy hinges on economic pressure where it matters most: shareholder valuations. The major tech CEOs have cultivated relationships with Trump during his second term — many donated to his inauguration, and AI executives like Sam Altman and Mark Zuckerberg attended a White House dinner to praise the president. Tim Cook and Andy Jassy made appearances at Trump's White House events at the height of January's anti-ICE protests. Supporting the AI industry is central to Trump's economic agenda, particularly in competition with China. Should these companies experience even modest dips in growth, Galloway argues, the ripple effect could reach the Oval Office itself.

Why Economic Boycotts Matter More Than Marches

The backdrop to this call is months of escalating tension over Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) tactics. Thousands marched through Minneapolis on Saturday, with anger reaching a crescendo in January following the deaths of Renee Good and Alex Pretti at the hands of federal immigration agents. Videos posted to social media offered undeniable documentation of what protesters claim were excessive force incidents — leaving the Trump administration little room for reinterpretation.

Those deaths sparked swift, if limited, action. The Department of Homeland Security demoted a Border Patrol commander within days and promised further changes. Trump himself claimed he'd negotiated with Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to reduce federal immigration agents in the state. Even Republican Senator Susan Collins secured assurances that ICE would dial back its operational surge in Maine.

Yet these concessions tell only half the story. Simultaneously, the acting director of ICE expanded agents' powers for warrantless searches — a move revealed through an internal memo obtained by The New York Times. The contradiction underscores Galloway's central point: protests capture attention, but they don't necessarily move markets. And in a capitalist system, markets move power.

'Real change always comes from the American people, not from our political parties. But power doesn't fear protests nearly as much as economic withdrawals,' Galloway insists. 'The most radical act in a capitalist society isn't marching — it's not spending.'

The February boycott tests that theory. Millions of small acts of consumer resistance could impact Trump's allies. Whether ordinary Americans embrace it and if it's more effective than street activism in the anti-ICE movement is uncertain. The pressure on immigration policy is changing, not subsiding.