From a big tech POV, a political scandal would be most PR-damaging right before a big US election. The time from right after to two years before or so, it wouldn't be as big a deal. Once you open Pandora's box, then a scandal in the next election cycle wouldn't be as big of a deal in terms of the company's responsibility/optics since the tech is already out there and it's a "new normal" at that point.
