Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI that owns ChatGPT, disclosed an inquiry letter sent to him raising questions on his motivation to donate to President-elect Donald Trump’s inaugural fund.
Sharing the document on X (formally Twitter), Altman wrote, “funny, they never sent me one of these for contributing to democrats...”
The letter sent by Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bennet in which they questioned his personal contribution of $1 million to President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund.
The senators claimed that such a substantial donation from a tech leader may come off as an attempt to influence the incoming administration’s policies and potentially circumvent regulatory scrutiny.
In a follow-up post, Altman wrote, “It was a personal contribution as you state; i am confused about the questions given that my company did not make a decision.” The post has garnered 5 million views by the time of this report.
The letter goes on to say, “Big Tech companies have come under increased scrutiny from federal regulators for antitrust violations, violations of privacy, and harms to workers, consumers, and competition... We are concerned that your company and other Big Tech donors are using your massive contributions to the inaugural fund to cozy up to the incoming Trump administration in an effort to avoid scrutiny, limit regulation, and buy favor.”
“You have a clear and direct interest in obtaining favors from the incoming administration: your company and many other Big Tech donors are already the subject of ongoing federal investigations and regulatory actions.” it added.
It also cites example of Amazon, Apple, Uber and Meta who also donated to Trump and faces federal scrutiny.
The letter alleged “the industry’s efforts suggest that Big Tech companies are trying to curry favor and skirt the niles”.
These donations raise questions about corruption and the influence of corporate money on the Trump administration, and Congress and the public deserve answers, it added and sought reply from Altman by January 31st, 2025.