Google and Microsoft are reportedly the latest Big Tech firms to donate money to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund.
CNBC reported on Thursday that Alphabet Inc., Google had donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund earlier in the week.
Bloomberg reported that Microsoft was also donating money to the fund.
Google is proud to support the 2025 Inauguration, by providing a livestream via YouTube and a link on our home page. In a press release, Karan Bhatia said that Google would also donate to the inaugural committee.
CNBC reports that Google, Microsoft, Apple, Meta, Amazon, and OpenAI are among the tech companies that have contributed to this campaign. Meta and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also announced donations of $1 million. Axios reports that Cook will personally donate one million dollars.
Google’s spokesperson told CNBC the company had donated to previous inaugurals. YouTube’s livestream, as well as the inauguration link that appears on its homepage, are also in line with past inaugurations.
Uber Technologies’ CEO Dara Khorowshahi and a spokesperson for the company each contributed $1 million to the fund’s inaugural phase, Reuters reported.
Big Tech chiefs — including Cook, Altman, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, and Amazon’s Jeff Bezos — have joined a parade of business and world leaders in trying to improve their standing with Trump before he takes office in January.
Trump stated in remarks made at Mar-a-Lago that “in the first term, everyone was against me.” “This term, everyone wants to be my friend.”
Trump indicated late last year that he wouldn’t rule out antitrust enforcement. This could directly affect Google.
A U.S. District Judge ruled in August that Google had illegally held a monopoly on search and text advertisements. In November, the arguments in a second case involving Google’s advertising business came to an end. A verdict is still pending.
“Big Tech is out of control. It has been stifling the competition in our most creative sector for years and, as we know, it uses its market power against so many Americans’ rights, including those of Little Tech! Trump posted a message on Truth Social on Dec. 4.