Uber and its CEO have donated $1 million to Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, joining a growing list of technology companies and executives seeking to build good relations with the incoming administration.
This donation was announced by a spokesperson for Uber Technologies. The Wall Street Journal reported that on Tuesday, Uber and its CEO Dara Khosrowshahi each donated $1 million to Trump’s fund. Uber did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Guardian.
Uber had previously donated $1 million to President Biden’s 2021 inauguration, but Khosrowshahi did not donate to that event, according to the Wall Street Journal. The $1 million donation to Trump’s fund is said to be Khosrowshahi’s largest contribution to a political candidate or presidential inaugural fund.
The donations from Uber and Khosrowshahi add to a growing list of tech companies and executives who have pledged to donate $1 million to the president-elect’s inaugural fund.
Mehta, CEO of OpenAI, confirmed last week that he had donated $1 million to the foundation. CEO Sam Altman of OpenAI also planned to make a $1 million personal donation to the foundation. Amazon is also preparing to donate $1 million to Trump’s fund.
Unlike companies and executives like Mark Zuckerberg, Mehta, and Jeff Bezos, Uber and Khosrowshahi do not have a historically strained relationship with President Trump, making their donations especially significant.
Notably, Tony West, Uber’s chief legal officer, is the brother-in-law of Vice President and former Democratic candidate Kamala Harris. Mr. West took time off to volunteer with Mr. Harris’ presidential campaign before returning to his role at Uber.
Donations to inaugural committees are common among large companies looking to establish better relations with the new administration.
According to Amazon, the company donated $57,746 to President Trump’s first inaugural fund in 2017. Open Secrets reported that other companies such as Google and Microsoft also made donations. Mehta confirmed to the Guardian that he did not donate in 2017.
Recent donations from tech companies and executives come amidst reports of perks being offered to top donors to the president-elect’s inaugural fund. Since Trump’s election win, he has dined with several technology company executives.
In the past month, Trump has dined with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg at his Mar-a-Lago mansion. Apple CEO Tim Cook; as well as Google’s Sundar Pichai and Sergey Brin; are among those who have had dinners with Trump. Amazon founder Jeff Bezos is scheduled to have dinner with Trump this week.
Source: www.theguardian.com
