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As president-elect Donald Trump prepares to take the oath of office for a second term, he will see several leaders from Big Tech cheering on the stands for him. Even ones that have formerly been his critic.
Several top tech leaders are making amends and even donating to his inauguration fund. This shift in dynamics is largely driven by the tech industry's desire to influence policy decisions and avoid regulatory backlash.
Trump himself has taken notice of this change, saying, "The first term, everybody was fighting me... In this term, everybody wants to be my friend. I don't know, my personality changed or something."
Tech CEOs are flocking to Trump's side due to the looming prospect of Congress discussing regulations on social media safeguards for children and artificial intelligence. Additionally, major tech companies like Meta, Apple, Amazon, and Alphabet are facing antitrust lawsuits, accused of monopolistic practices. This shift in allegiance is likely a strategic move to influence policy decisions and avoid further regulatory backlash.
The list of tech CEOs attending Trump's inauguration is a veritable who's who of industry giants, including Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Sam Altman, Sundar Pichai, Shou Chew, and Tim Cook. These leaders are eager to establish a positive relationship with the incoming administration, particularly given the regulatory challenges they face.
As Deepwater Asset Management managing partner Gene Munster told Yahoo Finance, "Tech companies have understood over the past five years that Washington is a bigger X factor in their future, and so there's just a natural willingness to work more closely with the administration."
Here's a list of CEOs who have come out in support of Trump, despite not being on good terms with him in the past.
Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Meta, has completely transformed his approach towards Donald Trump. From banning the president-elect from Meta platforms to pleasing him through policy shifts, his journey from tech to politics is an interesting one to follow. Meta has also decided to end its fact-checking program and shift to a community notes model, one like X uses.
Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, met Trump for dinner at his residence last month. While the latter's passionate priority of imposing tariffs on China is set to have an effect on Apple, Cook has a history of protecting the interest of his company over Trump's political priorities, per a US News report.
Jeff Bezos, the CEO of Amazon, also does not find himself very far from the other tech bros. He has admitted that he's "very optimistic" about a second Trump term and joined the president-elect for a dinner with Musk, for a "great conversation", and has promised to stream Trump's inauguration on Amazon Prime video along with donating a million dollars to his inaugural fund.
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has not wasted much time in trying to forge a relationship with Trump despite not having as long a history as his other counterparts. He has also donated a million dollars to the inaugural fund. Altman has said that Trump has the ability to handle AI and to provide the infrastructure needed to keep the US ahead of China with respect to Artificial Intelligence. "President Trump will lead our country into the age of AI, and I am eager to support his efforts to ensure America stays ahead," Altman said in a statement.
Apart from this, Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google, has admitted that Trump can make a difference to the AI scene. "I think there are real areas where I think he's thinking about and committed to making a difference," he said during the New York Times DealBook Summit. Moreover, he is among the Big Tech leaders planning to attend Trump's inauguration per Reuters.
Even Shou Chew, CEO of TikTok, is banking on Trump to save the social media platform from being banned in the US. Additionally, he will also be joining the other tech CEOs, as an invite went out from the Trump Vance Inaugural Committee, according to NYT.
These tech leaders are not just taking a seat at the inauguration of president-elect Donald Trump, but with it, hoping to save a seat at the table where policies get shaped.