What first year of Donald Trump’s second term as the US President meant for CEOs of America’s six biggest tech companies
Donald Trump has completed a year into his second term as President, and 2025 witnessed deep transactional alliance between the tech companies and the administration. The year was also largely eventful as Google, Apple, ChatGPT-maker OpenAI and Meta, among others announced billion in spending and generated revenues, riding the AI wave. It also saw a remarkable increase in personal wealth of multiple tech leaders, including Elon Musk, Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos.
Elon Musk wealth increased by roughly $234 billion under Trump 2.0
According to a list completed by The Financial Times, Elon Musk accumulated multi-billions under Trump’s second term despite a mid-year fallout over his leadership of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). SpaceX continues to dominate federal contracts and the Pentagon recently integrated his Grok AI model into its operations.
Sam Altman’s OpenAI gets multi-billion dollar contracts and investments
Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, appeared to execute a total political pivot. From once calling Trump’s 2016 win the “worst thing” of his life, Altman spent 2025 standing alongside the President to announce a $500 billion data centre initiative. The company’s valuation soared from $157 billion in late 2024 to $500 billion in 2025.
Apple Tim Cook announces billions of dollars spending
Under Tim Cook’s leadership, Apple announced a total of $600 billion investment over the course of 4 years. He also famously defused ‘fentanyl tariff’ tensions by presenting Trump with a gold trophy. Apple shares are up almost 15% since Trump’s inauguration, and Cook owns 3.3 million of them.
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ ’damage control’
Amazon founder Jeff Bezos’ focused on “damage control” to protect their supply chains and logistics networks by taking a more cultural approach. First he reportedly ‘killed’ a Washington Post endorsement of Kamala Harris. The move appears to have worked as Bezos’s Blue Origin has largely avoided the administration’s ire. Under Trump 2.0, Bezos accumulated roughly $15 billion wealth.
Mark Zuckerberg’s multiple Mar-a-Lago visits
Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg began the year with personal threats from the President but massive infrastructure pledges got them back into the administration’s good books. In 2025, Zuckerberg overtook Bezos to become the world’s third-wealthiest person in July/ August with roughly $1.9 billion wealth surge. He also appointed Trump ally Dina Powell McCormick as Meta’s President and pledged $600 billion in US investment.
Google CEO Sundar Pichai settled lawsuit
Google and Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai also started 2025 in a similar fashion as Mark Zuckerberg but triple-downed inaugural donations (giving $1 million). The company settled a censorship lawsuit under Trump 2.0 which boosted investors confidence, leading to a surge in company’s valuation and becoming second most valuable company by year-end. Alphabet’s share price has surged 66% over the past year.
