Mark Zuckerberg’s latest moves in the political world have been quite transparently self-serving. Last week, he was caught on hot mic groveling to Trump after announcing his company’s investment into artificial intelligence in the U.S. in the coming years. “Sorry, I wasn’t ready to do a—a big announcement,” he said obsequiously. “I wasn’t—I wasn’t sure what number you wanted.” And last month, Meta launched its own super PAC to exert influence in California. Under current campaign finance rules, Meta can pour basically unlimited money into elections, presumably related to issues regarding AI but potentially related to any of Meta’s interests at all, as a new report from The Verge explores.
What makes Meta’s super PAC unique is that it’s under the jurisdiction of one company, which is under the jurisdiction of one man (Zuckerberg). Other, similar PACs represent a coalition of AI companies and advocates. With complete control of its own PAC, Meta might not just back pro-AI politicians and legislation, it can back causes that serve Meta specifically. In other words, Meta could use its enormous resources to undermine its competitors in the tech world. In fact, some of the experts at The Verge theorize that Meta had to make its own PAC because other AI companies wouldn’t want to cooperate with Zuckerberg—he’s spent too much time and effort poaching talent in his quest to make Meta number one.
In short, Zuckerberg will wield a frighteningly large influence over California politics at a time when the state is a proving ground for AI legislation. And with California facing some major elections—a vote about redrawing districts this fall, and a governor race next year—that influence may be felt quite quickly. Meta’s VP of public policy, Brian Rice, told The Verge that Meta launched its super PAC in order to back “candidates regardless of party who recognize California’s vital role in AI development and embrace policies that will keep the state at the forefront of the global tech ecosystem.”
He said, “As home to many of the world’s leading AI companies, California’s innovation economy has an outsized impact on America’s economic growth, job creation, and global competitiveness. But Sacramento’s regulatory environment could stifle innovation, block AI progress, and put California’s technology leadership at risk.” You can read the full piece here.
