Donald Trump inauguration: From Google to Meta, tech leaders who attended the swearing-in creremony

SpaceX CEO Elon Musk

Elon Musk, the world’s richest man, has been openly endorsing Donald Trump for quite some time now. The multi-billionaire has gotten close to Trump in the last few months and has directly donated around $300 million to his campaign. While Elon was expected to lead the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DoGE for short) alongside Vivek Ramaswamy, the latter has dropped his name to run for governor.

Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg

During Trump’s first term, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg had criticized the President-elect, but now it looks like the relationship between the two has been softening a bit.

While Zuckerberg has typically shied away from politics and did not publicly endorse anyone in the 2020 and 2024 elections, the Meta CEO did donate $1 million to Trump’s inauguration fund. Before dinner, he also reportedly showed the Meta Ray-Ban smart glasses and even gifted a pair to Trump. Zuckerberg is also hosting a party on Inauguration Day, according to a recent report by the New York Times.

Amazon chairman Jeff Bezos

Amazon chairman Jeff Bezos, who also owns Blue Origin and the Washington Post newspaper. Bezos was spotted sitting alongside Musk and Zuckerberg, with the trio sitting in front of Trump’s defense secretary pick – Pete Hegseth.

For those wondering, the inaugural platform is usually reserved for the current President, the Cice President, members of the Supreme Court and some high ranking officials.

Google CEO Sundar Pichai

Google CEO Sundar Pichai has had a rocky relationship with Trump during his first term when he threatened to break up the tech giant or shut it down.

However, it looks like things might  rapidly change in the coming months, as Trump is expected to dial down the antitrust case against Google pursued under former President Joe Biden. Like Meta, Google also donated $1 million to Trump’s fund.

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman

OpenAI CEO Sam Altman was also spotted at Trump’s inauguration. While he wasn’t seen in the front row alongside Musk, Bezos and Zuckerberg, the OpenAI head has personally donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund in the hope that he might help the artificial intelligence startup in the future.

Apple CEO Tim Cook

Since Trump’s first term, Apple CEO Tim Cook has been on friendly terms with the United States President. Like Sam Altman, Cook also personally donated $1 million to Trump’s inaugural fund with Trump saying that Apple is planning a “massive investment” now that he is once again in the White House.

While Cook was seen seated seprately from Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk and Jeff Bezos, he reportedly attended the ceremony at the St Johns Church and was also seen at the lucheon, where he was spotted alongside Trump Jr. and Supreme Court Judge Samuel Alito.

TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew

In a gesture of thanks, TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew also marked his attendance at Trump’s inaugural ceremony.

While the United States Supreme Court upheld the law which would ban TikTok in the country, President Donald Trump has ordered the federal government to give the Chinese video sharing platform a couple of months to broker a deal.

Trump has said that he would “extend the period of time before the law’s prohibitions take effect, so that we can make a deal to protect our national security.”