Post by TORC Executive Marketing

Tech founders are torching their credibility with data center posts. (And they have no idea why the comments are brutal) The playbook they keep recycling: "We're powering the AI revolution" "Data centers mean jobs and economic development" "We're committed to renewable energy" Why they're getting blown up: (Read to the end founders, worth it) - 71% of Americans oppose data centers in their neighborhood. More opposition than nuclear plants ever faced. (Gallup, March 2026) - Electricity bills up 20-30% in some regions directly from data center demand - 16 state AGs investigating Amazon, Google, Meta, Microsoft for exaggerating clean energy claims - $156B in cancelled projects from community opposition in 2025 - A councilman who backed a project got 13 bullets through his home with a "No Data Centers" note The jobs pitch? Studies found most benefits come from construction jobs that disappear in 18 months. The workers usually aren't even local. What we advise tech founders and execs to do instead: Drop the jobs narrative without real numbers. Permanent roles, local percentages, actual wages. Acknowledge energy costs are going up. Say what you're doing about it or admit you don't have a good answer yet. Stop bragging about renewable credits. 16 AGs are calling that fraud. Either you have onsite generation or you don't. Lead with community benefit agreements. Own the parts that suck. The founders who lead with honesty now will be the ones still standing when the backlash peaks. 💽 What's the worst data center theme you've seen so far? Tell us ♻️ Repost for the founder who needs to hear this -------------------------------------------------- 👋 We're TORC. We start 60-80 of the right sales conversations for tech founders per month. DM us to get your LinkedIn positioning in order before GTM