Meta Pumps $65M Into Super PACs to Back Tech-Friendly California Candidates

SAN FRANCISCO — Meta has injected a total of $65 million into two super PACs aimed at electing state-level officials it sees as supportive of the artificial intelligence and technology industries in California.

What Meta Funded

The two efforts are the American Technology Excellence Project (ATEP) and Mobilizing Economic Transformation Across (Meta) California. According to filings obtained by POLITICO, Meta contributed $45 million to ATEP in late September and seeded a California-specific committee with $20 million. By the start of 2026, the California committee reported about $19.7 million in cash on hand; ATEP had spent roughly $329,000 through the end of last year on polling, consulting and legal services.

How the PACs Are Structured

ATEP is organized as a nonfederal PAC designed to operate in multiple states; Meta has not disclosed which additional states it might target. ATEP is run by longtime Republican operative Brian Baker together with Democratic consulting firm Hilltop Public Solutions. The California-specific super PAC is overseen by Brian Rice, Meta's vice president of public policy, and says it will support candidates regardless of party affiliation.

Why This Matters

Meta's new funding comes amid a broader industry push as federal AI regulation stalls in Washington. With national legislation delayed, Big Tech has shifted more of its political spending to statehouses where individual states are debating AI and tech-related rules. Political contributions and independent expenditures allow companies and donors to shape policy outcomes and influence races for state legislatures and statewide offices.

Other Tech Money Flowing Into California

The Meta investments are part of a recent wave of high-dollar political committees in California backed by technology executives and companies. Examples include the newly launched Grow California super PAC, which opened with $5 million each from crypto executive Chris Larsen and investor Tim Draper. Larsen said the group aims to counter what he described as outsized influence from organized labor.

We have a group of people who are not acting in a pragmatic way. They're not looking for balance. They're completely owned by one side, so we're going to work on taking out those people who are not working for the people of California, Larsen told POLITICO.

Shaudi Fulp, a former Sacramento lobbyist, is leading Grow California for Larsen and Draper, though she did not publicly identify additional donors who boosted the PAC's January fundraising. Lorena Gonzalez, president of the California Federation of Labor, responded that unions will remain the voice for working people while big tech will continue to speak for itself.

Other Recent Industry Moves

Separately, Meta donated $50 million last week to help Gov. Gavin Newsom's administration transform three state-owned buildings on Sacramento's Capitol Mall. Tech leaders including Chris Larsen and Google co-founder Sergey Brin also backed a new state ballot-measure drive with a combined $35 million, according to recent disclosures.

Rules And Reporting

California law allows independent groups such as super PACs to spend unlimited amounts for or against candidates so long as they do not coordinate directly with campaigns. Meta said it experienced technical difficulties filing a required online disclosure on time and attempted to submit paper copies instead.

Meta said it may provide additional funding to one or both PACs later in the year, but no final decision has been announced. Jeremy B. White contributed to this report.