The biggest tech companies spent roughly the same lobbying lawmakers in 2023 as they did in 2022, dishing out $68 million last year, Ashley reports.

Driving the news: Washington had a packed tech policy agenda in 2023, with officials in Congress and federal agencies discussing semiconductor manufacturing, content moderation, artificial intelligence, kids' online safety and more.

The big picture: Despite a slight dip in overall spending last year — in 2022, tech spent $70 million — lobbying numbers are still at record levels historically.

• For context, the same companies spent about $65 million in 2021.
• Amazon and Meta are the biggest spenders of the group, doling out $17.8 million and $19.2 million in 2023, respectively.

By the numbers, per an Axios review of federal lobbying disclosures:

• Google spent $2.8 million in Q4 and $12 million in 2023, compared with $11 million spent in 2022
• Apple spent $3 million in Q4 and $9.6 million in 2023, compared with $9.3 million spent in 2022
• Amazon spent $4.5 million in Q4 and $17.8 million in 2023, compared with $19.7 million in 2022
• Meta spent $4.7 million in Q4 and $19.3 million in 2023, compared with $19 million in 2022
• Microsoft spent $2.1 million in Q4 and $9 million in 2023, compared with $9.8 million in 2022

Notable mentions: Lobbying spend by ByteDance, the owner of TikTok, jumped significantly, going to $8.7 million in 2023 compared with $2.8 million in 2022, including on kids' privacy and proposed legislative bans.

• Snap, which will face Senate Judiciary lawmakers along with its larger social media rivals next week to discuss kids' privacy, spent only $860,000 on lobbying in 2023.

Of note: Beyond standard tech policy issues of competition, privacy, AI and content moderation, Amazon lobbied on payment processing, autonomous vehicles, e-bikes, telehealth and climate.

Zoom in: Artificial intelligence continued to pop up repeatedly in tech lobbying, just as in 2023's Q3.

• OpenAI, which registered to lobby for the first time in 2023, spent $260,000 last year.
• The company's top lobbyist, Chan Park, came over to OpenAI from Microsoft, its major investor/partner.
• The industry-leading and often controversial AI company lobbied on issues including cloud computing, cybersecurity and privacy, along with three AI bills introduced last year and the general topics of AI and copyright and journalism.
• Andreessen Horowitz spent $950,000 in 2023, lobbying on digital assets, AI, and the FDA and Social Security acts.

The bottom line: Tech lobbyists in Washington will not be out of work any time soon.

Just because a tech policy issue seems a little dead in Congress doesn't mean tech lobbyists have stopped spending money on it, Ashley writes.

Why it matters: People in Washington talk a big game about bills having lost all momentum, but we know nothing's ever really over on the Hill if a lawmaker is determined to see legislation pass.

• Just the continued threat of conversation about a certain bill is enough to merit a lobbyist visit and millions spent, per federal lobbying disclosures.

Details: Per Q4 2023 forms, here are the tech policy topics that have been repeatedly beaten or slowed down on the Hill but are not yet defeated in the eyes of the companies they would impact:

• Kids' online safety (KOSA and an update to COPPA, various iterations of TikTok bans, age verification on social media)
• Content moderation and tweaks to Section 230
• Tech antitrust, including OAMA and the JCPA
• Patents, copyright, music licensing and cloud computing
• Broadband access
• Encryption, data retention, sending data back and forth overseas
• Taxes, manufacturing and R&D
• High-skilled immigration, trade agreements and supply chain

Our thought bubble: Tech lobbying is largely about staying on offense and not taking any chances, knowing that some bills gain momentum or a ride on a piece of must-pass legislation without much warning.

"Conversations continued over the holidays and since our return between the AI gang staff and senators directly. The success of the AI Insight Forums led to many recommendations and we aim to produce a framework — working in tandem with the respective Senate committees — in the near future."