Amazon has confirmed a donation of one million dollars to Donald Trump's inauguration fund. This move follows similar actions by other big tech companies like Meta, which also contributed one million dollars. Amazon also plans to broadcast the inauguration of the designated U.S. President on its Prime Video platform.

The donation marks a clear effort by the technology industry to improve relations with the new Trump administration. During his first term, Trump was a sharp critic of the big tech companies, accusing them, among other things, of censoring conservative voices and exploiting tax loopholes. However, after his November election victory, leading tech CEOs showed efforts to reach out to him.

Jeff Bezos, founder and executive chair of Amazon, plans to visit Trump at his Mar-a-Lago resort next week, according to the Wall Street Journal. Other big-tech executives, including Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Apple CEO Tim Cook, have also congratulated Trump after the election. Pichai is expected to travel to a meeting in Mar-a-Lago as well. Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg already met Trump for a dinner after his election victory.

Elon Musk, owner of X (formerly Twitter) and one of Trump's closest allies, has himself generously invested in Trump's campaign and taken a leading role in the planned reform of the U.S. government bureaucracy.

During Trump's first term, Amazon repeatedly came under his scrutiny. Trump accused the company of displacing small businesses and exploiting the US Postal Service as a "delivery boy." Under Joe Biden's administration, tensions intensified when the US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) under Lina Khan filed a lawsuit against Amazon for alleged monopoly practices and launched further investigations into Amazon's cloud partnerships in the field of generative AI.

The recent developments, however, show a new dynamic. Bezos praised Trump after an assassination attempt in the summer for his "brave stance under fire" and prohibited the Washington Post, which he owns, from officially supporting Trump's Democratic rival Kamala Harris.

Amazon and other big tech companies seem to be betting on easing tensions and benefiting from a benevolent policy of the Trump administration. Especially in light of Trump's planned tariffs that could affect Apple's supply chains and other technology companies, there is a lot at stake for the industry.