Tech’s shift to Trump: all the companies and execs kissing the ring

By The Verge | Created at 2025-01-16 16:41:46 | Updated at 2025-01-16 19:42:24 3 hours ago

Elon Musk put outspoken support and an estimated $250 million of his own money behind getting Donald Trump re-elected as the 47th US president. It didn’t take long for other tech leaders to start schmoozing once the election was over. Multiple Silicon Valley figures and companies have now each donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration, with Musk, Amazon’s Jeff Bezos, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Apple’s Tim Cook, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and TikTok CEO Shou Chew all reportedly lined up to attend the event.

Companies like Meta, Apple, Microsoft, and Google stand to gain if the Trump administration is lenient with regulation and antitrust enforcement. Many tech leaders, including Zuckerberg, Pichai, Bezos, and Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, have already made the pilgrimage to Mar-a-Lago to discuss (and potentially influence) tech policies with Trump directly.

Musk’s early head start bagged him an advisory role alongside the incoming administration. Meanwhile, Zuckerberg — who Trump once threatened to imprison for life — has reset Meta by scrapping social media fact-checkers and restrictions on denigrating LGBTQ people, immigrants, and women. President Joe Biden used his farewell address to warn Americans about Silicon Valley’s political influence: “an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy,” he said.

Microsoft’s chief is cozying up to Trump.
Satya Nadella and Microsoft president Brad Smith joined Elon Musk, JD Vance, and the US President-elect on Wednesday to discuss cybersecurity, tech policy, and Microsoft’s pledge to invest $80 billion into global AI infrastructure.
Microsoft is among the list of tech companies and leaders that have each donated $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund, with many making similar appearances at his Mar-a-Lago estate.
Biden warns nation about the rise of American tech oligarchs
Some big concerns for Biden to raise in his final days in office.
Cath Virginia / The Verge | Photos from Getty Images, Nathan Howard
President Biden used his final public address from the Oval Office to warn the nation about the dangers presented by the spread of misinformation and power-hungry tech leaders.
“Today, an oligarchy is taking shape in America of extreme wealth, power, and influence that literally threatens our entire democracy, our basic rights and freedoms, and a fair shot for everyone to get ahead.”
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TikTok and Google CEOs will also kiss the ring.
In addition to Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, and Tim Cook reportedly attending Trump’s inauguration on Monday, it now seems that Google’s Sundar Pichai will be attending as well.
Importantly, TikTok CEO Shou Chew is also expected to sit in a position of honor on the dais alongside former presidents and family members. Trump has vowed to save the app facing a US ban.
Apple CEO Tim Cook will reportedly be at Trump’s inauguration, too.
He’ll be seated “alongside other major tech executives,” The New York Times reports. Unclear how close he’ll be to Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg.
Zuckerberg will also help host a party on Inauguration Day, the NYT says.
Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Mark Zuckerberg will all sit together at Donald Trump’s inauguration.
Wonder what their small talk will be like.
What does Mark Zuckerberg want from Donald Trump?
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge, Getty Images
At this point, it’s pretty clear what Donald Trump wants from Mark Zuckerberg. But what does Zuckerberg, who has now gone to Mar-a-Lago twice since the November election, want from the President-elect?
That’s the question I’ve been asking sources in and around Meta over the last several days. They all described Meta’s relationship with the outgoing Biden administration as incredibly hostile. It’s safe to assume that Zuckerberg wants a reset for the MAGA regime, especially since Trump threatened not that long ago to imprison him for life.
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Meta’s fact-checking changes are just what Trump’s FCC head asked for
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge
I have to commend Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his new policy chief Joel Kaplan on their timing. It’s not hugely surprising that, as the pair announced early today, Meta is giving up on professional third-party fact-checking. The operator of Facebook, Instagram, and Threads has been backing off moderation recently, and fact-checking has always been contentious. But it’s probably smart to do it two weeks before President-elect Donald Trump takes office — and nominates a Federal Communications Commission head who’s threatened the company over it.
Trump’s FCC chairman pick (and current FCC commissioner), Brendan Carr, is a self-identified free speech defender with a creative interpretation of the First Amendment. In mid-November, as part of a flurry of lightly menacing missives to various entities, Carr sent a letter to Meta, Apple, Google, and Microsoft attacking the companies’ fact-checking programs.
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Meta appoints new Trump-friendly policy chief
Image: Cath Virginia / The Verge; Getty Images
Meta is shaking up its policy team ahead of President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration, with global policy head Nick Clegg stepping down after seven years at the company. He’ll be replaced by Joel Kaplan, a prominent Republican and Meta’s current vice president of policy.
In a post on Facebook, Clegg says it’s the “right time” for him to leave Meta, adding that he’ll spend the next few months “handing over the reins” to Kaplan. “Joel is quite clearly the right person for the right job at the right time — ideally placed to shape the company’s strategy as societal and political expectations around technology continue to evolve,” Clegg says.
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Elon Musk spent New Year’s Eve at Mar-a-Lago.
A video captured Musk with his son at a party held by President-elect Donald Trump. Musk has been staying in a cottage on Trump’s property since around Election Day, according to The New York Times.
Musk “cock-blocked” Bezos at Trump dinner.
The New York Times says president Musk “was not initially expected to be part of the dinner but joined as it was underway.” Images originally shared on a now deleted Instagram story from a person who is reportedly “at Mar-a-lago a lot,” described the scene as follows:
“At 8:30 PM Musk appears out of nowhere and sits himself down and Bezos looks completely caught off guard and uncomfortable like he had been cock-blocked... The tension between Musk and Bezos known rivals is palpable as they do their best to engage politely but clearly have no love for each other...”
Sam Altman is donating to Trump’s inauguration, too.
Amazon, Meta, and now OpenAI.
Amazon is donating $1 million to Trump’s inauguration.
According to The Wall Street Journal:
Bezos and the company decided on the contribution earlier this week, and communicated it to Trump’s team, according to some of the people. “Bezos is donating through Amazon,” according to a person close to Bezos. Amazon also will stream the inauguration through its Prime Video business, a separate, in-kind donation valued at $1 million, another of the people said.
Major donors will get tickets to Trump’s inauguration, according to The New York Times. Meta has also donated $1 million to the inauguration fund.
Jeff Bezos is dining with Donald Trump.
Trump mentioned his dinner with the billionaire Amazon founder and Washington Post owner during his interview with Kristen Welker for Meet the Press today, according to NBC News.
He’s heard from Jeff Bezos, founder of Amazon and owner of The Washington Post: “We’re having dinner,” he said.
Bezos, who didn’t get along with the President-elect before, recently said he feels “optimistic” about his second term.
Jeff Bezos says he’s ‘very optimistic this time around’ about Trump
Jeff Bezos.
Laura Normand / The Verge
Jeff Bezos and President-elect Donald Trump famously didn’t get along the last time Trump was in the White House. This time, Bezos says he’s “very optimistic” and even wants to help out.
“I’m actually very optimistic this time around,” Bezos said of Trump during a rare public appearance at The New York Times DealBook Summit on Wednesday. “He seems to have a lot of energy around reducing regulation. If I can help him do that, I’m going to help him.”
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Mark Zuckerberg had dinner with Donald Trump at Mar-a-Lago
Mark Zuckerberg.
The Verge | Photo by Tom Williams via Getty Images
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg met President-elect Donald Trump for dinner at Mar-a-Lago on Wednesday.
“It’s an important time for the future of American Innovation,” Meta spokesperson Andy Stone said in a statement shared with The Verge. “Mark was grateful for the invitation to join President Trump for dinner and the opportunity to meet with members of his team about the incoming Administration.”
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