Welcome to The Hill's Technology newsletter {beacon} Technology Technology The Big Story  Trump's inauguration fund gets tech cash  The leaders of multiple major technology companies are throwing money into President-elect Trump's inauguration fund, raising questions over what their relationship with the incoming administration will look like.  © Greg Nash Meta and Amazon announced this week they were each contributing $1 million to Trump's inauguration fund. while OpenAI's Sam Altman said Friday he would give the same amount from his personal funds.   Altman, who had a falling out with Musk following his departure from OpenAI, confirmed Friday he would also be giving $1 million to Trump's inaugural fund, but with his own money. “President Trump will lead our country into the age of AI, and I am eager to support his efforts to ensure America stays ahead,” Altman said in a statement Friday shared by his spokesperson. Meta's donation came just weeks after CEO Mark Zuckerberg's visit with Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort, which was largely seen as an attempt to court the president-elect as he returns to the White House. Zuckerberg and Trump had a somewhat contentious relationship since Facebook banned the former president from the platform following the Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. At one point, the former president labeled Facebook an “enemy of the people.” Trump’s account was reinstated in 2023 and the president-elect has changed his tune on Zuckerberg, stating in October he likes the tech executive “much better now.” The Meta CEO did not endorse a candidate during the 2024 presidential election, but occasionally touched upon politics on the campaign trail.  Meanwhile, Amazon owner Jeff Bezos has also had a rocky relationship with Trump, who went after Amazon and the Washington Post in his first term. In 2019, the e-commerce giant argued in court it was not picked for a Pentagon contract due to Bezos's past criticism of Trump.  While contributions to presidential inaugural funds are not new, some observers have seen the moves as part of broader efforts by the tech industry to court Trump ahead of his second term, especially in the wake of his emerging relationship with tech billionaire Elon Musk. Read more at TheHill.com.   Welcome to The Hill’s Technology newsletter, we're Julia Shapero and Miranda Nazzaro — tracking the latest moves from Capitol Hill to Silicon Valley.   Did someone forward you this newsletter? Subscribe here. Essential Reads  How policy will be impacting the tech sector now and in the future:   Texas bill would allow bitcoin to be used for taxes, donations  (NewsNation) — A bill that has been introduced in the Texas Legislature would allow residents to use bitcoin to pay their taxes and make other political contributions and charitable donations. The Texas Strategic Bitcoin Reserve Act already has bipartisan support, according to one of the bill’s sponsors. If passed, the bill could set a precedent for the remainder of the country and for the U.S. Treasury. The proposed law would …  Full Story   Musk’s SpaceX moves to turn Starbase site into a Texas city  Elon Musk’s SpaceX is reviving its mission to turn its Starbase site into a new Texas city. In a letter sent Thursday to a local judge, SpaceX requested an election to determine if its Starbase site, which is home to SpaceX’s rocket production and launches, should be turned into an incorporated city, The Associated Press reported. A screenshot of the apparent letter was reposted by Musk, who wrote on his social …  Full Story   Google CEO eyes AI ‘Manhattan Project’ after Trump inauguration Alphabet and Google CEO Sundar Pichai said in a recent interview that he is eyeing a research project on artificial intelligence (AI), similar to the Manhattan Project during World War II, after President-elect Trump returns to the White House next month. “I think there is a chance for us to work as a country together,” Pichai said in an interview with Semafor published Thursday night. “These big, physical infrastructure projects …  Full Story   Musk knocks SEC over settlement offer in probe Tech mogul Elon Musk criticized the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) on Thursday over a settlement offer in the agency’s probe into his 2022 purchase of Twitter, the social platform now known as X. In a letter to SEC Chair Gary Gensler that Musk shared on X, his attorney Alex Spiro said the agency had given the billionaire 48 hours to accept a monetary payment or face charges on several counts.  “This demand follows …  Full Story The Refresh  News we've flagged from the intersection of tech and other topics:   NotebookLM podcasts are now interactive Users of Google's NotebookLM can now interact with the artificial intelligence (AI) powered hosts that digest their notes and generate a podcast based on the information, TechCrunch reported.   Biden administration prepares new chip restrictions The Biden administration is planning to impose new restrictions on advanced AI chips that would cap shipments to certain countries, as it seeks to limit China's access to the technology, The Wall Street Journal reported. On Our Radar  Upcoming news themes and events we're watching: The Brookings Institution will host a virtual event titled "Measuring productivity in an age of technological change," next Monday at 2 p.m. ET. In Other News  Branch out with other reads on The Hill: New Jersey lawmaker rips Kirby over drone remarks: ‘That guy is an idiot’  New Jersey Assemblymember Brian Bergen (R) responded to White House national security spokesperson John Kirby’s remarks about the increase in unidentified drones flying over the state, calling him an “idiot” and a “fool.”   “That guy is an idiot. That I can tell you right now,” Bergen, a former U.S. Army helicopter pilot, said Thursday evening in an interview on Fox News. His criticism comes as an uptick in reported … Full Story   Thiel says he won’t have ‘full-time’ role in second Trump administration Tech billionaire Peter Thiel said he won’t have a “full-time” role in the second President-elect Trump administration, adding that he would become “depressed and crazy” if he spent his “whole life” thinking about politics.  “I’m not going to do anything on a full-time basis,” Thiel said during his Thursday appearance on “Piers Morgan Uncensored.”  “You know, one can do things like … what Elon is … Full Story What Others are Reading  Two key stories on The Hill right now: Live coverage: Johnson briefed on drone sightings; Pelosi injured in Luxembourg Lawmakers in New Jersey and beyond grew worried Friday about the now-regular spotting of drones over the state, with officials calling for answers … Read more Supreme Court to hear dispute over Catholic group, Wisconsin tax exemption   The Supreme Court agreed Friday to take up a Catholic charitable group’s quest to qualify for Wisconsin’s religious exemption from the state’s unemployment … Read more You're all caught up. See you next week!