Tim Cook, Bill Gates, Sundar Pichai: Trump Hosts Powerful Tech Ceos For White House Dinner Elon Musk Absent

US president Donald Trump on Thursday hosted a dinner at the White House with America's top tech leaders. The meeting focused on artificial intelligence and investments in the United States. At the table were heads of major tech companies including Google-parent Alphabet, Apple, Microsoft and artificial intelligence star OpenAI. "This is quite a group to get together," said Meta chief and co-founder Mark Zuckerberg, who was seated at Trump's right side.

Notably, multi-billionaire tech tycoon Elon Musk, a former Trump ally was absent from the dinner. The chief of Tesla and SpaceX in a post on his X wrote that he had been invited to the dinner but couldn't attend, sending someone to represent him.

Praises For Trump

More than a dozen CEOs attended the event, including Bill Gates, Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg and Sundar Pichai. Trump, seated between first lady Melania Trump and Zuckerberg, asked each executive to share how much their companies were investing in America.

Apple chief executive Tim Cook voiced thanks for Trump "setting the tone" for the companies to make major investments in US manufacturing.

"Thank you for being such a pro-business, pro-innovation president," said OpenAI chief executive Sam Altman. "It's a refreshing change."

Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates called for artificial intelligence to be used to promote international development. "It's great we all get together and talk about how the United States could lead in this key area and apply it even to the poorest outside the US, as well as to our great citizens," said the Microsoft legend turned philanthropist.

Gates cited Operation Warp Speed, Trump's first term initiative which saw the rapid development of Covid-19 vaccines, as an example of America's capacity for innovation.

Many have visited the White House to promise heavy investment in the United States, and some have been quick to follow the US president's lead in ending diversity promotion programs and initiatives to combat online misinformation.

(With inputs from AFP)

MENAFN05092025007385015968ID1110020847