NEW YORK – One after another, United States of America tech giants have bowed to president-elect Donald Trump, with Meta, Amazon and OpenAI each pledging US$1 million to his inauguration fund. On 20 January, Trump will kick off his second term, with the promise to drain the bloated federal government.
OpenAI recently confirmed that CEO Sam Altman intends to make a personal donation of US$1 million, following reports that Meta, the parent company of Instagram and Facebook, has already contributed US$1 million to the fund. Amazon has also promised US$1 million to the fund.
Meanwhile, Google CEO Sundar Pichai has an upcoming meeting scheduled with Trump. Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff, remarking on his relationship with Trump, said “We are turning the page,” while Time, the publication he owns, named Trump “Person of Year.”
Meanwhile, Elon Musk, the world’s richest man and CEO of X, Tesla and SpaceX, has become a regular presence by Trump’s side at Mar-a-Lago. He spent US$277 million to help get Trump elected.
As part of the power game, many in Silicon Valley view billionaire Musk’s role as an adviser in the Trump administration as a line into the White House. Musk has vowed to drastically cut government regulations, which has been applauded by many in the tech industry.
Taken together, the donations and other celebratory gestures showcase an industry kissing the ring of an incoming president in hopes of something in return, Margaret O’Mara, a Silicon Valley historian at the University of Washington, told National Public Radio.
“It’s just a recognition that there’s not much to be gained in outspoken opposition, but perhaps there is something to be gained by being very clear about your support and hope that Trump does well,” she said.
To a multi-trillion-dollar company, a 1-million-dollar donation amounts to “a rounding error,” noted the historian. But companies are eager for Trump not to regulate sectors like artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency, where “many of them have made personal and as businesses, major investments.”
Corporations have traditionally made up a large share of donors to US presidential inaugurals, with an exception in 2009, when then-president-elect Barack Obama refused to accept corporate donations. He reversed course for his second inaugural in 2013.
– Xinhua/Nampa
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