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Bending the knee continues from the tech industry, as Alphabet’s Google becomes latest to make inauguration fund donation
Alphabet’s Google has become the tech giant to contribute to the inauguration fund of Donald Trump.
Google is facing a number of antitrust issues around the world, including a possible breakup of its business after Judge Amit P. Mehta ruled that Google had acted illegally in making massive payments to smartphone makers such as Apple and Samsung to default use its search engine.
But Donald Trump signalled late last year that he wouldn’t rule out antitrust enforcement, damping hopes at Alphabet that a change in administration would lessen its regulatory challenges.
Record donations
So it is perhaps no surprise that Google has become the latest major tech company to try and curry some goodwill with the incoming administration.
“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, told CNBC in a statement.
The company reportedly made its donation on Monday.
Google has donated to inaugural funds previously, and the YouTube livestream and link to the inauguration on Google’s homepage are in line with previous inaugurations, a spokesperson said.
It should be noted that Meta Platforms announced a $1 million donation to Trump’s inauguration fund in December 2024, followed by OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman, who said he would make a $1 million (£790m) personal donation.
Amazon has also reportedly donated $1 million, and Apple CEO Tim Cook has also reportedly made a $1 million donation.
As of this week, Trump’s inauguration fund has reportedly raised a record amount of more than $170 million.
Tech concerns
The donations come as the tech industry endured a frosty relationship with Trump in recent years.
But following Trump’s surprise election victory, the tech industry is confronting a new reality in the years ahead.
Late last year Trump signalled he wouldn’t rule out antitrust enforcement after big name tech firms.
“Big Tech has run wild for years, stifling competition in our most innovative sector and, as we all know, using its market power to crack down on the rights of so many Americans, as well as those of Little Tech!” Trump wrote in a 4 December post on Truth Social.
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