- Trump was sworn in as president for the second time today.
- Top CEOs from business and technology are in Washington for his inauguration.
- As his second term begins, business and technology are widely embracing him, rather than avoiding him.
Donald Trump was sworn in as president of the United States for the second time on Monday – and key business and technology leaders were there to see it happen.
It’s not just Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, who spent hundreds of millions of dollars to elect Trump. Also in attendance were Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, Apple CEO Tim Cook, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and Google CEO Sundar Pichai. Musk, Zuckerberg, Pichai and Bezos sat on the inaugural podium, in front of many of Trump’s cabinet members and politicians – Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, for example, reportedly watched from the overflow room.
Priscilla Chan, Meta and Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Lauren Sanchez attend the ribbon-cutting ceremony. SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk are attending Trump’s inauguration. SAUL LOEB / POOL / AFP
In light of the announcement that Trump would reverse a recent ban on TikTok, Shou Chew, the app’s CEO, was also spotted in the Capitol rotunda. Many of these executives’ companies have donated to Trump’s inaugural committee, and Zuckerberg recently announced changes to Meta that seemed intended to please conservatives. Ruport Murdoch, patriarch of the Fox News empire, was also in attendance.
TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew arrives to attend Donald Trump’s inauguration. Shawn THEW / POOL / AFP
Silicon Valley’s new alignment with the MAGA cultural worm is visible: Dana White, UFC CEO and new Meta board member, was in attendance. Podcaster Theo Von, one of the Internet celebrities Trump used to try to woo young men this election, was also at the inauguration.
It’s not just new cultural and media leaders who have a seat, as longtime luxury titans have a prime spot at the ceremony. Members of the Arnault family, which controls brands including Louis Vuitton and Christian Dior, have been seen in the Rotonde.
Also in attendance was Vivek Ramaswamy, still co-director of the Department of Government Effectiveness and rumored to be leaving the commission to run for governor of Ohio.
Vivek Ramaswamy and Susie Wiles arrive before Donald Trump’s inauguration. Kenny Holston/The New York Times / POOL / AFP
This is a stark change from recent years, when Trump and other conservatives were often at odds with big tech and sometimes found themselves on the wrong side of their content moderation policies.
