Since his victory in the 2024 US presidential election, Donald Trump has watched Big Tech leaders scramble to benefit from him.
While some tech giants have announced major changes to their content moderation practices to protect free speech, others are calling it a wake-up call by scaling back their DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion) programs. ‘ he tried to fight.
Big Tech leaders have all visited President Trump’s Mar-a-Lago mansion in recent weeks in hopes of influencing future technology policy, with most dropping $1 million into Trump’s inaugural fund. Donating dollars.
“Today, an oligarchy with extreme wealth, power, and influence has taken shape in America that literally threatens our entire democracy, our fundamental rights and freedoms, and everyone’s fair chance to advance.” Outgoing US President Joe Biden warned in a speech. Final address in the country before leaving public office.
Industry giants like Tesla’s Elon Musk, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Apple’s Tim Cook, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella. I got a front row seat at President Trump’s swearing-in ceremony on Monday, January 20th in Washington, DC. .
Here’s how Big Tech and its CEOs are rebuilding their relationship with Trump as he begins his second term as the 47th president of the United States.
meta mark zuckerberg
Following the January 6, 2021, riot at the U.S. Capitol, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg expressed concern about further incitement of violence and posted comments on then-President Trump’s Facebook and Instagram accounts. (The ban was lifted in 2023).
Until last year, President Trump had repeatedly said that the tech billionaire should be jailed for his alleged role in Facebook’s 2020 presidential election and his personal contributions to mail-in voting.
Since then, however, Mr. Zuckerberg appears to have developed a good relationship with Mr. Trump. He had praised Trump after the assassination attempt against him. Shortly after Trump’s election victory, Zuckerberg was seen dining with the president at his Mar-a-Lago mansion.
Meta bosses have named Joel Kaplan, a Trump-friendly Republican, to lead the company’s new global policy team. Dana White, a close Trump ally and CEO of Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), was appointed to Meta’s board of directors. Zuckerberg also donated $1 million to President Trump’s inaugural fund in December.
Mr Zuckerberg’s move to mend relations with Mr Trump can be seen in the context of the US Federal Trade Commission’s antitrust case challenging Meta’s acquisition of WhatsApp and Instagram. The trial is scheduled to begin in April this year. A ban on TikTok would have also directly benefited Meta’s platform, but President Trump now appears to be favoring the ByteDance-owned app.
Google’s Sundar Pichai
During his first term as president, Trump accused Google of rigging search results to show only negative news coverage about him. He claimed that the company’s search engine was “hiding useful information and news” and that this was a “very serious situation” that would be “addressed”.
Google has denied the accusations and said its search engine is not biased “to any political ideology.”
However, after his 2024 victory, Trump claimed that Google CEO Sundar Pichai called him multiple times. Pichai also met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago last month and announced he would donate $1 million to his startup fund.
Pichai’s attempt to smooth over Google’s checkered history with President Trump could be seen as a strategic move to navigate antitrust law against the company. The tech giant is on the verge of dissolution after a U.S. district court ruled it held an illegal monopoly in search and text advertising. A second antitrust lawsuit involving Google’s advertising business is also expected to be decided this year.
Amazon’s Jeff Bezos
Trump has not been silent about his distaste for Amazon. He accused e-commerce giants of paying too little in taxes, which he said made the U.S. Postal Service “stupid and poor.”
But Amazon’s billionaire founder Jeff Bezos said he was “very optimistic” about this time. “[Trump]seems to be putting a lot of energy into cutting regulations. If I can help him, I’m going to help him,” Bezos said at an event last December. .
The owner of The Washington Post has reportedly blocked the paper from endorsing Kamala Harris, President Trump’s Democratic opponent in the 2024 presidential election. Mr. Bezos was also seen having dinner with Mr. Trump last year. Amazon, along with other tech companies, donated $1 million to Trump’s fund.
Mr. Bezo’s companies have many interests with the incoming Trump administration, including the FTC’s antitrust lawsuit against Amazon. His space company, Blue Origin, will also compete for U.S. government contracts with rival SpaceX, owned by Elon Musk.
Apple’s Tim Cook
Unlike other Big Tech leaders, Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly developed a personal relationship with President Trump during his first term. He appealed directly to President Trump in 2019, asking him to lift new tariffs on Chinese imports that hurt the iPhone maker’s business.
“Tim (Cook) was talking to me about tariffs and made a good case that Samsung is the biggest competitor and Samsung is not paying the tariffs. (…) He made a very persuasive argument. I thought I did that, so I’m thinking about that,” Trump said at the time.
After Trump won the 2024 presidential election, Cook gathered at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago resort to congratulate the president. He also donated $1 million to the Presidential Inaugural Committee.
According to his campaign speech, President Trump could restart the trade war with China by imposing tariffs of 60 to 100 percent on Chinese goods. This will have a big impact on companies like Apple, which rely heavily on Chinese-made devices and components. But Mr. Cook’s close relationship with Mr. Trump could work to Apple’s advantage in this area.
Microsoft’s Satya Nadella
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella also appears to have a healthy relationship with Trump, reportedly donating $500,000 to Trump’s first inauguration. President Trump met with Nadella several times during his last visit to the White House. Nadella was also involved in negotiations to acquire TikTok in 2020, when President Trump was trying to ban the app in the United States.
“Congratulations, President Trump, we look forward to working with you and your administration to innovate and create new growth and opportunity for the United States and the world,” Nadella wrote in a post on I look forward to promoting it.”
Last week, Nadella and Microsoft President Brad Smith reportedly had lunch with Trump, Vice President J.D. Vance and Elon Musk.
The meeting will discuss cybersecurity, technology policy, Microsoft’s $80 billion plan to invest in AI infrastructure around the world, and “creating new American jobs for American workers and creating new American jobs at home and abroad.” “Improving competitiveness” was discussed, the company said.
Microsoft has a lot to gain (or lose) from a changing of the guard in the White House. The U.S. government is one of the company’s largest customers for its Windows operating system and Office software. Microsoft’s ambition to build an AI data center also relies on support from federal and state government agencies.
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