Senators Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) and Michael Bennet (D-CO) have launched an inquiry into recent donations made by major technology companies to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund. The lawmakers have sent letters to Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, OpenAI, and Uber, expressing concerns about probable attempts to influence the incoming administration.
Several tech giants, including Google, Microsoft, Meta, Amazon, and OpenAI, have each donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund. Here is the list. Apple CEO Tim Cook and Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi have personally contributed $1 million each.
These donations exceed contributions made to President Joe Biden’s 2021 inauguration and hence, Senators Warren and Bennet are questioning whether these donations are attempts to “avoid scrutiny, limit regulation, and buy favor”.
The lawmakers have requested explanations from the companies regarding their take on the donations and what led them to make their decisions. They have set a January 30th deadline for responses.
Sam Altman has alredy responded:
President Biden, in his farewell address, also warned about the potential risks of a “tech industrial complex”, as per The Verge.