Tech Does K Street

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is no stranger to the ways of Washington, D.C. The billionaire CEO has defended his company in a series of public grillings by Congress in recent years. Behind the scenes, he’s also embraced a time-honored practice for winning influence inside the Beltway: splashing the cash. In the first nine months of this year, Facebook spent $12.3 million on lobbying, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, well ahead of its 2018 pace. But Zuck is hardly alone. Over the past decade, tech companies have increased their spending on K Street by 14.7% to $428.8 million, compared with a rise of just 4.5% across all industries. Here, some of Big Tech’s biggest spenders.

Fortune Magazine, December 2019 issue