Washington:
As President-elect Donald Trump prepares to take the oath of office for a second term, you’ll likely see several Big Tech leaders in the stands cheering him on. Even those who were once his critics.
Several top leaders in the technology industry have made amends and even donated to his inaugural fund. This shift in dynamics is largely driven by the technology industry’s desire to influence policy decisions and avoid regulatory backlash.
Trump himself has noticed this change, saying, “In my first term, everyone was fighting me…This term, everyone wants to be my friend. I don’t know, has my personality changed? It’s something.”
Tech CEOs are flocking to Mr. Trump’s side as Congress looks to debate regulations on social media protections for children and artificial intelligence. Additionally, major tech companies such as Meta, Apple, Amazon, and Alphabet are facing antitrust lawsuits for monopolistic practices. This shift in loyalty is likely a strategic move to influence policy decisions and avoid further regulatory backlash.
The list of tech CEOs attending President Trump’s inauguration includes Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, Sundar Pichai, Hsu Chiu and Tim Cook. The list includes some of the biggest names in the industry, such as Mr. These leaders are committed to building a positive relationship with the incoming administration, especially given the regulatory challenges they face.
Gene Munster, managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management, told Yahoo Finance that over the past five years, “tech companies have realized that Washington is a bigger X-factor for their futures. So there is a natural desire to work more closely with the administration.”
Below is a list of CEOs who have expressed support for Trump despite not having a good relationship with him in the past.
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg has completely changed his approach to Donald Trump. His journey from technology to politics has been interesting to follow, from banning the president-elect from his meta-platform to pleasing him through policy shifts. Meta also decided to end its fact-checking program and move to the community notes model used by X.
Apple CEO Tim Cook attended a dinner with Trump at his official residence last month. The latter’s fervent priorities for imposing tariffs on China are likely to have an impact on Apple, according to a US News report, but Cook has a history of protecting his company’s interests over President Trump’s political priorities. There is.
Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos doesn’t think he’s that far removed from other tech companies either. He admitted he was “very optimistic” about Trump’s second term, attended a dinner with the president-elect and Musk and had a “great conversation,” and donated $1 million to Amazon. Prime Video has promised to stream President Trump’s inauguration. to his first fund.
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman didn’t waste much time cultivating a relationship with Trump, even though he doesn’t have as long a history as other CEOs. He also donated $1 million to the founding fund. Altman said Trump has the ability to work with AI and provide the infrastructure needed to keep the United States ahead of China when it comes to artificial intelligence. “President Trump will lead our nation into the AI era, and I look forward to supporting his efforts to ensure America stays ahead,” Altman said in a statement.
Separately, Google CEO Sundar Pichai acknowledged that President Trump can bring about change in the AI world. “I think there are real areas where I think he’s thinking and working to make a difference,” he told The New York Times’ Dealbook Summit. Additionally, according to Reuters, he is among the leaders of major technology companies scheduled to attend President Trump’s inauguration.
Even TikTok CEO Hsu Chu is counting on President Trump to keep the social media platform from being banned in the US. In addition, he will join other tech CEOs at the invitation from the Trump-Vance inaugural committee, according to the NYT.
These technology industry leaders want to not only have a seat at President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, but also to be present at the inauguration, hoping to secure a seat at the policy-making table.
