Tech giants seek to win Trump's heart
Tech giants such as Meta, Open AI, and Amazon simultaneously contributed money to the fund in charge of spending on the inauguration of US President-elect Donald Trump.
On December 13 (local time), Amazon became the latest technology "giant" to contribute to the fund in charge of President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration spending.
Specifically, this company announced plans to contribute $1 million to the fund, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Before Amazon, Meta - the parent company of a series of popular social networks such as Facebook and Instagram contributed $1 million to Mr. Trump's "inauguration fund".
On December 13, Fox News reported that Open AI CEO Sam Altman said he would personally contribute $1 million to the fund. On the eve of President-elect Trump's inauguration, tech giants are trying to "woo" the billionaire, hoping that their companies will be more "favored" and "easier to breathe" in his next four-year term.
Meta donated $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund to mend relations
According to the Guardian, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is expected to meet with Trump next week. Similarly, it is also reported that Google CEO Sundar Pichai is planning to meet with the President-elect this week. Previously, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had dinner with Mr. Trump at the Mar-a-Lago mansion in Florida last month.
"President Trump will lead our country into the era of artificial intelligence (AI) technology and I look forward to receiving his support to ensure America remains at the forefront of technology," Open AI chief Altman told the Guardian.
According to this newspaper, it is common for large businesses and companies to contribute to the fund in charge of spending on the inauguration ceremony because every company wants to be friends with the new government to receive more benefits or privileges.
Amazon donated $57,746 to the fund in charge of Trump's inauguration spending in 2017. Both Google and Microsoft also contributed to this fund when Mr. Trump was elected in the last term. Meanwhile, according to Amazon's disclosure, President Joe Biden's administration did not receive similar fund contributions from technology companies when he took office in 2021
The New York Times reports that Trump is rolling out perks for companies that contribute at least $1 million to his inauguration committee. These perks include a number of tickets to activities within the framework of the inauguration such as attending a dinner party with Mr. Trump.
The relationship between Mr. Trump and technology corporations was not very smooth. During his first presidency, Trump criticized major U.S. tech corporations for discriminating against him.
