Tech Giants Seek to Mend Fences with Donald Trump as Election Looms

As the 2024 presidential election approaches, major tech leaders are making efforts to connect with former President Donald Trump, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai, who Trump called a “great guy, very smart.”

The Hill reports that in a major shift from their often contentious relationship during his first term, the CEOs of some of the world’s most prominent technology companies are now reaching out to former President Donald Trump as the 2024 election draws near. Tech giants are seemingly looking to mend fences and potentially secure a more favorable position should he return to the White House.

Recent weeks have seen a flurry of communication between the former president and tech leaders, including Apple’s Tim Cook, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and Amazon’s Andy Jassy. Trump revealed that Pichai called him after his widely publicized shift at a McDonald’s drive-thru, praising the event as one of the biggest in Google’s history. Trump told a rally audience, “I actually got a call from Sundar. Sundar, who’s great, from Google, he’s a great guy, very smart. The head of Google.”

Just a month ago, Trump threatened to prosecute at the “maximum levels” for election interference:

In a post on Truth Social, the former president claimed that Google “has illegally used a system of only revealing and displaying bad stories about Donald J. Trump” while simultaneously “only revealing good stories about Comrade Kamala Harris.”

The post continues, “This is an ILLEGAL ACTIVITY, and hopefully the Justice Department will criminally prosecute them for this blatant Interference of Elections. If not, and subject to the Laws of our Country, I will request their prosecution, at the maximum levels, when I win the Election, and become President of the United States!”

Similarly, Apple CEO Tim Cook reportedly reached out to Trump to discuss concerns over a European Union court ruling that ordered Apple to pay nearly $15 billion in back taxes.

While some tech leaders are making cautious overtures, others, like Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, have fully embraced Trump’s candidacy. Musk has not only endorsed the former president but has also contributed $118 million to a super PAC supporting his campaign and has taken an active role in boosting Trump’s profile by hosting town halls and joining him at rallies.

Analysts suggest that this outreach from the tech world is a form of hedging bets and “anticipatory compliance.” Owen Tedford, a senior research analyst at Beacon Policy Advisors, notes that establishing a positive relationship with Trump early on could pay dividends throughout his potential second term. Additionally, tech firms may be hoping for reduced antitrust pressure under a Trump administration, given the current Biden administration’s aggressive stance against Big Tech.

However, Trump’s history of being tough on business leaders who he believes have wronged him adds an element of uncertainty to these developing relationships. During his first term, the former president had a notably contentious relationship with Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, largely due to Bezos’s ownership of the Washington Post. Trump has also been critical of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, particularly after Facebook banned him from the platform.