US President Donald Trump hosted top tech leaders at the White House, with AI and investments in focus. Five Indian-origin CEOs, including Nadella and Pichai, highlighted the diaspora’s growing influence in global technology.
Photo : AP
US President Donald Trump on Thursday hosted a high-profile dinner at the White House with America’s top technology leaders, with discussions centered on artificial intelligence and corporate investments in the United States.
While the guest list featured industry heavyweights such as Bill Gates, Tim Cook, Mark Zuckerberg, and Sundar Pichai, the evening stood out for the strong Indian-American presence at the table.
“The most brilliant people are gathered around this table. This is definitely a high-IQ group and I’m very proud of them,” Trump said
Indian-Origin Executives in Spotlight
Five Indian-origin leaders — Satya Nadella (Microsoft), Sundar Pichai (Google), Sanjay Mehrotra (Micron), Vivek Ranadive (TIBCO), and Shyam Sankar (Palantir) — were among the dozen CEOs invited. Their participation underscored the rising clout of Indian Americans in Silicon Valley boardrooms and Washington’s policy circles, even as the Trump administration has tightened immigration rules that affect many Indian professionals.
Key Absence: Elon Musk
Agenda Highlights
- Sundar Pichai expressed relief after a US judge dismissed a landmark antitrust case against Google’s Chrome browser, a ruling that propelled Alphabet’s market value past $2.5 trillion. He used the dinner to reset ties with the administration after years of strained relations.
- Trump asked Pichai about how much Google is investing in the US, to which the India-born CEO replied that the company will invest USD 250 billion in the next two years in the country.
- The President also asked Nadella about Microsoft’s investment plans in the country, to which the Hyderabad-born tech leader said that the company is investing about USD 75-80 billion each year in the US.
- Bill Gates backed Trump’s vaccine push, calling it a model for medical innovation, and pledged Microsoft’s support in ongoing research on HIV, polio, and sickle cell disease.
- Trump, meanwhile, downplayed upcoming jobs data, insisting the “real economic numbers” would emerge in the coming year, with unprecedented job growth on the horizon.