Zuckerberg and Altman are getting closer to Trump after the president's breakup with Musk

Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman are gradually becoming the new favorites of the Donald Trump administration after the president’s acrimonious break with Elon Musk. At a recent White House dinner, the Meta CEO sat to Trump’s right, while the OpenAI CEO sat opposite, symbolizing their new political closeness, the Financial Times reports.

According to insiders, both billionaires are seeking to strengthen their relationship with the White House to gain support for their AI projects and avoid excessive regulation. Zuckerberg has pledged to invest at least $600 billion in the United States by 2028, while Meta and OpenAI have lifted restrictions on the military use of their technology. This allows Trump to demonstrate progress in maintaining America’s technological lead over China.

The alliance with the president has also proven beneficial for companies: the administration promises to speed up the issuance of permits for new data centers, and has also added Meta and OpenAI to the list of approved AI vendors for the US government.

A year ago, Trump threatened Zuckerberg with prison, but Meta's content moderation policies have become more Republican-friendly. The company has increased the influence of lobbyists, and Zuckerberg himself has secured the support of key advisers to the president.

However, experts warn that such a turnaround could have long-term risks. In the EU, pressure on big tech companies continues, and in the US, Meta remains under scrutiny from antitrust authorities and Republican senators who question the neutrality of AI.

Despite their warm relationship with the White House, observers believe that Zuckerberg and Altman do not have a stable ideology and could just as quickly reorient themselves if power in Washington changes again.