Senate lobbying filings show Meta spent $5.9 million lobbying Washington lawmakers in the third quarter of 2026, leading Big Tech companies during that period. The spending came amid intensifying AI competition and pressure on Washington's AI safety debate following high-profile hacks. Meta frequently spends more on lobbying than other Big Tech and AI companies.
Federal lobbying disclosures show OpenAI and Anthropic approached lawmakers about sharing information between AI companies without violating antitrust rules in the third quarter of this year. Anthropic's disclosure identifies the Collaboration on Adversarial Threats and Security Risks Act as a lobbying priority on Capitol Hill. The bill would permit AI labs to coordinate on security risks. The legislation could become law through inclusion in must-pass defense policy legislation.
OpenAI's disclosure identifies AI security cooperation, information sharing and proposed antitrust protections as discussion topics, without naming a specific bill. Lobbying disclosures do not reveal whether companies advocated for or against proposals discussed with lawmakers. The antitrust lobbying draws attention amid discussions about a coordinated slowdown in AI development that AI leaders proposed last month. AI companies routinely lobby Washington lawmakers about proposed AI regulation, export controls and data center legislation.
OpenAI's head of global affairs, Chris Lehane, has argued that coordinating the pace of model development would not require a specific antitrust exemption. However, Trump administration officials criticized AI leaders for seeking such an exemption. The officials said AI leaders could agree among themselves to slow development without government approval.
OpenAI and Anthropic have increased lobbying spending each quarter while navigating Washington's discussions about limits on AI technology. OpenAI nearly doubled lobbying spending in the first half of the year. Anthropic nearly tripled lobbying spending over that period.
Google, Amazon and Apple spent less than Meta but more than AI and chip companies. Nvidia recorded its highest quarterly lobbying expenditure at $2.2 million while retaining dominance in chips and influence within the Trump administration. Google, Amazon and Apple have extensive lobbying operations covering children's online safety, immigration, taxation, education and energy policy.
Meta Leads Big Tech in Q3 2026 Lobbying Amid AI Antitrust Discussions
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Summary
AI + crypto news broke as Senate filings show Meta spent $5.9 million lobbying in Q3 2026, outpacing other Big Tech firms. OpenAI and Anthropic pushed for AI security cooperation and antitrust safeguards. Anthropic focused on the Collaboration on Adversarial Threats and Security Risks Act. OpenAI nearly doubled lobbying in H1 2026, while Anthropic nearly tripled its spend. A security breach remains a top concern in AI policy discussions.
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