Among the guests at the second inauguration of Donald Trump in Washington, D.C. today were three billionaire technology executives: Jeff Bezos from Amazon, Elon Musk from Tesla, and Mark Zuckerberg from Meta.
They were also joined by the CEO of Google, Sundar Pichai, and the CEO of Apple, Tim Cook. Tech millionaires that many wonder about. Will they all have a key role in the Trump administration?
The seats: special places
NBC News first reported on their expected attendance last week, stating that they "will have a prominent place in the ceremony, seated together on the platform with other notable guests, including Trump's cabinet nominees and elected officials."
Since Trump's inauguration took place indoors due to the freezing temperatures, the trio sat inside the Rotunda with the people designated by the Cabinet. Musk posted on X that he felt "honored" by the seating arrangement.
Musk is no surprise: And the others?
As noted last week in The New York Times' DealBook newsletter: "Musk's presence is not a surprise, given the significant support and enormous influence of the Tesla chief on Trump. But only recently have the other tech magnates been seen as supporters of the administration. (In fact, Bezos frequently clashed with Trump during his first presidential term)."
And they added: "It's Bezos and Zuckerberg's last effort to polish their Trump credentials." Bezos's Amazon Prime Video recently paid 40 million dollars to license a documentary about Melania Trump, and Amazon contributed 1 million dollars to Trump's inaugural fund.
The relationship between Jeff Bezos and the Trumps
After Trump's victory in the 2024 elections, Bezos posted on X: "Congratulations to our 45th and now 47th president for his extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory. No nation has greater opportunities. Wishing [Donald Trump] all the success in leading and uniting the United States that we all love."
A curious fact about another tech billionaire: Zuckerberg will be co-hosting an inaugural ball reception tonight with major Republican Party donors, including Miriam Adelson, Todd Ricketts, and Tilman Fertitta.
Musk leads "Trump's CEO collection."
Meanwhile, Musk has been the oldest supporter of Trump, donating 250 million dollars to help elect him, and has been a constant presence by Trump's side after the elections. Musk co-runs the new organization "Department of Government Efficiency." All of this, apparently, is to please the new president.
"Trump truly feels flattered by the attention from CEOs of big companies," Adam Kovacevich, founder of the tech policy coalition Chamber of Progress, told the Seattle Times. "What we are seeing now is that every company is trying to build a direct line of contact at the CEO level with Trump."
Roles of millionaires
While Elon Musk’s role is already known, in addition to his contributions to space and electric mobility, there are still many doubts regarding the role that Jeff Bezos or Mark Zuckerberg could play in a Donald Trump government. Rather than specific positions, experts point to governmental partnerships with their main platforms: Amazon and Meta/Facebook.