- Today
- Holidays
- Birthdays
- Reminders
- Cities
- Atlanta
- Austin
- Baltimore
- Berwyn
- Beverly Hills
- Birmingham
- Boston
- Brooklyn
- Buffalo
- Charlotte
- Chicago
- Cincinnati
- Cleveland
- Columbus
- Dallas
- Denver
- Detroit
- Fort Worth
- Houston
- Indianapolis
- Knoxville
- Las Vegas
- Los Angeles
- Louisville
- Madison
- Memphis
- Miami
- Milwaukee
- Minneapolis
- Nashville
- New Orleans
- New York
- Omaha
- Orlando
- Philadelphia
- Phoenix
- Pittsburgh
- Portland
- Raleigh
- Richmond
- Rutherford
- Sacramento
- Salt Lake City
- San Antonio
- San Diego
- San Francisco
- San Jose
- Seattle
- Tampa
- Tucson
- Washington
Tech Giants Spend Big to Influence California Politics
AI and crypto companies invested over $39 million in 2025 to shape state policies and elections
Mar. 30, 2026 at 4:00pm
Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›
The cryptocurrency industry's record-breaking political spending in California reflects its growing influence in shaping the state's policies and elections.Today in SacramentoMajor tech companies focused on artificial intelligence and cryptocurrency spent more than $39 million in 2025 to influence California politics through campaign contributions, lobbying, and donations to nonprofits. The spending is seen as an effort by the industry to shape state policies and elections, particularly around AI regulation, which is a growing area of focus in the California legislature.
Why it matters
The influx of corporate money into California politics raises concerns about the outsized influence tech companies may have on the legislative process and policy outcomes. Critics argue the spending allows wealthy special interests to buy influence, even if they don't always win every battle. The tech industry says the spending is necessary to support candidates and policies aligned with their business priorities.
The details
According to a CalMatters analysis, companies like Meta, Google, OpenAI, and Anthropic contributed millions to political campaigns, hired lobbyists, and made donations to nonprofits at the request of lawmakers in 2025. Meta alone transferred $20 million to a new political committee to support pro-tech candidates, and the company and Google jointly funded a $9.5 million committee called 'California Leads.' The crypto industry also significantly increased its spending, with Coinbase and A16Z investing a record $200,000 and $300,000, respectively, on state lobbying.
- In July 2025, Meta transferred $20 million to a new political committee.
- In August 2025, Meta gave $150,000 to the California Democratic Party and up to $5,900 each to 20 incumbent state legislators.
- Throughout 2025, Meta spent at least $4.6 million on lobbying state officials, far more than any previous year.
The players
Meta
The parent company of social media apps Facebook, WhatsApp, and Instagram, which made $201 billion in revenue in 2025 and spent nearly $30 million to influence California politics that year.
The parent company Alphabet, which made about $403 billion in revenue in 2025 and spent more than $3.5 million on lobbying related to technology and AI.
OpenAI
The creator of ChatGPT, which started lobbying California officials for the first time in 2024, spending nearly $140,000, and then more than $155,000 in 2025.
Anthropic
The maker of the popular large language model Claude, which spent more than $200,000 to lobby state representatives in 2025, its first year reporting such expenses.
Coinbase
A cryptocurrency company that contributed $155,000 to campaigns, including $60,000 to the California Democratic Party and $60,000 to a corporate political action committee, and made $95,000 in behested payments to five legislators in 2025.
What they’re saying
“There's a question of why (tech companies) have to spend so much money. And that's because they're on the wrong side of history, and people don't like them very much.”
— Catherine Bracy, Founder of TechEquity
“These transparent and public contributions to independent nonprofits and charities do not influence the governor or any state decision-making.”
— Izzy Gardon, Spokesperson for Governor Gavin Newsom
What’s next
The fight over whether and how to regulate artificial intelligence in California is expected to continue in the current legislative session, with more than 50 bills related to AI regulation being considered.
The takeaway
The massive influx of corporate money from tech giants and cryptocurrency companies into California politics raises serious concerns about the outsized influence these wealthy special interests may have on the legislative process and policy outcomes, even if they don't always win every battle. This spending is seen as an investment by the industry to shape the state's policies and elections in their favor.
