Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and other tech leaders in Silicon Valley are working to improve their relations with Trump. According to insiders, Amazon plans to donate $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund. This donation is being prepared, and Bezos is expected to meet with Trump next week at Mar-a-Lago in Palm Beach, Florida.
In recent years, tech companies have frequently faced criticism from Trump and his allies. After Trump was re-elected, tech leaders in Silicon Valley took action to mend their relationships with him. According to (The Wall Street Journal) on Wednesday, Zuckerberg has instructed Meta to donate $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund.
Insiders revealed that Bezos and Amazon decided on this donation earlier this week and notified the Trump team. A person close to Bezos stated, 'Bezos is donating through Amazon.' Another insider mentioned that Amazon will also livestream the inauguration ceremony through its Prime Video service, which is a separate 'in-kind' donation, also valued at $1 million.
During Trump's inauguration in 2017, Amazon donated about $58,000 in cash and 'in-kind,' while other tech companies donated more. During Biden's inauguration in 2021, the Biden administration informed Amazon that it would not accept donations from the tech sector, but Amazon still provided livestream services for Biden's inauguration.
There has long been discord between Bezos and Trump, partly because Bezos owns (The Washington Post). Bezos has sarcastically suggested sending Trump to the moon through his space company. Trump has criticized (The Washington Post) for supposedly acting as a lobbyist for Amazon and has repeatedly expressed discontent with the paper's coverage of his presidency. In December 2015, Trump tweeted:
'If @amazon had to pay fair taxes, its stock price would collapse, falling like a paper bag. (The Washington Post) scam saved it!'
Previously, after Amazon Web Services (AWS) failed to win a $10 billion Department of Defense cloud computing contract, the company claimed it was due to Trump's 'improper pressure.' Amazon stated that Trump had publicly and privately attacked multiple times, trying to shift the contract to other vendors to undermine Bezos. The Department of Defense denied this claim at the time.
In addition to Amazon, Bezos's space exploration company Blue Origin is also vying for government contracts. Furthermore, Amazon was sued by the Federal Trade Commission last year for alleged antitrust behavior.
Now, the situation is even more complicated for Blue Origin. Musk's SpaceX is the main competitor of Blue Origin, and Musk has become one of Trump's closest advisors. Musk contributed over $200 million to Trump's re-election campaign and will lead a project department aimed at improving government efficiency.
Recently, Bezos's attitude towards Trump has become more positive. He congratulated Trump on social platform X for 'achieving an extraordinary political comeback' and expressed optimism about Trump's second presidential term. Bezos stated at a meeting organized by (The New York Times):
'Compared to the first time, he seems more calm, confident, and stable.'
In October of this year, (The Washington Post) canceled a draft editorial supporting Vice President Kamala Harris's presidential campaign, which caused dissatisfaction among some subscribers. Critics claim this may be due to Bezos's fear of retaliation if Trump wins. Bezos defended the decision at the time, stating that the editorial could create the impression of bias.
Trump and his Republican allies have also criticized other tech companies and their leaders on issues such as bias against conservative viewpoints. According to insiders, Google CEO Sundar Pichai is one of the main targets of conservative criticism and is the subject of two federal antitrust lawsuits. Reports indicate he had planned to meet with Trump at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday.
Article forwarded from: Jin Shi Data