Chart: Political contributions
See how such companies as IBM and Apple Computer make up for their official policies against the creation of PACs.
Silicon money: How do tech firms buy influence in Washington?
Political contributions
March 27, 2006 4:00 AM PST
How are employees of technology companies spending their political dollars? Here's a look at contributions to politicians from individuals and political action committees, or PACs.
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| Individual donations | PAC contributions | Soft money | |||||||||
| Company | 2006* | 2004 | 2002 | 2006* | 2004 | 2002 | 2000 | 1998 | 2002 | 2000 | 1998 |
| Adobe Systems | 35,450 | 114,545 | 21,950 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10,000 | 0 |
| Acxiom | 4,200 | 23,350 | 17,778 | 9,000 | 34,500 | 55,500 | 0 | 0 | 67,797 | 25,000 | 500 |
| Amazon.com | 32,619 | 230,275 | 84,316 | 13,000 | 106,750 | 20,500 | 14,000 | 0 | 0 | 6,574 | 844 |
| Apple Computer | 19,600 | 173,170 | 28,400 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 56,050 | 60,000 | 0 |
| AT&T | 31,755 | 348,519 | 191,693 | 140,500 | 404,000 | 464,912 | 780,720 | 974,879 | 3,146,971 | 3,760,020 | 1,024,493 |
| ChoicePoint | 14,450 | 35,382 | 16,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Cisco Systems | 63,391 | 855,133 | 181,573 | 89,400 | 271,000 | 10,000 | 0 | 0 | 367,038 | 690,383 | 115,500 |
| Comcast | 69,700 | 726,060 | 131,772 | 248,700 | 540,050 | 259,350 | 250,900 | 161,475 | 197,500 | 199,500 | 0 |
| Computer Associates International | 6,775 | 99,835 | 26,241 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45,000 | 100,000 |
| Dell | 41,300 | 344,677 | 114,002 | 41,000 | 120,888 | 6,500 | 0 | 0 | 425,250 | 505,599 | 0 |
| EarthLink | 27,630 | 30,243 | 7,900 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 5,000 | 0 |
| eBay | 57,775 | 170,462 | 79,800 | 41,717 | 124,254 | 122,500 | 57,000 | 0 | 103,050 | 38,500 | 0 |
| EchoStar Communications | 25,500 | 152,500 | 356,025 | 19,499 | 283,900 | 176,250 | 65,250 | 1,014 | 869,250 | 729,250 | 0 |
| Electronic Arts | 250 | 33,860 | 1,100 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| EMC | 6,900 | 221,886 | 10,161 | 25,000 | 80,400 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 260,292 | 265,000 | 50,000 |
| 33,750 | 207,650 | 29,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10,000 | 0 | 0 | |
| Hewlett-Packard | 5,747 | 237,066 | 122,253 | 60,900 | 114,600 | 121,750 | 68,000 | 75,750 | 0 | 5,000 | 0 |
| Hitachi | 2,050 | 32,123 | 8,290 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10,000 | 0 |
| IBM | 56,859 | 728,819 | 158,069 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Intel | 15,830 | 315,486 | 81,470 | 78,449 | 286,864 | 251,779 | 205,287 | 81,007 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Microsoft | 164,014 | 2,104,320 | 707,753 | 259,000 | 1,213,200 | 815,201 | 820,999 | 212,000 | 2,691,244 | 2,317,226 | 779,816 |
| Motorola | 16,600 | 152,052 | 45,350 | 73,000 | 248,605 | 138,556 | 213,000 | 108,556 | 239,550 | 430,789 | 103,500 |
| Novell | 5,000 | 27,801 | 12,900 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 350 | 281,000 | 99,966 |
| RSA Security | 500 | 27,650 | 10,000 | 1,500 | 8,500 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12,500 | 35,000 |
| Red Hat | 750 | 48,250 | 4,350 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Oracle | 32,760 | 263,320 | 56,200 | 18,500 | 76,000 | 51,750 | 74,000 | 34,500 | 539,734 | 608,677 | 275,463 |
| SAP | 4,350 | 27,394 | 16,580 | 67,000 | 176,250 | 20,100 | 0 | 0 | 65,350 | 5,000 | 5,000 |
| SBC Communications (now AT&T) | 17,900 | 433,066 | 172,268 | 577,800 | 1,954,116 | 1,602,945 | 1,749,738 | 963,485 | 1,247,184 | 1,787,228 | 470,361 |
| Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International | 1,750 | 2,750 | 1,750 | 11,500 | 30,500 | 5,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Siebel Systems | 0 | 25,400 | 16,850 | 90,500 | 307,500 | 352,499 | 0 | 0 | 235,000 | 850,000 | 0 |
| Silicon Graphics Inc. | 1,900 | 25,600 | 8,150 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Sun Microsystems | 16,760 | 233,710 | 131,198 | 22,500 | 80,250 | 53,250 | 31,300 | 0 | 12,500 | 24,000 | 6,500 |
| Sybase | 7,100 | 32,889 | 16,765 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Symantec | 8,000 | 96,954 | 15,550 | 8,000 | 16,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15,000 | 250 | 0 |
| Time Warner | 398,350 | 2,712,944 | 785,626 | 96,500 | 545,073 | 542,352 | 534,762 | 388,073 | 451,919 | 1,617,310 | 498,000 |
| Unisys | 9,450 | 60,666 | 18,650 | 62,000 | 155,000 | 74,000 | 58,000 | 0 | 135,000 | 142,350 | 30,000 |
| Verizon Communications | 60,040 | 400,368 | 172,268 | 334,800 | 1,003,164 | 1,183,160 | 2,017,117 | 942,295 | 1,541,137 | 1,787,228 | 909,519 |
| Viacom | 87,337 | 1,086,021 | 272,600 | 83,500 | 359,500 | 272,600 | 235,961 | 240,288 | 1,363,541 | 41,405 | 46,000 |
| Vonage Holdings | 5,500 | 11,550 | 2,000 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yahoo | 50,500 | 306,600 | 58,250 | 34,000 | 81,500 | 14,000 | 0 | 0 | 30,000 | 0 | 20,691 |
Source: Federal Election Commission filings compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics.
* 2006 figures are incomplete. Numbers are current through October 2005.
* 2006 figures are incomplete. Numbers are current through October 2005.
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