Trump Hosts Dinner for Tech Leaders at the White House
President Trump organized a dinner on Thursday evening at the White House, welcoming prominent figures from the tech industry, such as Meta’s CEO Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI’s Sam Altman, and Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates. Notably absent was Elon Musk.
The gathering took place as tech executives pushed for a laissez-faire approach from the government regarding artificial intelligence development. Despite their presence in the White House, Big Tech continues to face challenges from figures like FTC Chairman Andrew Ferguson, who is critical of major tech corporations.
Many CEOs at the dinner had earlier contributed to Trump’s Inaugural Fund this year and have expressed intentions to invest billions back into the U.S. During the event, Zuckerberg, seated next to Trump, expressed gratitude, acknowledging the significant investments made by the attending tech firms. He mentioned that these investments are focused on building data centers and infrastructure, which he believes will drive the next wave of innovation. Zuckerberg also reiterated Meta’s goal of investing at least $600 billion in the U.S. by 2028.
Bill Gates, who was sitting beside First Lady Melania Trump, shared his appreciation for the president’s efforts in fostering an environment conducive to large-scale investments in the U.S., particularly in manufacturing sectors. While Gates had recently taken a step back from certain initiatives, he voiced concerns over some of the Trump administration’s decisions, especially regarding critics of the RFK Jr. and the Maha movement.
Sam Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, praised Trump’s business-friendly approach, describing his leadership as a refreshing shift that could help maintain the United States’ global leadership.
Interestingly, Musk, although invited, did not attend. He mentioned prior commitments but a spokesperson from the White House confirmed that Musk’s company was represented at the dinner.
During the event, Zuckerberg faced questions from reporters regarding online speech issues in the UK. He appeared taken aback, humorously noting to Trump, “This is the beginning of your political career,” as he seemed unprepared for the question. After the reporter left, Zuckerberg was caught on an open mic saying, “Sorry, I wasn’t ready…”
