Senators Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bennet have demanded answers from the companies about why they have donated such large sums of money to the incoming president. The two senators have sent letters to the following companies:
- Apple
- Microsoft
- Meta
- Amazon
- OpenAI
- And Uber
Both senators are accusing the companies of donating to the incoming administration to garner favor and avoid any regulation. There is also the matter of Trump’s proposed tariffs, something that these companies are likely trying to be exempted from by getting on his good side. OpenAI CEO Sam Altman didn’t take kindly to the accusations.
These donations have been criticized in a lot of online circles with some users claiming that the U.S. is becoming an oligarchy. President Biden’s departing speech only gave more fuel to this claim as he said that he feared the country was turning into a “tech industrial complex”.Senators Warren and Bennet have said that these donations are an example of corruption and corporate influence and that the public deserves answers. While there will certainly be some answers from the PR teams I think it’s highly unlikely that anyone is going to come out and admit to buying favors from the incoming administration.