Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, has answered a Senate inquiry as to why he donated $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund. On X, Altman said he was frustrated that this donation had been scrutinized when his donations to Democratic candidates, such as Elizabeth Warren and outgoing President Joe Biden, did not receive such attention. “Funny, they never sent me one of these for contributing to Democrats,” he said.
Altman announced the donation in December and told Fox News then that he was “excited to support Donald Trump’s vision for a safer future of AI.” The Democratic Senators, however, claimed in a letter to Altman that his donation-as well as others from major tech figures-sought to limit the chances of regulation against OpenAI as it is facing FTC and SEC investigations.
In a letter dated January 17, the senators referred to a pattern of million-dollar contributions from tech giants including Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Uber. These companies are currently under federal investigation for antitrust and consumer protection violations. Warren and Bennet had concerns that such donations could be an indication that Trump would do Big Tech’s bidding and ease up on oversight.
The letter also raised questions about the role of corporate donations in the Trump administration and attendant risks of corruption. Senators Warren and Bennet have asked Altman to answer a spate of questions, including details about OpenAI’s decision-making process around the donation, by January 31.
In a follow-up tweet, Altman explained that the donation was personal and that OpenAI had no hand in the decision. “It was a personal contribution as you state; I am confused about the questions given that my company did not make a decision,.
Other well-known tech leaders who have supported Trump include Tesla’s Elon Musk, Palantir’s Joe Lonsdale, venture capitalist David Sacks, and the Winklevoss twins, Tyler and Cameron, among others.
