The latest tech giant to cozy up to Donald Trump is one of Google’s billionaire founders, who dined with the president-elect at his Mar-a-Lago home on Thursday night, according to multiple sources.
It is a remarkable turnaround for Sergey Brin, who described Trump’s 2016 win as ‘deeply offensive.’
But it shows how the online aristocracy is having to set aside their worries to grapple with a new reality.Â
Details of his visit emerged hours after Facebook’s parent company Meta and Amazon revealed they were giving $1million to Trump’s inauguration fund.
In an attempt to catch up, all of them are trying to build a relationship with Trump. This comes as Elon Musk, the richest man in the world, sees his fortune growing while attending meetings at Trump’s political headquarters.
Google was one of the companies that Trump this year accused of being part of an election plot against him.Â
According to a source familiar with Brin’s visit, it was arranged by Jessica Reed Kraus, an Instagram influencer known as HouseInhabit, who has close ties to the Brin family.
‘It was Sergey who reached out and wanted to have dinner with Trump,’ said the source.
‘Of course Trump said yes. These are the biggest companies on the planet and he takes them very seriously.
Google cofounder Sergey Brin became the latest tech mogul to seek out a meeting with Donald Trump, dining with the president-elect at Mar-a-Lago on Thursday night
Trump was in New York during the day, where he rang the bell of the New York Stock Exchange
Trump has been holed up at Mar-a-Lago, holding meetings and building his administration
‘But you can bet he always was frank in telling them what he thinks of them.’Â
Trump returned to his Palm Beach home on Thursday afternoon after visiting New York, where he was named Time Man of the Year.
It was a rare public appearance. Trump has kept the media at bay since winning the election, forgoing publicity in favor building his administration, with dozens of meetings and personnel interviews every day.
On Thursday evening, it was back to business with Brin, who is worth an estimated $146 billion.
Brin was previously married to Nicole Shanahan, who went on to become Robert F. Kennedy’s Jr.’s running mate.Â
The Wall Street Journal reported that their marriage broke down after she had an affair with Trump’s self-proclaimed ‘first buddy’ Musk, which could have made for an awkward atmosphere, although all parties deny itÂ
Brin’s visit to Mar-a-Lago marks an extraordinary turnaround from Trump’s last victory in 2016.
Then Brin and other Google executives were caught on a video expressing their horror.
Trump made clear his loathing of Google with this August post on Truth Social
Elon Musk, Tesla founder, has been a frequent presence at Trump’s side. Now other tech moguls are trying to play catch up as Trump prepares for office on January 20
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is seen here meeting President Trump at the White House in 2019. He visited Mar-a-Lago last month
‘As an immigrant and a refugee, I certainly find this election deeply offensive and I know many of you do, too,’ Brin said.Â
‘I think it’s a very stressful time. It conflicts with many of our values. It’s a good time to reflect on that.’Â
Trump filed lawsuits against Google and Meta in 2021, accusing them of censorship for banning him from social media platforms.
And this year Trump threatened Google after reports surfaced that it allowed the Biden-Harris campaign to use doctored headlines in adverts.
In a post on his Truth Social website, he said: ‘Google is a Crooked, Election Interference Machine. Totally Illegal, they will pay a big price for what they are doing!’
Brin is the latest tech mogul to make the visit to Mar-a-Lago.
Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has been ever present at the president-elect’s side, and coming out for Trump during the election.
Mark Zuckerberg of Facebook dined with Trump last month.
And Amazon founder and Washington Post owner Jeff Bezos is reportedly due to meet Trump next week.
