Meta's withdrawal of roughly $25 million from AI-focused midterm election spending reported, reducing its effective spend from $65 million to around $40 million.
Following·Day 3·2 sources
Meta Cuts AI Political Spending as OpenAI, Anthropic Ramp Up Lobbying
The gist
The lobbying and spending shifts show the AI industry's political posture changing, with some major players pulling back on political spending while AI labs increase direct lobbying on policy questions including antitrust. The antitrust lobbying drew public pushback from the Trump administration.
The full picture
Meta withdrew roughly $25 million, about 40% of its planned total, from AI-focused political spending for the midterm elections, an unusual move that observers described as a sign that groups opposing AI regulation are spending less than originally advertised. Meanwhile, Meta spent $5.9 million on Washington lobbying in Q3 2026, the most among major tech firms that quarter. OpenAI and Anthropic nearly doubled and tripled their own lobbying spending, respectively, in the first half of the year. Both OpenAI and Anthropic lobbied on allowing AI companies to share information without violating antitrust rules, an effort that Trump administration officials criticized, saying companies could slow down AI development without needing government permission.
How it developed
Sources
Semafor Technology
- Meta leads Big Tech lobbying in Q3 as OpenAI and Anthropic ramp up spending
Related
- Split fromAnthropic's leaked draft AI bill
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