In a surprising display of loyalty, tech industry giants such as Meta, Amazon, and OpenAI have pledged $1 million donations to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural committee. The move marks a significant shift in the tech industry’s approach to politics, as many Silicon Valley billionaires had previously been critical of Mr. Trump.
The billionaire group has made over seven-figure checks to support Trump’s transition into office, with prominent figures such as Sundar Pichai, Google’s CEO, and Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, meeting with the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago.
This move is seen as a significant departure from the tech industry’s previous reluctance to engage in politics. Until recently, companies had largely stayed out of the fray, but the latest developments indicate that many tech leaders are now eager to work with Mr. Trump.
Some notable tech executives have joined forces to help staff the new administration and reduce regulations in industries like artificial intelligence (A.I.) and cryptocurrencies. These include Mark Pincus, founder of Zynga, David Marcus, former Meta executive, and Peter Thiel, a prominent tech investor.
However, not all is smooth sailing for the tech industry’s support for Trump. There have been reports of tension between Mr. Trump’s administration and tech leaders, with some disagreeing over whether there should be two separate advisory bodies to advise the president on crypto and A.I.
Despite these tensions, many in the tech community remain optimistic about working with Mr. Trump, citing his promises of tax cuts and deregulation as a boon for businesses. Others, such as Daniel Gross, an executive at Ripple, plan to volunteer their services to the crypto advisory council.
The latest move by Silicon Valley giants has raised eyebrows, but it’s clear that the tech industry is now fully invested in Mr. Trump’s presidency.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2024/12/14/technology/trump-tech-amazon-meta-openai.html