Epic CEO Tim Sweeney: "After Years Of Pretending To Be Democrats, Big Tech Leaders Are Now Pretending To Be Republicans"

Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney didn’t hold back on Friday when he criticized tech executives who appear to be cozying up to U.S. President-elect Donald Trump. Sweeney accused them of switching political sides to gain favors that could hurt competition and consumers.

“After years of pretending to be Democrats, Big Tech leaders are now pretending to be Republicans, in hopes of currying favor with the new administration,” Sweeney wrote in a post on X. He warned against what he called a “scummy monopoly campaign” aimed at discrediting competition laws while benefiting themselves at the expense of others.

After years of pretending to be Democrats, Big Tech leaders are now pretending to be Republicans, in hopes of currying favor with the new administration. Beware of the scummy monopoly campaign to vilify competition law as they rip off consumers and crush competitors.
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) January 10, 2025

Companies like Google and Apple are among the tech giants now showing support for Trump. Both are contributing $1 million to the inauguration, with reports claiming Apple CEO Tim Cook is making the donation personally. This comes as Sweeney and Epic Games have been locked in legal battles with both companies over what Sweeney sees as monopolistic control of smartphone app stores.

At the heart of the issue is Sweeney’s push to sell games on iPhones and Android devices without relying on Apple and Google’s app stores or payment systems, which come with hefty fees. While he’s made some headway in Europe, progress in the U.S. has been slow. Last year, Sweeney pledged to continue fighting until there is a resolution to what he calls Apple and Google’s “totally broken vision for the world.”

There are also concerns about how the new administration might handle antitrust enforcement. Law firm Skadden noted that while some level of antitrust action is expected to continue, it will likely be less aggressive. Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan recently expressed hope that companies like Amazon and Meta won’t get preferential treatment in their antitrust trials.

However, both Amazon and Meta have made $1 million contributions to Trump’s inauguration, with Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also easing Facebook’s content moderation policies, which some see as an effort to win favor.

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang has also voiced his support for Trump, saying he’d love to congratulate him personally and pledging the company’s help in making the new administration a success, although Nvidia has yet to announce any inauguration contributions.

Trump himself has taken notice of the shift in attitude among tech leaders. “The first term, everybody was fighting me,” Trump said in December. “In this term, everybody wants to be my friend.”