During the inauguration of Donald Trump as President of the United States, some of the most exclusive seats were reserved for powerful CEOs of technology companies who are also among the wealthiest men in the world. This marked a shift from tradition, especially for a president identified as a champion of the working class.
In his farewell speech, then-President Joe Biden warned of the risk that the United States could become an oligarchy dominated by billionaire tech moguls wielding a dangerous level of power and influence. Among the billionaires who accompanied Donald Trump at his inauguration were Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla; Sundar Pichai, CEO of Google; Tim Cook, CEO of Apple; Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta; Shou Chew, CEO of TikTok; Howard Lutnik, CEO of Cantor Fitzgerald; Jeff Bezos, executive chairman of Amazon; Dana White, CEO of UFC; Bernard Arnault, CEO of LVMH; and Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google.
Elon Musk, the richest person in the world, who also runs Tesla, SpaceX, and the social platform X, was one of Trump's closest advisors during the ceremony. Business leaders such as Tim Cook of Apple and Shou Zi Chew of TikTok were also present.
Historically, the mega-rich have played a prominent role in national politics, having funded campaigns such as that of Vice President Kamala Harris or being recognized for their philanthropic actions like George Soros, to whom Biden recently awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom.
The presence of these business leaders at Trump's inauguration reveals the unusually direct role they are likely to play in the new administration. Seats typically reserved for the president's family, former presidents, and other honored guests on this occasion were occupied by CEOs of technology companies alongside cabinet members.
The image of the inauguration shows tech leaders conversing with some of Trump's appointees for his cabinet, such as Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as Secretary of Health and Marco Rubio as Secretary of State, in an environment highlighting the closeness and interaction between high-ranking government officials and business leaders.
