Are you trapped in a dystopian scenario or simply sitting on Billionaire Row at Donald Trump’s 2024 inauguration? To be honest, it’s tough to differentiate.
Amazon’s founder Jeff Bezos, Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and tech provocateur Elon Musk are all expected to appear at Trump’s inauguration this coming Monday, as confirmed by a source to NBC News. The three will be positioned together on the platform alongside members of Trump’s forthcoming cabinet.
Musk, who has been selected to head the newly established “Department of Government Efficiency” alongside entrepreneur Vivek Ramaswamy, shared his enthusiasm on his social media site, X (previously Twitter). He deemed it an “honor” to participate. Conversely, Bezos and Zuckerberg have yet to make any public remarks regarding their attendance.
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The presence of these tech titans shouldn’t be surprising. Leaders from Silicon Valley have historically leaned on political relationships to achieve their objectives. Although their rapport with Trump has had its ups and downs, numerous figures within the tech sector have made considerable financial donations to his administration. For instance, OpenAI’s CEO Sam Altman contributed $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund, along with Meta and Amazon. Google CEO Sundar Pichai has conferred with Trump, and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff recently stated he was “turning the page” with the president-elect. Musk, in particular, has shown public support for Trump for several months, even endorsing his presidential bid last July.
The tech industry’s alignment with Trump extends beyond financial donations. Reports suggest that Zuckerberg has modified Meta’s content moderation rules to be more in tune with Republican ideals, such as easing hate speech restrictions, dissolving DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) initiatives, and eliminating trans and nonbinary themes from the company’s Messenger application. Furthermore, tampons were taken out of men’s restrooms in Meta offices. In the meantime, Bezos, who owns *The Washington Post*, decided that the newspaper would not endorse a presidential candidate, even in the face of internal pressure to support Vice President Kamala Harris.
It’s evident that these tech leaders are playing the political field.
“They’re kissing the ring,” as the expression goes.
Margaret O’Mara, a Silicon Valley historian at the University of Washington, shared with NPR that the tech industry’s stance towards Trump embodies a strategic calculation. “It’s just an acknowledgment that there’s little to be gained from vociferous opposition, but perhaps there’s something to gain from being explicit about your support and hoping that Trump succeeds,” she elaborated.
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### Related:
[Michelle Obama skips Trump inauguration, and honestly, can you blame her?](https://www.cnn.com/2025/01/14/politics/michelle-obama-trump-inauguration/index.html)
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As for Michelle Obama, her choice to miss the event is still uncertain, but if she perused the guest list, it wouldn’t be difficult to surmise why.