What the past year of tech lobbying looked like

Apple really hit the gas.

Not today, but another time, maybe we’ll do a story on the Balloon Council, which spent $80k lobbying in 2019.

What the past year of tech lobbying looked like

For now, let’s talk tech. In 2022, while Amazon, Meta, Google, Microsoft, and Apple collectively increased lobbying spend 5%, Apple especially hit the gas — growing 44% to ~$9.4m.

Public filings show the company lobbied on antitrust bills, online privacy issues, taxes, semiconductors, climate change, immigration, LGBTQ issues, and more, per CNBC.

Elsewhere, there was increased focus around:

  • Semiconductors: Intel increased its lobbying spend 72% to $7m+. Micron spent $4.2m lobbying, up ~118% YoY, as the government worked on the CHIPS and Science Act.
  • Crypto: Coinbase spent $3.4m lobbying in 2022, and the Blockchain Association expanded its spending 111% YoY.
  • TikTok: Parent company ByteDance’s lobbying spend rose 4% to $4.9m, though it’s unclear how much that’s helped their cause.

For more information on industry and company-specific lobbying spend, check out OpenSecrets.

Related Articles

Get the 5-minute news brief keeping 2.5M+ innovators in the loop. Always free. 100% fresh. No bullsh*t.