US President Donald Trump hosted a dinner at White House with the leaders of America’s largest tech companies. During the high-profile dinner, the president took a veiled dig at Tim Cook’s India plans and grilled him about how much he would invest in the US.
“Tim Cook, you've done an incredible job with Apple… very few people are able to do what you’ve done, congratulations,” says Trump in the presence of the who's who of the tech world - including Mark Zuckerberg and Sam Altman. Cook instantly thanks Trump, adding it is “incredible” to be a part of the event hosted by Trump and the First Lady, Melania Trump.
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The Apple CEO continues, “I want to thank you for setting the tone such that we could make a major investment in the United States… That says a lot about your focus and your leadership and your focus on innovation.”
Trump then asks how much money Apple will invest in the United States of America. He adds, “You know you were elsewhere, now you’re really coming home in a big way. How much will you be investing?” Cook replies, “$600 billion.”
Take a look at the video:
{{/usCountry}}Trump then asks how much money Apple will invest in the United States of America. He adds, “You know you were elsewhere, now you’re really coming home in a big way. How much will you be investing?” Cook replies, “$600 billion.”
Take a look at the video:
{{/usCountry}}How did social media react?
People have a lot to say about the conversations. An individual commented, “Bringing more manufacturing back to the US is what America voted for.” Another added, “Why do I always get the feeling that we’re about to get screwed.”
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A third expressed, “I feel less worse owning Apple products now, I guess.” A fourth wrote, “The amount of capital being discussed in this one meeting is just incredible. A huge day for the future of the US economy and the next wave of technological innovation.”
Who attended Donald Trump's dinner?
The extensive guest list had some of the biggest names in the tech world, including Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, and Apple CEO Tim Cook.
There were five Indian-origin bosses who attended the Rose Garden event. They’re Micron’s Sanjay Mehrotra, Palantir executive Shyam Sankar, TIBCO Software chairman Vivek Ranadive, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, and Google's Sundar Pichai.