Tim Cook, the CEO of Apple, has joined other influential technology leaders in making significant contributions to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration. This information was revealed by Axios as we approach the inauguration date on January 20.
According to the report, Cook will “personally” donate $1 million to Trump’s inaugural committee. Just last month, he visited Trump at Mar-a-Lago, Florida, where they held a meeting that included Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Meta’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, also met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago at the end of November, while Google’s Sundar Pichai had a meeting with Trump in December. Trump has had discussions with other prominent figures in tech, such as Jeff Bezos, as well as various executives from major industries.
Companies like Meta, Amazon, and Uber have each contributed $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund. Additionally, OpenAI’s Sam Altman made a similar contribution. Beyond Silicon Valley, numerous corporations including Ford, Toyota, GM, Goldman Sachs, and Bank of America have also provided millions to the inauguration fund.
Throughout Trump’s first term, Cook met with him several times and received commendation from the president. Other tech leaders are reportedly attempting to follow a similar approach as Trump begins his second term. In October, Cook discussed issues related to Apple’s challenges with the European Union, during which Trump assured him that he would protect American companies from being “taken advantage of” by the EU if he was elected.
This week, Meta restructured its policy team in anticipation of Trump’s inauguration later this month. Nick Clegg has stepped down from his role as Meta’s global head of policy after six years, with Joel Kaplan now taking his place. Kaplan has ties to Trump and the newly elected Vice President JD Vance, having previously worked in the administration of George W. Bush.
Follow Chance: Threads, Bluesky, Instagram, and Mastodon.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
