Elon Musk Criticises Google, Microsoft Over Political Donations, Alleges Bias In Tech Giants

Elon Musk has repeated his criticism of internet behemoths Google and Microsoft, accusing them of introducing prejudice into their systems. Citing a Quiver Quantitative analysis, Musk asserted that employees from both companies gave disproportionately to Democratic causes, such as the Kamala Harris/Joe Biden campaign, raising concerns about potential bias in their control over web browsers and search engines.

Musk's most recent statements came in response to data from Quiver Quantitative, which indicated big contributions from Google and Microsoft employees to the Kamala Harris/Joe Biden campaign.

According to the research, Google employees contributed USD 1.4 million to Democratic candidates, while Microsoft employees gave USD 743,000. Other corporations that have made significant donations to the Democratic Party include Brown & Brown (USD 324,000), Johnson & Johnson (USD 239,000), Apple (USD 225,000), Oracle (USD 218,000) and Nvidia (USD 169,000). In contrast, Republican presidential contender Donald Trump received the highest donations from American Airlines (USD 134,000), Walmart (USD 83,000) and Lockheed Martin (USD 69,000), with contributions from United Airlines, FedEx and Northrop Grumman.

Musk pressed upon this disparity in his statements, saying, "Google and Microsoft make disproportionate donations to the Democratic Party. They collectively dominate nearly 100 per cent of web browsers and searches. Even with the best intentions, they can't avoid introducing bias." Musk has long been vocal about technology corporations' influence on public discourse, and he has previously accused Google of bias in search engine results.

Earlier this year, Musk reprimanded Google's autocomplete feature for allegedly failing to display search suggestions relating to Trump. Musk alleged at the time that there was a ‘search ban’ on Trump, which Google categorically refuted, saying, "That's not happening, and we want to set the record straight." 

Musk's repeated claims against tech corporations reflect on the broader concerns about political bias in digital platforms. The role of large technology companies in shaping political discourse has come under increased criticism, with critics citing their control over the flow of information. While Google and Microsoft have not replied directly to Musk's latest remarks, these problems are likely to remain a focus in arguments over the role of tech behemoths in modern politics.

As the 2024 U.S. presidential election approaches, the impact of corporate political donations and the potential biases of key digital platforms are expected to be scrutinised once more.