President Donald Trump’s inauguration on Monday featured several high-profile tech CEOs occupying some of the most exclusive seats, a notable break from traditional inaugural guest lists. Despite branding himself as a champion of the working class, Trump reserved spots close to the president typically held for family, former presidents, and distinguished guests for some of the world’s wealthiest tech leaders. Photos from the event revealed tech magnates interacting with several of Trump’s key cabinet members, including Robert F. Kennedy Jr., the health secretary, and Marco Rubio, the secretary of state. In one image, Rubio is seen in the background as Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan pose alongside Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos and his fiancée Lauren Sánchez, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and Elon Musk. Musk, regarded as one of Trump’s closest advisers, also leads Tesla, SpaceX, and the social platform X. Trump says 25% tariffs on Canada and Mexico coming on Feb. 1 as he signs several orders on economy Other tech executives present at the event included Apple CEO Tim Cook and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew. The involvement of billionaires in national politics is not new. Many influential donors, including billionaires, supported Trump’s Democratic opponent, Vice President Kamala Harris, during the campaign. Former President Joe Biden, in his final days in office, honored liberal donor George Soros with the Presidential Medal of Freedom. However, the prominence of tech billionaires at Trump’s inauguration underscores the significant influence they could wield in his administration. In his farewell address, Biden cautioned against the growing power of tech oligarchs, warning they posed a threat to democracy. Responding to Biden’s remarks, Trump dismissed the criticism, claiming the executives had shifted their allegiance from Democrats, particularly Biden, whom they no longer supported. “They were all with him, every one of them, and now they are all with me,” Trump said in the Oval Office on Monday. Trump sworn in as 47th President of the United States, promises new 'golden age of America' Despite receiving substantial donations for his inauguration committee and more than $200 million in campaign support from Musk, Trump insisted he remained independent of their influence. “They’re not going to get anything from me,” Trump asserted. “I don’t need their money. What I do want is for the country to succeed, and they are smart people creating jobs.”

Google says it expects about 20% of its workforce to still work remotely after its offices reopen this fall, while some 60% will work a hybrid schedule that includes about three days in the office and two days “wherever they work best.” The remaining 20% can change their location to a different Google office. The policy announced Wednesday relaxes the company’s stricter earlier stance. Also read: Google gets into sleep surveillance with new Nest Hub screen “The future of work is flexibility,” CEO Sundar Pichai wrote in an email to employees that was also posted on Google’s website. “The changes above are a starting point to help us do our very best work and have fun doing it.” Most of Google’s 135,000 employees can continue to work from home through September of this year. For up to 20 days per year, Google employees will also be able to work from any location other than their main office. That’s up from a previous allotment of 10 days. The company based in Mountain View, California, will also continue offering extra “reset” days — days off to help cope with the pandemic. Google was among the first major technology companies last year to tell its employees to work from home at the onset of the pandemic. Other tech giants, such as Facebook and Twitter, have announced that people can work from home permanently after the pandemic if their jobs allow for it.

Facebook announced Thursday it has blocked Australians from viewing and sharing news on the platform because of proposed laws in the country to make digital giants pay for journalism.

Google has announced to invest $10 billion to help gear up India’s transition to a digital economy in the next five to seven years, reports AP. 

Google's chief executive called Monday for a balanced approach to regulating artificial intelligence, telling a European audience that the technology brings benefits but also "negative consequences."