In late October, The New York Times reported that Gates donated approximately $50 million to the political action group Future Forward USA Action, which backed Harris’s campaign and produced anti-Trump advertisements during the 2024 election. While Gates did not explicitly endorse Harris, he noted the unique stakes of the election, stating:
“I support candidates who demonstrate a clear commitment to improving health care, reducing poverty, and fighting climate change in the U.S. and around the world. I have a long history of working with leaders across the political spectrum, but this election is different, with unprecedented significance for Americans and the most vulnerable people around the world.”
Gates has historically avoided partisan politics to maintain working relationships with both Democrats and Republicans. However, critics argue that his organization has become more aligned with the Democratic Party and its candidates.
Microsoft President Brad Smith and his wife, Kathy Surace-Smith, hosted a $5,000-per-person fundraiser in 2023 to support the Biden Victory Fund. Smith was a significant fundraiser for Democrats during Biden’s presidency. Microsoft has also employed individuals who later clashed with Trump. Christopher Krebs, a former Microsoft cybersecurity executive, became director of the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), where he controversially asserted the 2020 election was one of the most secure in U.S. history. During a December 2020 Senate hearing, Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) criticized Krebs’s stance, saying:
“If you’re saying it’s the safest election based on no dead people voted, no non-citizens voted, [and] no people broke the absentee rules, I think that’s false… I don’t think you examined any of the problems that we’ve heard here.”
As Trump prepares to take office, his administration is signaling a shift in policy toward big tech. Trump recently nominated Gail Slater, an antitrust expert and advisor to JD Vance, to head the Justice Department’s antitrust division. Slater is expected to continue efforts from Trump’s first term to address anti-competitive behavior by tech companies. Trump emphasized the need for accountability in his announcement:
“Big Tech has run wild for years, stifling competition… [and] using its market power to crack down on the rights of so many Americans. [Slater] will ensure that our competition laws are enforced, both vigorously and FAIRLY.”
In addition, Trump appointed Federal Trade Commission (FTC) Commissioner Andrew Ferguson, who has called for investigations into “unlawful collusion” among tech platforms and advertiser boycotts. Ferguson argued:
“We must prosecute any unlawful collusion between online platforms and confront advertiser boycotts which threaten competition… Censorship, even if carried out transparently and honestly, is inimical to American democracy.”
Trump also nominated Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Commissioner Brendan Carr to lead the agency. Carr has been vocal against what he calls the “censorship cartel” involving big tech, fact-checking organizations, and ad agencies. He asserts:
“American democracy depends on dismantling the tech Masters of the Universe who, alongside groups like the Orwellian-named NewsGuard, have enforced one-sided narratives.”
Microsoft, through its partnership with NewsGuard, faced scrutiny after NewsGuard’s co-founder dismissed the 2020 Hunter Biden laptop story as a “Russian hoax.” Critics argue this reflects a broader pattern of alignment between Microsoft and platforms accused of stifling dissenting viewpoints.
Trump’s administration is expected to prioritize antitrust enforcement and efforts to protect free speech from alleged tech industry overreach.
