Jeff Bezos and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman Each Commit $1 Million to Trump’s Inauguration – One America News Network
OAN Staff James Meyers
12:06 PM – Friday, December 13, 2024
Jeff Bezos, the founder of Amazon, along with Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, are each set to contribute $1 million to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund as they seek to foster a positive relationship with the President-elect over the next four years.
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This week, Bezos and Amazon informed Trump’s aides about their intention to provide the $1 million donation, as reported by the Wall Street Journal.
Altman, who leads OpenAI, is also planning to extend a $1 million donation to the inaugural fund, as noted by Fox News Digital.
“President Trump will guide our nation into the realm of AI, and I am eager to lend my support to ensure America remains at the forefront,” Altman said in a written statement.
Earlier this month, the Wall Street Journal indicated that Altman, a registered Democrat, harbored concerns that his fraught relationship with Musk could jeopardize his company during a potential second Trump administration, considering the President’s involvement in significant regulatory decisions affecting OpenAI.
On the other hand, Bezos, who stepped down as Amazon CEO in 2021 while still being the company’s largest shareholder, is making the donation through the firm, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Amazon plans to livestream Trump’s inauguration on Prime Video, which will additionally count as a separate, in-kind donation valued at $1 million.
Previously, Amazon also livestreamed Joe Biden’s inauguration in 2021 but was informed by Biden’s transition team that no donations from tech companies were being accepted for the inaugural fund.
Bezos is also scheduled to visit Mar-a-Lago to meet with Trump, who has openly criticized the Amazon founder.
Just last week, Bezos expressed optimism regarding Trump’s second term and shared excitement about potential regulatory rollbacks in the upcoming years.
“I’m genuinely optimistic this time around,” Bezos mentioned during The New York Times’ DealBook Summit in New York.
“He appears to have significant energy around reducing regulations. If I can facilitate that, I’m willing to help.”
“We do have an excess of regulations in this country,” Bezos added.
During Trump’s first term, he was notably critical of Bezos and his businesses, including Amazon and the Washington Post.
In 2019, Amazon contended in a court case that Trump’s bias against the company negatively affected its chances of securing a $10 billion Pentagon contract.
In contrast, the Biden administration pursued contracts with both Amazon and Microsoft during its time in office.
Mark Zuckerberg, the founder of Facebook, also announced plans earlier this week to contribute $1 million to the inaugural fund.
Zuckerberg, whose platform limited the sharing of the Hunter Biden laptop story in 2020, reportedly gifted Trump a pair of Ray-Ban smart glasses during a dinner to mend fences, as per the Journal.
Additionally, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, whose organization has faced allegations of bias towards Democrats, is slated to meet Trump next week.
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