As Congress hammers out how to regulate artificial intelligence this fall, the biggest players in tech are opening their wallets. Meta, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, and OpenAI have dramatically increased their federal lobbying efforts in 2025, aiming to shape the rules before they’re written.
Together, these five firms spent nearly $30 million in the first half of the year—an unprecedented pace that highlights how central AI policy has become in Washington’s agenda.
- Meta led with $13.8 million, setting a new record.
- Alphabet (Google) logged $7.8 million, up 7% year-over-year.
- Microsoft spent $5.2 million, slightly higher than last year.
- Nvidia made the biggest leap with $1.6 million, a 388% increase.
- OpenAI hit $1.2 million, up 44% from the same period last year.
Between the Lines
With bills in play that could decide everything from federal vs. state oversight to transparency mandates, industry leaders are racing to influence the outcome before stricter rules lock in.
