From Meta to Amazon to Altman, Silicon Valley giants are busy "donating" loyalty to Trump

As former U.S. President Donald Trump is set to return to the White House, Silicon Valley tycoons are rushing to donate to him to show their loyalty. Previously, companies including Amazon and Facebook's parent company Meta have already donated to Trump, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has also joined this camp, donating $1 million to Trump's team.

Trump has long accused large tech companies of various abuses, including censorship of conservative media. After winning the election in November, executives from large tech companies rushed to congratulate Trump, contrasting sharply with their more cautious attitude during his first term. Analysts believe this reflects tech companies' efforts to ease pressure on issues such as antitrust, transactions, and artificial intelligence.

Altman Donates $1 Million in Personal Capacity

Fox News reported on Friday that Altman plans to donate $1 million to Trump's presidential inauguration committee in his personal capacity, rather than through OpenAI directly.

In a written statement, Altman said, "President Trump will lead our country into the era of artificial intelligence, and I look forward to supporting his efforts to ensure that America remains at the forefront."

Earlier this month, in an interview with the media, he expressed his eagerness to work with the incoming Trump administration and emphasized the "extremely important" role of the U.S. and its allies in building the infrastructure to support cutting-edge AI development.

"Artificial intelligence is somewhat different from other types of software; it requires a lot of infrastructure, energy, computing chips, and data centers. We need to build these facilities domestically. We need to have the best AI infrastructure in the world to maintain our lead in technology and capability. I believe President Trump will excel in this regard."

Altman further discussed the importance of AI in U.S. national security in other interviews.

"This is an extremely high-risk competition. AI is already among us, and it will profoundly impact many of our activities... The U.S. must maintain its lead in AI innovation. This technology will be used by our adversaries, and we must leverage it to assist the U.S. military."

Amazon Donates $1 Million and Will Live Stream Inauguration

Amazon confirmed on Thursday that it will donate $1 million in cash to Trump's inauguration fund, and Amazon will also broadcast Trump's inauguration ceremony on its Prime Video service.

Additionally, according to The Wall Street Journal, Amazon Executive Chairman and Founder Jeff Bezos plans to visit Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort next week.

During Trump's first term, he had multiple conflicts with Amazon, accusing it of driving other companies out of business and criticizing its tax policies. In 2018, Trump also ordered a review of the U.S. Postal Service's (USPS) package delivery pricing, accusing the postal service of acting as Amazon's "delivery person." During the Biden administration, Amazon faced increased pressure, with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and several states filing antitrust lawsuits against the company last year. The FTC is also investigating the partnerships between major cloud service providers, including Amazon, and generative artificial intelligence.

This summer, after Trump's first assassination attempt, Bezos praised him on the X platform for showing "extraordinary grace and courage under real fire."

Additionally, the Washington Post, owned by Bezos, prevented the editorial board from endorsing Trump's opponent Kamala Harris in October. However, he denied that this decision was part of a deal between Trump and his rocket company Blue Origin, which competes with Musk's SpaceX, a staunch supporter of Trump.

Meta's "Kneeling"

Before Amazon made its donation, Meta, led by Mark Zuckerberg, also donated $1 million to Trump's inauguration event fund in an attempt to repair the company's strained relationship with Trump. This donation marked Meta's first contribution to an inauguration fund.

The relationship between Trump and Zuckerberg has been tense, especially after Meta marked and removed some content from the then-president in 2020 and suspended his account following the Capitol riots on January 6, 2021. Trump had previously accused Facebook of censoring right-wing voices.

In July of this year, Trump warned that if elected again, he would "hold accountable the election fraudsters" and send them "to prison for a long time," adding, "Zuckerbergs, be careful!" This was clearly a direct warning to Zuckerberg. That month, Meta lifted the restrictions on Trump's Facebook and Instagram accounts.

Earlier this year, Zuckerberg began to express his desire for Meta to remain "politically neutral" and reduced the prominence of political content in its applications.

In the months leading up to the election, Zuckerberg referred to Trump's reaction to an assassination attempt as "badass" and wrote to the Republican-led House Judiciary Committee, accusing the Biden administration of pressuring Meta multiple times during the pandemic to "censor" certain Covid-19-related content.

Recently, after Trump's victory, Zuckerberg dined with Trump at Mar-a-Lago in Florida. Meta subsequently stated that Zuckerberg "appreciated" the invitation and added, "This is an important moment for the future of innovation in America."

Last week, Meta's global affairs head Nick Clegg admitted that the company "went a bit overboard" in censoring pandemic-related content, a statement seemingly aimed at alleviating the president-elect's concerns on the issue. Clegg also stated that Zuckerberg is eager to "actively participate" in any government discussions necessary to maintain America's leadership in technology, including discussions in areas like artificial intelligence

Trump Essentially Gains Support from Silicon Valley

Trump previously believed that Silicon Valley leaned left, but since he won the election last month, Silicon Valley executives have taken action to seek his support.

Key figures in the tech industry are also taking on important roles in the Trump administration. Billionaire Elon Musk has become one of Trump's closest advisors. He donated tens of millions of dollars to Trump's campaign, and Trump has appointed Musk to lead a task force reviewing the efficiency of government bureaucracy for comprehensive reform. Additionally, Silicon Valley investor and a core member of Musk's circle, David Sacks, has been appointed as the new administration's head of artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency affairs.

Furthermore, Sundar Pichai and Tim Cook, the CEOs of Google and Apple respectively, quickly congratulated Trump after the election. Media reports indicate that Pichai met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday.

Apple's hardware business may also face risks due to Trump's comprehensive tariff plans, which could disrupt its critical supply chain in China. During Trump's first term, Cook successfully secured tariff exemptions for the company's products