A STEP BACK

Zuckerberg’s $65M Political Power Play Takes A Turn

Meta has been refunded millions in donations on the home stretch of the 2026 midterms.

Mark Zuckerberg’s company is quietly pulling back its midterm spending, a new report alleges.

Meta has pulled back $25 million from the $65 million it pledged to back AI-friendly candidates, according to The New York Times.

Meta spread its massive giving across four super PACs to advance a pro-AI regulatory agenda, marking what the Times described as the company’s biggest election investment to date.

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However, the Times reports that the company began scaling back its midterms influence efforts this summer. The American Technology Excellence Project, a PAC that Meta backed with $45 million, issued two refunds to the company in July and August, totaling $22 million.

Meta’s California-focused advocacy group, which received $20 million last year, reportedly refunded the company $3 million in August.

A company spokesperson told the Times the refunds were part of “adjustments” but declined to answer additional questions about why they happened.

Meta’s PACs backed both Democrats and Republicans in the primaries, particularly in states weighing data center moratoriums or AI legislation. In California, the company’s advocacy group spent about $1.2 million to support Democratic gubernatorial nominee Xavier Becerra.

Zuckerberg’s influence in Washington has been growing. Although the 42-year-old once drew President Donald Trump’s ire for supposed “anti-Trump” censorship on Facebook, he’s since become a MAGA ally, attending Trump’s second inauguration and visiting the White House this month.

In 2024, Zuckerberg donated $1 million to the then-president-elect’s inaugural fund. That year, he also dined with Trump in his Mar-a-Lago Club on the night before Thanksgiving.

Last month, Zuckerberg joined leaders of top tech firms to sign President Donald Trump’s “White House Accord on Super Intelligence.” The voluntary pact, which the president called “morally binding,” laid out AI safeguards and asked companies to commit to self-policing.

The Washington Post revealed this week that Meta also contributed $5 million to Trump’s $600 million ballroom project. Other major tech companies to donate included Apple, Nvidia, Google, and Palantir.

Zuckerberg isn’t the only tech leader to back out of his political commitments. Greg Brockman, president and cofounder of OpenAI, has also reportedly canceled a planned $25 million donation to the pro-AI political advocacy group Leading the Future.

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Evgenia AnastasakosBreaking News Intern

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