The CEOs of some of these companies, such as Tim Cook of Apple, have made donations to Trump’s inaugural committee, as have Amazon, Toyota Motor North America, Kraken and Ripple. As per the sources, Cook had seen the inauguration as a major event in the American society, and is giving in the ‘Give Together’ manner. Nonethe less, Apple, as a corporation, will not make a contribution and despite being the largest taxpayer in the United States, the corporation does not directly engage in political activities.
Apple Pay $2.6M over Siri Lawsuit
Cook’s donation comes with Apple setting apart $95 million to shareholders who accused the company of secretly using Siri to record conversations on iPhones and other devices. The lawsuit, which has been prosecuted for five years, concerned the violation of privacy rights, owing to Siri activation without users’ permission.
While Apple has not admitted to any wrongdoing, the agreement means millions of consumers can seek money – up to $20 for each eligible product. However, court documents estimate that only between 3% to 5% of the affected users would be able to file claims. The company has also maintained the policy of supporting user privacy since the leadership of Tim Cook, who actively speaks about the inalienable right to privacy.
Other Companies’ Contributions
Other contributors include Toyota Motor North America who donated 1 million USD and Ford Motor as well as General Motors. They will also supply cars for the event for those automakers that have agreed to participate.
Retail trading company, Robinhood Markets gave $2 million while Amazon promised $1m and Prime Video will broadcast the inauguration. $1 mn each has been committed by Uber Technologies, and its CEO, Dara Khosrowshahi.
Another billionaire, Ken Griffin, the founder of Citadel LLC, has also pledged $1 million to the fund though he did not donate towards Trump campaign during the elections.
To the current wave of contributions, this shows that corporations and individuals are willing to support the inauguration as a form of togetherness during political transfers.
