Google and Microsoft Each Donate $1 Million to Trump's Inauguration

Google and Microsoft are the latest tech giants to extend financial support to the inauguration of President-elect Donald Trump, each pledging $1 million. This contributes to a growing list of technology leaders making similar donations, including Meta, Amazon, Sam Altman, and Tim Cook, each matching the $1 million mark.

In a statement released to CNBC, Karan Bhatia, Google's global head of government affairs and public policy, underscored the company's backing of the inauguration with a YouTube livestream and a prominent link on the Google homepage, besides the monetary contribution. This move might be seen as part of Google's broader effort to navigate its complicated relationship with Trump, who has previously issued threats to dismantle or regulate the tech behemoth.

Likewise, Microsoft, which announced its $1 million donation, has a history of contributing to presidential inaugurations, having given $500,000 each for Trump’s first inauguration and Joe Biden's. According to a Microsoft spokesperson via CNBC, CEO Satya Nadella has engaged with Trump on several occasions, notably during the intense negotiations over TikTok's potential acquisition when Trump sought to ban the app from operating in the U.S.