After the US midterms, Big Tech tries to mend ties with Democrats
After the US midterm elections, major tech firms including OpenAI and Meta are trying to rebuild relations with Democrats, who have pledged tighter AI oversight. Experts say the key fights will play out in states, communities and financial markets.
Following the US midterm elections, which shifted the balance of power in Washington, major technology companies, including AI developer OpenAI and social media company Meta, are working to rebuild relations with the Democratic Party. Democrats have pledged to tighten oversight of artificial intelligence (AI) and Big Tech, so the industry could face a tougher regulatory environment.
Over the past two years, many Silicon Valley leaders built closer ties with President Donald Trump and his administration. Some attended White House events, some companies scaled back diversity programs, and certain executives donated millions of dollars to super PACs (political action committees) backing Trump and allied candidates. The industry also benefited from tax breaks, the pausing of some federal investigations and looser AI regulation.
Efforts to improve image
Just before the elections, OpenAI hired Jessica Schumer, daughter of Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer, and said it would call its data centers "compute campuses." J.B. Branch of the nonprofit Public Citizen described such moves as "PR washing" and expects more of them, pointing to OpenAI's partnership with the American Federation of Teachers, Anthropic's new Claude Corps and Meta's America's Workforce Academy.
Meta President Dina Powell McCormick said this week that companies must work with the government Americans elect and be bipartisan. Alice Marwick of Data & Society, a tech policy nonprofit, expects firms to pivot toward the center or the left, but says it may be a little too late.
The fight moves to the states
With possible gridlock in Washington over the next two years, most action will likely occur at state level. Aryan Ranjan, founder of political campaign software company Baraza, notes that states have already sued tech companies and passed laws, including on chatbots and deepfakes. Last December the Trump administration created the AI Litigation Task Force to challenge state AI laws.
A White House official said President Trump is committed to keeping America in the lead on AI while protecting consumers. On Wednesday, the day after the midterms, a trillion-dollar market sell-off took place, and some investors are reportedly reconsidering Anthropic's planned IPO.
