OpenAI CEO Sam Altman has pushed back against a Senate inquiry into his $1 million donation to President-elect Donald Trump's inaugural fund.
Mr Altman, in a post on X, questioned the scrutiny, pointing out that his past donations to Democratic candidates - including Elizabeth Warren and outgoing President Joe Biden - had never received similar attention. "Funny, they never sent me one of these for contributing to Democrats," he remarked.
Mr Altman, who had previously announced the donation in December, explained his reasoning in a Fox News interview, saying he was "eager to support" Donald Trump's efforts to lead the nation into the future of artificial intelligence. However, Democratic Senators Elizabeth Warren and Michael Bennet argued that Sam Altman's donation, alongside contributions from other tech giants, was aimed at reducing scrutiny and limiting regulation, particularly as OpenAI faces investigations by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) and the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).
The letter, dated January 17, referenced the pattern of million-dollar donations from tech giants like Amazon, Apple, Google, Meta, Microsoft, and Uber. The senators noted that these companies, including OpenAI, were facing ongoing federal investigations for antitrust and consumer protection violations. They expressed concern that such donations might be intended to sway Mr Trump's policies in favour of Big Tech, potentially reducing future regulatory actions.
The inquiry also raised questions about the influence of corporate money on the Trump administration and the potential corruption risks involved. Senators Warren and Bennet requested Mr Altman's response to a series of questions, including details about how and when OpenAI decided to contribute to the inaugural fund, by January 31.
Mr Altman, in a follow-up post, said that the donation was a "personal" one and that OpenAI, the company he leads, was not involved in the decision. "It was a personal contribution as you state; I am confused about the questions given that my company did not make a decision," he wrote.
Other tech leaders supporting Donald Trump include Tesla's Elon Musk, Palantir's Joe Lonsdale, venture capitalist David Sacks, Andreessen Horowitz's Ben and Marc Andreessen, and Gemini's Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss.
