Several tech moguls, including Bezos and Zuckerberg, received top seats at Trump’s inauguration, hinting at a new alliance.
It’s interesting because they were sitting ahead of Trump’s cabinet picks and Republican lawmakers. This could mean they’re looking to team up with him for his next term.
Along with Bezos and Zuckerberg, Elon Musk was there too, along with Apple’s Tim Cook, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman.
What’s different this time is how these tech leaders are showing support for Trump. Last time around, many of them kept their distance from him.
During the inauguration, Trump spoke to the crowd while Vice-President JD Vance and House Speaker Mike Johnson stood by.
Now, when it comes to donations, Musk has been the standout, pouring in hundreds of millions to back Trump. But the others have been more balanced, giving to both sides over the years.
For instance, a PAC linked to Meta has been donating almost equally to Democrats and Republicans since 2016.
Google’s PAC also gave more to Republicans in 2016, but that gap shrank significantly by 2024. They also spent less overall in 2024 compared to previous years.
As for Tim Cook, he’s been a bit of a mixed bag. He gave small donations to Trump in 2020 and 2024 but was more generous to Hillary Clinton in 2016 and Joe Biden in 2020.
