LOS ANGELES — OpenAI CEO Sam Altman is set to donate $1 million to President-Elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, following the lead of other tech companies and executives looking to strengthen ties with the incoming administration.
A representative from OpenAI confirmed the decision on Friday. This pledge comes shortly after Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, announced its own $1 million donation to the same fund. Amazon has also committed to contributing $1 million.
“President Trump is expected to steer our nation towards embracing AI technology, and I am excited to support his initiatives that aim to keep America at the forefront,” Altman stated.
Altman, who is in a legal dispute with rival Elon Musk, has said he is “not that worried” about the Tesla CEO’s influence in the incoming administration.
Trump is putting Musk, the world’s richest man, and Vivek Ramaswamy, an entrepreneur and former Republican presidential candidate, in charge of the new Department of Government Efficiency, or DOGE, which is an outside advisory committee that will work with people inside the government to reduce spending and regulations.
Musk, an early OpenAI investor and board member, sued the artificial intelligence company earlier this year alleging that the maker of ChatGPT betrayed its founding aims of benefiting the public good rather than pursuing profits. Musk recently escalated the lawsuit by asking a federal judge to stop OpenAI’s plans to convert itself into a for-profit business more fully.
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