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💻💰🤝👹🇺🇸 Tech moguls Altman, Bezos and Zuckerberg donate to Trump’s inauguration fund

🤖 AI Summary

🚀 Tech industry leaders have made significant contributions to President Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, signaling a notable shift in their relationship with the new administration. 🤝

Specific issues covered include:

  • 💰 Donations to Inauguration Fund: 🧑‍💻 Sam Altman (OpenAI CEO), 📦 Jeff Bezos (Amazon founder), and 📱 Mark Zuckerberg (Meta CEO) each pledged 1 million each from their companies.
  • 🏛️ Attendance at Inauguration: 🧑‍💼 Top technology company CEOs, including 📦 Jeff Bezos, 🔎 Sundar Pichai (Google), 📱 Mark Zuckerberg, 🎵 Shou Chew (TikTok), 🚗 Elon Musk (Tesla), 🍎 Tim Cook (Apple), 🧑‍💻 Sam Altman (OpenAI), and 🚕 Dara Khosrowshahi (Uber), were scheduled to attend or have attended Trump’s second inauguration.
  • 🤔 Reasons for Donations/Support:
    • 🤝 The donations are seen as an “effort to patch up previously contentious relationships” between some Silicon Valley executives and Trump.
    • 💡 Many in Silicon Valley hope that Trump will “loosen regulations, particularly in sectors like artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency.”
    • ⚙️ Elon Musk’s role as an adviser in the Trump administration is viewed as a “possible avenue for tech executives to gain influence.”
    • 🤖 Sam Altman expressed enthusiasm for Trump’s leadership, stating, “President Trump will lead our country into the age of AI, and I am eager to support his efforts to ensure America stays ahead.” 🇺🇸
    • 🗣️ Margaret O’Mara, a tech industry historian, noted that the donations reflect 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.” 💯
  • 🔄 Past Tensions and Shifts:
    • 🍽️ Mark Zuckerberg, who previously banned Trump from Facebook, dined with the former president at Mar-a-Lago.
    • 📦 Amazon previously donated 58,000 to Trump’s 2017 fund, and will now stream Trump’s inauguration on Prime Video. 🎬
    • 📢 Trump had publicly criticized Jeff Bezos and The Washington Post, which Bezos owns, and the 🏢 Pentagon awarded a contract to Microsoft over Amazon in 2019. ⚖️

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