(Bloomberg) — OpenAI’s top executive and AI search startup Perplexity are each donating $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund, a sign that artificial intelligence companies are trying to firm up relationships with the incoming administration.
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Sam Altman, OpenAI’s chief executive officer, is now planning to give $1 million to Trump from his personal funds after having previously donated to President Biden’s 2024 reelection campaign. “President Trump will lead our country into the age of AI, and I am eager to support his efforts to ensure America stays ahead,” Altman said in a statement to Bloomberg News. Fox News was first to report on the donation.
In addition to providing financial support, Perplexity wants to “be a good partner to the administration,” according to Chief Business Officer Dmitry Shevelenko, and is offering a free version of its premium software to the Trump team. Shevelenko expressed enthusiasm for Trump’s tech policies, including “creating a level playing field in AI without regulatory capture.”
The prospect of a second Trump term has raised a new set of uncertainties for the rapidly evolving AI market and the wider tech industry. Trump’s party previously pledged in its platform to undo the Biden administration’s executive order on AI, saying that it “imposes Radical Leftwing ideas” on the field.
With Trump’s win, his supporter Elon Musk has also gained newfound influence in Washington. That’s sparked concerns Musk could pursue policies that favor his own companies, including startup xAI. Altman, who has clashed with Musk, recently said he does not think the billionaire will use his political power against rivals like OpenAI.
Altman isn’t the only tech leader trying to make inroads with the president elect. Trump said Thursday that Amazon.com Inc. founder Jeff Bezos will meet with him next week. Meta Platforms Inc. founder Mark Zuckerberg also recently had dinner with Trump at Mar-a-Lago. Both executives have at times been targets of Trump’s ire.
Amazon and Meta have also pledged to donate $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund.
Shevelenko said that because Perplexity is a newer business that didn’t exist during the first Trump administration, the company is “just interested in creating the relationship rather than repairing a damaged relationship.”
