The Big Tech leaders who changed their position on Trump 2.0 and why they did it

Warming up to the returning US president after years of going against him may prove beneficial for their businesses

America's Big Tech companies may be better off going with the flow of the incoming administration of Donald Trump rather than provoking his displeasure. Reuters

The Big Tech bosses, many of whom were previously at odds with US president-elect Donald Trump, are now lining up to extend an olive branch as the former president prepares to return to the White House.

However, the dynamics have changed: with a second Trump term set to begin in January, technology companies are eager to curry favour or secure support on various issues, as Mr Trump's 'America First' agenda is poised to make a strong comeback.

While striving to stay on Mr Trump's good side, the tech moguls appear to believe that cozying up to him may be the best move for their businesses.

Mark Zuckerberg: Mending fences

Once upon a time, Mark Zuckerberg's Facebook and Mr Trump were at odds, with the then-president even branding the world's biggest social media platform as “anti-Trump” in 2017. The tension peaked in January 2021, when Meta banned Mr Trump's Facebook and Instagram following the US Capitol riots. However, the accounts were eventually reinstated last year.

Fast forward to today, Mr Zuckerberg dined with the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago this week signaling an effort to mend fences. As a further gesture of co-operation, Facebook parent company, Meta Platforms, confirmed on Wednesday that it had donated $1 million to Mr Trump's inauguration fund.

Donald Trump opens New York Stock Exchange after being named Time's Person of the Year

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Mr Zuckerberg and his company previously donated to Democratic presidential campaigns in 2020 and 2024, according to data from the Centre for Responsive Politics and Quiver Quantitative, respectively.

Mr Zuckerburg may also be keen to avoid the wrath of Mr Trump, who, during the 2024 campaign cycle, threatened to take action against the company if the platform were used against him. However, there is no evidence to suggest that this happened.

Jeff Bezos: A 'calmer' sense

Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, the world's largest e-commerce platform, is also expected to visit Mr Trump, after the company reportedly planned to make a $1 million donation to the next president's inauguration, in addition to an in-kind donation by streaming the event on Amazon Video.

This follows several years of back-and-forth criticism between the two men. Mr Bezos once described Mr Trump as a threat to democracy, while Mr Trump accused Amazon of destroying small businesses and avoiding taxes.

The turning point came in October when it was reported that Mr Bezos blocked a piece in The Washington Post, which he owns, that endorsed Kamala Harris over Mr Trump. Following this, the Post said it would not make any endorsements in this year's election, breaking a decades-old tradition and drawing the ire of its employees and readers. Mr Bezos defended his decision, saying that endorsements create a “perception of bias”. The Post endorsed Mr Trump's opponents in the 2016 and 2020 elections.

Now, Mr Bezos is openly praising Mr Trump, describing him as “calmer” and “probably grown over the last eight years”, while being “actually very optimistic” on the new Trump term, he told a New York Times summit earlier this month.

Sam Altman: May AI help you?

Compared to the other tech veterans, OpenAI boss Sam Altman is the new kid on the block here, but he wasted no time in criticising then throwing his support for Mr Trump.

In 2016, Mr Altman said Mr Trump is an “unacceptable threat to America … [and] national security” and is “unfit to be president”. However, this week he said “President Trump will lead our country into the age of AI, and I am eager to support his efforts to ensure America stays ahead”.

This makes complete sense as Mr Trump is expected to be friendlier to the latest technologies, one of them being artificial intelligence, the innovation that OpenAI thrust into the spotlight with generative AI. Mr Altman plans to make a personal donation of $1 million to Mr Trump's inauguration.

One interesting dynamic here is that Mr Altman is in a legal tussle with Elon Musk, the world's wealthiest man and Mr. Trump's biggest political backer, who is trying to stop OpenAI from becoming a for-profit company. Mr Musk, an early backer of OpenAI, began his legal battle with OpenAI earlier this year; Mr Altman immediately fired back, saying Mr Musk regretted leaving the company.

Mr Musk has been appointed as head of the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency. Mr Altman had said that he is not worried about Mr Musk's influence in the Trump administration.

Sundar Pichai: Trying to catch a break

Another tech company with which Mr Trump has had a contentious relationship is Google and its parent company, Alphabet. Probably the most notable incident between them occurred when Mr Trump accused the tech giant of rigging search results to hide positive news about him.

Under Joe Biden's administration, however, Google has faced several antitrust lawsuits, targeting its search engine monopoly and advertising practices.

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  A picture taken in London shows the front pages of some of Britain's national newspapers covering the re-election of Donald Trump as US president. AFP

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  A student cries after Vice President Kamala Harris conceded the election to Donald Trump, who fared far better than pollsters had predicted, at Howard University in Washington, DC. EPA

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  An Iranian man reads the Hamshahri daily newspaper, featuring an image of Mr Trump dressed in prison clothes with the caption 'The Return of Murder' in Tehran. EPA

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  A man reads a newspaper displayed for the public, reporting on Donald Trump’s US election victory, on a street in Seoul, South Korea. AFP

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  The crushing election loss is hard to bear for this Kamala Harris supporter, at Howard University in Washington, DC. Reuters

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  Donald Trump voters show their support at the University of California, Berkeley. EPA

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  Jose Patino, 35, a Mexican who works for non-profit Aliento, watches the election results roll in from his office in Phoenix, Arizona, and says he feels ‘frightened and sad’. AFP

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  'Make America Great Again' hats have become a prominent feature of the 2024 US election among Donald Trump supporters. EPA

Mr Pichai was reported to have met Mr Trump this week. They have also spoken over the phone, but Mr Trump claimed this had nothing to do with the antitrust cases Alphabet is facing from the US government. Mr Trump told Bloomberg in October that he would “do something” about Google if elected, when asked if he would break it up.

There have been no reported plans by Google to donate at Mr Trump's inauguration, though the company did give $285,000 to Mr Biden's inauguration in 2021. Google has not commented on Mr Pichai's meeting with Mr Trump.

Tim Cook: Maintaining the peace

Unlike most other tech executives, Apple chief executive Tim Cook managed to maintain a steady relationship with Mr Trump. This even became a meme when Mr Trump mistakenly referred to him as “Tim Apple” in 2019, prompting Mr Cook to humorously change his Twitter profile name to match.

Mr Cook visited Mr Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Friday, the latest to extend the Big Tech reach to the incoming president. Even before that, the pair had been in contact, with Mr Cook among the first to congratulate Mr Trump on his victory in the November 5 polls.

During their discussions, Mr Cook reportedly raised concerns about Apple’s long-standing disputes with the EU, including a $14 billion tax repayment order to Ireland in September and a $2 billion fine in November for alleged violations of the Digital Markets Act.

Mr Trump is said to have reassured Mr Cook saying “that won't happen”, signalling his support for American companies.