Big Tech has replaced Big Oil as Public Enemy No. 1, according to Kaes Van’t Hof, chief executive of Diamondback Energy. He stated that the technology industry now faces more community pressure than Big Oil due to backlash against data centres, while energy is gaining acceptance as a critical and respectable sector. Van’t Hof noted that young people increasingly view oil as a well-paid, long-term career, especially at the intersection of AI and energy.

He said, “Could energy be cool? Yeah, maybe. Now it is the tech guys who are seen as the villains.” Van’t Hof, who became CEO of Diamondback Energy in May 2025, is a 40-year-old former professional tennis player who transitioned from investment banking to the oil industry via Bison Drilling and Field Services in 2010. His comments reflect a shift in public perception, with energy no longer seen as a dying industry but as vital and cool, while Big Tech bears the brunt of public criticism.