Image Credit: X account @WhiteHouse
Trump Hosts Tech Giants, Musk Not Present
President Donald Trump hosted a White House dinner for leading technology executives. The event was held in the State Dining Room after being shifted indoors due to weather. It followed a meeting of the White House Artificial Intelligence Education task force chaired by First Lady Melania Trump. Attendees included the CEOs of Apple, Meta, Google, Microsoft, OpenAI, IBM, and Oracle. Elon Musk, though invited, chose not to attend.
Praise for Pro-Business Policies
At the dinner, tech leaders praised Trump’s policies as pro-business and pro-innovation. OpenAI’s Sam Altman described the administration’s approach as a “refreshing change.” Apple CEO Tim Cook highlighted that Trump’s leadership had helped accelerate the company’s large U.S. investment plans.
Massive Investment Announcements
Executives used the occasion to outline new commitments for U.S. investment:
- Tim Cook (Apple): $600 billion
- Mark Zuckerberg (Meta): $600 billion
- Sundar Pichai (Google): $250 billion
- Satya Nadella (Microsoft): $75–$80 billion annually
These pledges underscored the growing alignment of major technology companies with U.S. economic priorities.
Focus on AI and Policy Issues
Trump also discussed legal and regulatory matters, including artificial intelligence and the recent antitrust case involving Google. First Lady Melania Trump stressed the importance of responsible AI development and shared the progress of the AI Education task force.
Musk’s Notable Absence
Elon Musk’s absence stood out amid the gathering. While he confirmed receiving an invitation, Musk declined to attend and instead sent a representative, underscoring ongoing tensions between him and the Trump administration.
