Apple CEO Tim Cook has committed to donating $1 million to US President-elect Donald Trump’s inauguration fund, ahead of his swearing-in on January 20. This decision follows a series of notable financial contributions from various companies and organizations to Trump’s inaugural committee, as reported by Axios.
Cook’s donation is part of a broader trend of high-profile donations, including contributions from Amazon, OpenAI, Toyota Motor North America, and crypto firms such as Kraken, Ripple, and Ondo. While Cook believes in the “great American tradition” of inaugurations and aims to support the “spirit of unity,” Apple, as a company, will not be making a donation.
Tim Cook, who has previously advocated for privacy as a “fundamental human right,” is also dealing with another significant development—Apple has agreed to pay $95 million to settle a lawsuit accusing it of secretly eavesdropping on its users through its virtual assistant Siri. This lawsuit, which has been ongoing for five years, alleged that Apple recorded conversations without users’ consent. The settlement, if approved by a California federal court, could allow millions of Apple customers to claim up to $20 per device.
In addition to Cook’s donation, several other companies and individuals have made major contributions to Trump’s inauguration fund, including $1 million donations from Toyota, Ford, and General Motors, and $2 million from Robinhood Markets. Other significant donations include $1 million each from Uber Technologies and its CEO Dara Khosrowshahi, and a $1 million contribution from Citadel LLC founder Ken Griffin. Notably, Amazon will also contribute $1 million and livestream the inauguration event on its Prime Video platform.
