In a high-profile White House dinner hosted by President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump, the nation's top tech leaders faced pointed questions about their commitment to U.S. investment.
The event, attended by luminaries such as Apple CEO Tim Cook, Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, and Microsoft's Satya Nadella, centered on discussions about artificial intelligence and economic contributions to America.
During the evening, President Trump singled out Apple’s Tim Cook, commending his leadership before pressing him on the company’s domestic investment plans.
“Tim Cook, you’ve done an incredible job with Apple… very few people are able to do what you’ve done, congratulations,” Trump said, before asking, “Tim, how much money will Apple be investing in the United States? You were elsewhere before, and now you’re really coming home in a big way. How much will you be investing?” Cook responded confidently, pledging $600 billion, a figure that drew praise from Trump for its potential to create jobs and boost the economy.
The dinner, held in the State Dining Room, also included tech giants like Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and OpenAI’s Sam Altman. Notably, five Indian-origin executives—Micron’s Sanjay Mehrotra, Palantir’s Shyam Sankar, TIBCO Software’s Vivek Ranadive, Nadella, and Pichai—were present, highlighting the growing influence of Indian-American leaders in Silicon Valley.
Social media buzzed with reactions to the event, with one user noting, “Bringing more manufacturing back to the US is what America voted for,” while another expressed skepticism, saying, “Why do I always get the feeling that we’re about to get screwed?” Others marveled at the scale of investment discussed, with one commenter calling it “a huge day for the future of the US economy and the next wave of technological innovation.”
The event underscored Trump’s focus on encouraging domestic manufacturing, with a subtle nod to his concerns about Apple’s expanding operations in India. Cook, however, emphasized the company’s commitment to the U.S., crediting Trump’s policies for fostering an environment conducive to major investments.
