OpenAI CEO and co-founder Sam Altman on Friday applauded two Democratic senators' investigation into a $1 million individual donation to President-elect Trump's inaugural fund, citing past donations to Democrats. quipped that they were not subject to the same scrutiny.
”[F]Hey, they never sent me these because of my contributions to the Democratic Party…'' Altman wrote on social platform X on Friday.added, “As you state, it was a private donation. I'm confused by the question, given that my company did not make the decision.”
Mr. Altman, a longtime Democratic donor, on Friday attached a photo of what appeared to be a letter he received from Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Sen. Michael Bennet (D-Colorado), stating that he Pressed tech CEO to donate $1 million. He donated to President Trump's inaugural fund last month.
The Hill reached out to Warren and Bennett's offices to confirm the details of the letter.
The senators referred to OpenAI as one of several technology companies that made a “million dollar donation” to Trump, but the donation was made by Altman and not on behalf of the company. It came from personal funds. This differs from other major technology companies such as Meta, Amazon and Google, which each individually donated $1 million to President Trump's inaugural fund last month.
The senators later acknowledged that it was Altman's personal donation, but they enumerated various questions about the company's decision-making process and forced Altman to assert that his company was not behind the decision. Ta.
“In the two months since the election, Big Tech companies, including OpenAI, have deposited millions of dollars into President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund in what appears to be an effort to influence and sway the actions and policies of the incoming administration. ,” the newspaper said. the senators wrote.
“We believe your company and other Big Tech donors will use your massive contributions to the inaugural fund to avoid oversight, limit regulation, and buy favor with the incoming Trump administration. “We are concerned about pandering,” they wrote.
Warren and Bennett cited a variety of legal challenges facing big technology companies, from antitrust lawsuits to privacy violations claims. They listed companies such as Amazon, Google, and Meta (all of which donated $1 million) and investigations into these companies.
“It is important that federal regulators continue to fairly apply competition, consumer protection, anti-discrimination, and other rules and laws that apply to your company,” the letter said. “But industry efforts suggest that Big Tech companies are trying to curry favor and circumvent the rules.”
The senators asked Altman to answer five questions by the end of the month, including about the basis for his donation and whether OpenAI's board and shareholders were informed of his plans.
Other questions characterize Altman's donation as a corporate one: “when and under what circumstances” did OpenAI decide to donate, and who within the company played a role in the decision? He also stated whether company officials had been in contact with Trump's transition team.
Democrats are railing against the emerging dynamic between the tech industry and President Trump, who has spent years bashing the traditionally deep-blue Silicon Valley companies.
In his farewell speech this week, President Biden expressed concern that an “oligarchy of extreme wealth, power and influence” is forming in the United States. Although he did not directly name Trump or his billionaire allies, he criticized tech companies like Meta for ending their fact-checking programs amid threats of misinformation and disinformation. I continued to do so.
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-Conn.) quipped, “Billionaires are in charge.”
“People who want to addict our children to their technology, control our thoughts and actions, destroy small businesses and take ownership of everything.” He wrote this week on X. “We'll find out on Monday.”
