In a surprising turn of events, several top tech leaders are publicly congratulating Donald Trump following his victory in the 2024 U.S. presidential election, despite their previous clashes with him during his first term in office. Throughout his presidency, Trump frequently criticized the tech giants, making pointed remarks about major companies like Google, Facebook (Meta), Amazon, and Apple. He even went as far as threatening to imprison Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and hinted at breaking up Google for allegedly “rigging” its search results. However, now, as Trump gears up for his return to the White House, many of these same executives are setting aside past grievances and offering their congratulations.
Here’s a roundup of what some of the most prominent names in Big Tech had to say about Trump’s win:
Tim Cook, CEO of Apple
Congratulations President Trump on your victory! We look forward to engaging with you and your administration to help make sure the United States continues to lead with and be fueled by ingenuity, innovation, and creativity.
— Tim Cook (@tim_cook) November 6, 2024
Apple’s CEO, Tim Cook, offered a formal congratulation to Trump on his victory, expressing optimism about future collaboration. “Congratulations, President Trump, on your victory! We look forward to engaging with you and your administration to help make sure the United States continues to lead with and be fueled by ingenuity, innovation, and creativity.”
Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta (Facebook)
Post by @zuckView on Threads
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, who had a particularly strained relationship with Trump during his presidency, also issued a congratulatory statement. “Congratulations to President Trump on a decisive victory. We have great opportunities ahead of us as a country. Looking forward to working with you and your administration.”
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and Alphabet
Congratulations to President @realDonaldTrump on his decisive victory. We are in a golden age of American innovation and are committed to working with his administration to help bring the benefits to everyone. pic.twitter.com/IPX7AJ8VvI
— Sundar Pichai (@sundarpichai) November 6, 2024
Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google and its parent company Alphabet, joined the chorus of well-wishers. Pichai, who had been a target of Trump’s criticism in the past, tweeted, “Congratulations to President @realDonaldTrump on his decisive victory. We are in a golden age of American innovation and are committed to working with his administration to help bring the benefits to everyone.”
Jeff Bezos, Founder of Amazon
Big congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory. No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing @realDonaldTrump all success in leading and uniting the America we all love.
— Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) November 6, 2024
Despite Trump’s frequent public clashes with him, especially regarding the taxation of Amazon, Jeff Bezos congratulated the president on his victory. “Big congratulations to our 45th and now 47th President on an extraordinary political comeback and decisive victory. No nation has bigger opportunities. Wishing @realDonaldTrump all success in leading and uniting the America we all love.”
Andy Jassy, CEO of Amazon
Congratulations to President-elect @realDonaldTrump on a hard-fought victory. We look forward to working with you and your administration on issues important to our customers, employees, communities, and country.
— Andy Jassy (@ajassy) November 6, 2024
Amazon’s current CEO, Andy Jassy, echoed Bezos’s sentiment, congratulating Trump on his hard-fought victory. “Congratulations to President-elect @realDonaldTrump on a hard-fought victory. We look forward to working with you and your administration on issues important to our customers, employees, communities, and country.”
Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft
Congratulations President Trump, we’re looking forward to engaging with you and your administration to drive innovation forward that creates new growth and opportunity for the United States and the world.
— Satya Nadella (@satyanadella) November 6, 2024
Microsoft’s Satya Nadella also shared his congratulations, emphasizing the importance of continued innovation. “Congratulations President Trump, we’re looking forward to engaging with you and your administration to drive innovation forward that creates new growth and opportunity for the United States and the world.”
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI
congrats to President Trump.
— Sam Altman (@sama) November 6, 2024
i wish for his huge success in the job.
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, which has garnered significant attention for its developments in artificial intelligence, kept his message simple but forward-looking. “Congrats to President Trump. I wish for his huge success in the job. It is critically important that the US maintains its lead in developing AI with democratic values.”
Pat Gelsinger, CEO of Intel
We congratulate President-Elect Trump and Vice President-Elect Vance on their victory and look forward to working with their administration to advance America’s technology and manufacturing leadership in the world.
— Pat Gelsinger (@PGelsinger) November 6, 2024
Intel’s Pat Gelsinger congratulated Trump and his vice-presidential running mate, J.D. Vance, expressing eagerness to collaborate with their administration. “We congratulate President-Elect Trump and Vice President-Elect Vance on their victory and look forward to working with their administration to advance America’s technology and manufacturing leadership in the world.”
Cristiano Amon, CEO of Qualcomm
We congratulate President-elect Trump @realDonaldTrump and Vice President-elect Vance @JDVance and look forward to working with the new Administration and Congress to advance priorities that promote resilience, innovation and competition in America 🇺🇲.
— Cristiano R. Amon (@cristianoamon) November 6, 2024
Qualcomm’s CEO Cristiano Amon also joined the ranks of those congratulating the new president. “We congratulate President-elect Trump and Vice President-elect Vance and look forward to working with the new administration and Congress to advance priorities that promote resilience, innovation and competition in America.”
Why the Shift in Tone?
While it might seem surprising for these tech CEOs to extend congratulations to a president they often clashed with, their public messages reflect the pragmatic nature of business. Despite their past differences with Trump, many of these leaders understand that engaging with the U.S. government is key to navigating regulatory challenges, advancing policy initiatives, and supporting the tech industry’s growth. With a new administration set to take office, these executives likely see an opportunity to build relationships and influence key decisions that will affect the future of the tech industry, particularly in areas like AI, innovation, and international trade.
Furthermore, with Trump’s second-term agenda poised to focus on economic recovery, tech infrastructure, and workforce innovation, many companies are positioning themselves to work alongside the incoming administration in areas where collaboration may be mutually beneficial.
Conclusion
While Trump’s relationship with Big Tech during his previous presidency was marked by contentious moments and public spats, the tech industry’s leadership is now extending an olive branch in the hopes of fostering productive partnerships moving forward. As the political landscape shifts, these leaders are looking to navigate the coming years with a more cooperative approach, focused on innovation and growth—even if their previous dealings with the administration were far from cordial. As the saying goes, business is business—regardless of past conflicts.