Donald Trump, who is set to officially become US President in January 2025, appears to be the tech industry’s current new favorite. It is somewhat ironic that when he lost the elections in 2020 a few years ago, the tech industry immediately shunned him. In early 2021, Trump was reportedly kicked out of the Facebook platform after Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg approved the ban. He also did not get the support of Google and Twitter, this service has now been named X by Elon Musk. But, it seems that after his huge victory in the 2024 elections, Trump has now become so powerful that he cannot be ignored or ignored by the tech industry.

In fact, it seems like the tech industry has suddenly fallen in love with him. If one looks at the guest list at Mar-a-Lago, where Donald Trump stays in Florida, at least that’s the impression. Now not only Elon Musk, who is credited with the victory for Trump, is an almost permanent resident of Mar-a-Lago, but also tech giants like Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook personally own this house. Registering your presence. Dinner with Trump. And even Zuckerberg, whose platforms became increasingly hostile toward Trump four years ago, has met privately with the incoming president.

Tech CEOs and the tech industry are looking at Trump with such admiration that the incoming US president himself – in his typical style – boasted about it in a recent speech. “I had dinner with Apple’s Tim Cook, almost all of them. The rest are coming,” Trump said. “In my first term, everyone was fighting with me. Now, everyone wants to be my friend – maybe my personality has changed or something!”

With the tech industry bracing for potential policy changes, these meetings signal Big Tech’s desire to remain in Trump’s good graces. From regulatory scrutiny to trade issues and data privacy, a second Trump term could have serious implications for the tech world. Here’s a quick look at what happened when Trump met with big tech CEOs at dinner.

Apple CEO Tim Cook

Ahead of Donald Trump’s upcoming presidency in January 2025, he hosted Apple CEO Tim Cook for a private dinner at his Mar-a-Lago estate on December 13, 2024. According to the Associated Press, the primary focus of their discussion revolved around Apple’s ongoing operations. Tax disputes with the European Union. Recently, Apple lost a major appeal over 13 billion euros of tax payments it owed to Ireland, an issue that has attracted considerable attention.

The meeting follows a previous phone conversation between Trump and Cook, where they reportedly discussed the impact of these EU financial penalties on Apple. It appears that, given Trump’s past criticism of international trade and tax policies, Cook’s goal was to seek support or clarification on the US administration’s stance on such matters.

The dinner was said to be part of a broader effort by the Apple CEO to connect with Trump’s administration before his presidency officially begins.

Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta

Given their historically poor relationship, Mark Zuckerberg’s meeting with Trump is perhaps most notable. Following the January 2021 Capitol riots, Meta (then Facebook) banned Trump from its platforms, leading to a major backlash. During the dinner, Zuckerberg gave Trump Meta’s Ray-Ban smart glasses, signaling an improvement in their strained relationship. Although the exact details of their conversation are unclear, Zuckerberg’s decision to meet with Trump now suggests an effort to ease past tensions and avoid future regulatory hurdles.

Meta has long been under scrutiny for its handling of political content, privacy concerns and its monopoly-like control over social media. By involving Trump, Zuckerberg may be trying to avoid harsh regulatory measures that could have been introduced during Trump’s presidency.

Meta also reportedly donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund, indicating his interest in improving relations with the new administration.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has also met Donald Trump before his second presidential term. Although the details of their discussion are unclear, reports suggest the meeting focused on Google’s operations and potential regulatory concerns, particularly after the Justice Department recently suggested to the court that Google should be broken up and Chrome. should be set up as a separate company.

Google has also faced debate over content moderation, allegations of bias toward conservative views, and antitrust investigations. These issues may intensify under the Trump administration, which has previously criticized the company for alleged censorship. Pichai’s meeting with Trump may be to deal with any possible fallout.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos

Although Jeff Bezos stepped down as CEO of Amazon in 2021, his influence on the company remains strong. Bezos may reportedly meet Trump sometime this week. While the exact topics of their discussion are unclear, they are expected to talk about Amazon’s operations, regulatory concerns, and ways to build a positive relationship between Amazon and the new administration.

Bezos has previously expressed hope that Trump’s second term could reduce regulations, and Amazon has also donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund.

Under Trump’s previous administration, Amazon faced scrutiny over its labor practices and dominance in the e-commerce sector. Bezos’ meeting with Trump may be aimed at ensuring the company avoids further regulatory interference, especially as it continues to expand globally.

but there’s more

The meetings with big tech CEOs have been publicized, but apparently, these reported private dinners aren’t the only time the tech industry is trying to understand and possibly influence the upcoming Trump presidency. Just a day earlier, SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son announced publicly and alongside Trump that his company would invest a massive $100 billion in the US. SoftBank, which is essentially a venture capitalist and investment firm, often invests in technology startups.

At the same time, there is also Elon Musk and his friends, including David Sachs. Musk played a key role in Trump’s election and is now reportedly spending several days at Mar-a-Lago. It is said that not only was he involved in shaping the Trump administration, but he was also reportedly a part of the meetings when the tech CEO was holding his private dinner with the incoming president.

Overall it seems that unlike the first Trump presidency, which was marked by unease between Trump and the tech industry — Google’s Sergey Brin, among other tech executives, was at a march against Trump’s directive calling for a travel ban — the second Going to be different. If in the first, the tech industry believed it could take on Trump and still survive, in the second it seems Big Tech is trying to play nice with them in the hope that Trump 2.0 won’t just ease their regulatory problems. In America as well as in other parts of the world.