Google and Microsoft Contribute $1M Each to Trump's Inaugural Fund.

Major technology companies are emulating the paths taken by other significant firms, such as Amazon, Meta, OpenAI, and Uber.

Google and Microsoft have each contributed $1 million to Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, joining the ranks of other prominent corporations such as Amazon, Meta, OpenAI, and Uber.

“Google is pleased to support the 2025 inauguration, with a livestream on YouTube and a direct link on our homepage. We’re also donating to the inaugural committee,” Karan Bhatia, Google’s global head of government affairs and public policy said on Thursday.

The technology corporation made a contribution on Monday, as reported by CNBC. José Castaneda, a representative from Google, informed the publication that the organization has previously contributed to inauguration funds and has also hosted livestreams of inauguration events.

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A spokesperson for Microsoft confirmed the company's donation to Trump's inaugural fund in a statement to Bloomberg on Thursday. The organization contributed $500,000 each to Trump's inauguration in 2017 and to Joe Biden's inauguration in 2021, according to Bloomberg.

Numerous other prominent companies have made substantial donations to Trump's inauguration fund in the past month; these funds will support events and activities associated with the ceremony. Amazon, Meta, and OpenAI's CEO Sam Altman have all contributed $1 million, along with Toyota and Uber.

These contributions have enabled Trump's inaugural committee to amass a record $170 million in donations, seemingly as a strategy by technology giants to gain favor with Trump in anticipation of his second term. In contrast, Joe Biden's inauguration raised $63 million in 2021, while Barack Obama's inaugurations garnered $53 million in 2009 and $42 million in 2013.

Trump has maintained a contentious relationship with prominent technology executives and their companies, whom he has accused of exhibiting liberal bias and engaging in politically motivated suppression of content. In September, he threatened to instruct the Justice Department to pursue criminal charges against Google, alleging that the company had amplified negative coverage of him during his presidential campaign.

However, as his inauguration approached, both Trump and several technology giants appeared to undergo a shift in tone, marking a significant change from their previous criticisms of him related to the events of January 6.

Following Trump's victory in November, Google’s CEO Sundar Pichai, who had earlier described the January 6 riots as “the antithesis of democracy,” extended his congratulations to Trump for his “decisive victory.”

During a press conference last month, Trump said: “The first time everybody was fighting me… This time everyone wants to be my friend.”

In other developments within the technology sector this week, Meta's CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who previously stated in 2021 that Trump "should be responsible for his words," has declared that the company will eliminate fact-checkers and significantly decrease censorship on its platforms.

Zuckerberg further indicated that Meta will enhance the visibility of political content across its platforms, including Facebook, Instagram, and Threads.

In a discussion with CNBC last December, Brendan Glavin, the director of research at OpenSecrets, a non-profit organization focused on money in politics based in Washington, D.C., remarked that Trump's inauguration presents a “great opportunity for them to curry favor with the incoming administration”.

“None of these people, they don’t want to be Trump’s punching bag for four years,” he added.

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The significant contributions made by tech giants like Google and Microsoft to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund raise concerns about corporate influence in politics. Despite the ongoing tensions between Trump and tech companies, these donations seem to indicate a shift towards aligning with the incoming administration.

While companies may argue that such donations are made to gain favor, they could be seen as an attempt to avoid scrutiny or potential regulatory backlash. This financial support for an administration with a controversial past risks undermining public trust in the neutrality of corporations, particularly in an increasingly polarized political climate.