Hassan Khan
Washington, D.C. President Donald Trump welcomed some of the world’s most influential tech leaders to a private dinner at the newly renovated White House Rose Garden, turning it into a night of praise, pledges, and policy talk. The guest list included Apple’s Tim Cook, Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Microsoft cofounder Bill Gates, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman all applauding the president for what they called a “Pro business and Pro innovation” agenda.
While the evening carried an air of unity, one notable absence stood out: Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Once a central figure in Trump’s White House Technology push, Musk skipped the dinner following his public fallout with the president earlier this year. A representative attended in his place, but the empty chair was hard to ignore.
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At the table, tech leaders didn’t hold back in expressing their optimism. Sam Altman highlighted OpenAI’s $500 billion Project Stargate partnership with the government, calling Trump’s leadership “A defining moment for American innovation.” Tim Cook praised Trump’s policies for enabling Apple to expand manufacturing in the U.S, while Mark Zuckerberg noted that companies are making “huge investments in data centers and AI infrastructure” across the country.
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The dinner followed the launch of the AI Education Task Force, led by First Lady Melania Trump, which brought together executives from Google, Microsoft, and OpenAI earlier in the day. Sundar Pichai pledged $1 billion toward AI driven education and job training, while Bill Gates urged greater focus on AI in global healthcare initiatives.
Even with disagreements in the past from healthcare funding to online regulation Tech CEOs and the administration found common ground on one issue: America’s race to dominate AI and technology.
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As the evening wrapped up, it was clear the White House wanted to send a strong message the U.S is open for innovation, investment, and leadership in AI. But for all the unity on display, Elon Musk’s absence left many wondering what role, if any, he’ll play in Trump’s tech vision moving forward.
The dinner also coincided with the administration’s new Artificial Intelligence Education Task Force, chaired by First Lady Melania Trump, signaling a deeper partnership between Washington and Silicon Valley on the future of AI and innovation.
Summary
Former President Donald Trump hosted a high-profile dinner at the White House with top tech leaders including Bill Gates, Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, Sundar Pichai, Satya Nadella, and Sam Altman.
Executives praised Trump’s pro business stance, highlighting multi-billion-dollar investments in AI, education, and U.S. manufacturing.
The event also tied into the launch of the administration’s AI Education Task Force, signaling deeper collaboration between government and tech giants.
