Since Obama was first elected in 2008, a number of prominent tech companies have stepped up their lobbying efforts, with many opening offices in D.C. for the first time.
Data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics shows the amounts eleven different tech companies spent on lobbying in 2010 and on contributions to Obama in 2008. These are the same companies that joined Obama for a high-profile but hush-hush dinner late last week (PHOTOS).
Of those in attendance, Google led the pack by spending $5,160,000 on lobbying--a 28 percent increase over 2009. Oracle and Genentech also came close to the $5 million mark.
Facebook and Apple spent $351,390 and $1,610,000, respectively, on lobbying efforts in 2010. By contrast, Twitter spent nothing at all on lobbying, and very little on Obama's campaign.
Companies are not only sending dollars to D.C., but staffers, too. Facebook recently opened a D.C. office, which includes two registered lobbyists, and Google, which opened its first office in the nation's capital in 2008, has a team of 11 lobbyists registered in D.C.
"Over the past few years, the Internet has become a bigger part of our lives and has also become bigger part of the debate in Washington," Google told the OpenSecrets Blog. "We established a presence here because we felt like it was important to give our users a voice in Washington."
See the companies' spending below:
CompanyLobbying (2010)Obama campaign contribution (2008)
Apple$1,610,000.00 $92,141.00
Google$5,160,000.00 $803,436.00
Facebook$351,390.00 $34,850.00
Yahoo$2,230,000.00 $164,051.00
Cisco$2,010,000.00 $187,472.00
Twitter$0.00 $750.00
Oracle $4,850,000.00 $243,194.00
Netflix $130,000.00 $19,485.00
Stanford $370,000.00 $448,720.00
Genentech$4,922,368.00 $97,761.00
Westly $0.00 $0.00
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