Tech employees go silent as CEOs donate to Trump's inaugural fund
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Tech CEOs are scrambling to land on President-elect Trump's nice list ahead of his inauguration next month, with Meta, Amazon, Uber and OpenAI's Sam Altman each donating at least $1 million to the inaugural fund.
- Meanwhile, the typically very vocal and leaky employee bases have remained eerily quiet.
Why it matters: The lack of employee backlash represents a stark shift from the corporate activism witnessed during Trump's first term.
State of play: There's a steady stream of CEOs visiting Mar-a-Lago — most recently TikTok's Shou Zi Chew, Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos, and Jeff Bezos — which had Trump declaring that "Everybody wants to be my friend."
Reality check: It's likely not friendship they are after but a strategic pathway for hedging bets and influence.
What they're saying: Communicators from these tech companies Axios spoke with say that employees seem to understand the political realities of the Trump administration, with one describing the internal vibe as "more pragmatic" than in years past.
- "Employees understand that the regulatory stakes for the tech industry are high and you have to engage with Trump directly if you want to get things done," said one tech communications executive who requested to speak on background.
The other side: Some say this subdued response speaks to election fatigue and the busy holiday season as opposed to serving as a bellwether for employee activism.
- "The term hasn't started, and the famous Women's March, the activism and uproar around the Muslim ban and pulling out of the Paris Agreement didn't happen until after Trump's first inauguration," points out Dan Schwerin, co-founder of Evergreen Strategy Group.
- "CEOs and their advisors are underestimating the cross pressure they're going to face when [policy proposals] start happening. People are tired now, but they are going to find a second wind when confronted with the reality of it next year," he added.
And while donating to Trump's inauguration is good government relations, it's shortsighted says Paul Argenti, professor of corporate communication at Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College.
- "Trump believes in loyalty. But you have to be 100% sure you can be completely loyal — and if you're Zuckerberg or Bezos, I don't think you can."
The big picture: When it comes to policy matters, geopolitics or societal issues companies have shifted from loud, external and values-based communications to predominantly internal comms rooted in business-first messaging.
- "Compared to the first Trump term, people have learned a lot about the importance of prioritizing internal communications," says Nick Merrill, co-founder and managing partner at Evergreen Strategy Group.
- "We'll probably see fewer CEO statements that condemned this or that, and a lot more thoughtful, consistent engagement of the workforce. But they should be careful about doing things now that they might regret next year," he added.
What to watch: How these tech executives respond should Trump implement policies that go against their business goals, impact employees or challenge their corporate values.
- 👀 And who bails on Davos' global stage to attend the inauguration.
More on Axios: "Everybody wants to be my friend," Trump brags after tech CEOs seek audiences
