Top Big Tech leaders gathered at the White House on Thursday for a high-profile dinner with President Donald Trump, where several praised him for creating what they called a “pro-business, pro-innovation” environment.
Apple CEO Tim Cook thanked Trump directly, crediting him for setting the tone that made it possible for Apple to launch major investments in the U.S. “I think that says a lot about your focus and your leadership,” Cook said. He highlighted Apple’s $600 billion in announced U.S. investments since Trump took office, including an AI server factory in Texas and efforts to expand its American supply chain.
.@Oracle CEO Safra Catz: "AI is going to change everything... The fact that you are our President and you recognized this right away, and you've unleashed American innovation and creativity... is making it possible for America to WIN." pic.twitter.com/gWfrUHhc9R
— Rapid Response 47 (@RapidResponse47) September 5, 2025
OpenAI CEO Sam Altman also applauded the president. “Thank you for being such a pro-business, pro-innovation president,” Altman said, calling it a “refreshing change.” He added that the surge in American AI investment “will transform the world in a profound way” and argued it would not be happening without Trump’s leadership.
Other major executives were in attendance, including Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, Google’s Sundar Pichai, IBM’s Arvind Krishna, and Oracle’s Safra Catz. Catz told Trump that “AI is going to change everything,” praising his administration for unleashing “American innovation and creativity” across industries. During the dinner, Zuckerberg announced Meta would invest at least $600 billion in U.S. data centers and infrastructure.
Trump, in turn, praised the CEOs as a “high IQ” group, calling them “the most brilliant people gathered at this table.” He was flanked by Zuckerberg and Microsoft founder Bill Gates, who was seated next to First Lady Melania Trump.
Notably absent was Elon Musk, who said he was invited but unable to attend. “A representative of mine will be there,” Musk confirmed on X. His absence came after a recent public falling out with Trump.
The dinner drew criticism from some Trump supporters, including activist Laura Loomer, who lashed out at Zuckerberg and Gates being included. “Zuckerberg and Gates belong in prison. Not at the dinner table with President Trump,” she wrote on X, accusing them of bankrolling anti-Trump causes.
Earlier in the day, several of the tech leaders — including Altman, Pichai, and Krishna — joined a roundtable hosted by the first lady on AI in education. Companies including Google, OpenAI, Microsoft, Amazon, IBM, and Nvidia announced fresh commitments to AI-focused educational initiatives.