Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, during a fireside chat organized by Softbank Ventures Asia in Seoul, South Korea, on Friday, June 9, 2023.
SeongJoon Cho | Bloomberg | Getty Images
US senators on Friday expressed concern to OpenAI CEO Sam Altman that he is trying to “adapt to the new Trump administration” with the aim of avoiding regulations and limiting oversight.
In a letter signed by Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Michael Bennet of Colorado, the lawmakers said that in the two months since the election, major technology companies “made millions of dollars in donations to President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural fund.” “It appears to be an attempt to influence and influence the actions and policies of the new administration.”
Altman personally donated $1 million to the inauguration fund. Microsoft, Google, Meta And Amazon donated the same amount, but as a company and not from executives. Apple CEO Tim Cook also reportedly contributed $1 million.
“You have a clear and direct interest in receiving favors from the new administration: your company and many other Big Tech donors are already the subject of ongoing federal investigations and regulatory actions,” said the letter, which Altman posted on X and later published by Senators online.
In his post, Altman wrote, “Funny, they never sent me one of these because I donated to the Democrats…”
Representatives for Senators Warren and Bennet did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
Altman plans to attend Trump's inauguration on Monday, a company spokesperson confirmed to CNBC, and will reportedly meet many of his tech colleagues in Washington, DC. The others include Cook, TikTok CEO Shou Chew, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Tesla CEO Elon Musk.
Altman's public efforts to support Trump come amid a thorny legal battle between OpenAI and Musk, who originally co-founded the startup and has been a fixture at Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida in recent months.
Musk is co-head of the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is expected to function as an advisory office. The role could be played by Musk, who is also the owner of
Trump has publicly stated in the past that he would rescind President Joe Biden's AI executive order issued in October 2023, which established new safety assessments, equity and civil rights guidance, and research into the impact of AI on the labor market.
In the letter, the lawmakers say, “The industry's efforts suggest that Big Tech companies are trying to ingratiate themselves and skirt the rules” and that the donations “raise questions about corruption and the influence of corporate money on the Trump administration.” raise.”
It includes a list of questions that must be answered by Jan. 25, including: “When and under what circumstances did your company decide to make these contributions to the Trump Inaugural Fund?”
The letter also asks Altman whether OpenAI officials communicated with members of the Trump transition team or other associates of the president-elect about his donation and asks him to list all such communications.
Altman noted on X that his own donation “was, as you say, a personal donation; I am confused about the questions as my company has not made a decision.”
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