Trump Hosts Tech CEOs at White House Dinner, Musk Absent

President Trump hosted a White House dinner with tech CEOs from major companies such as Meta, Microsoft, Google, and Apple. Elon Musk did not attend despite the White House stating a representative would be present. The meeting highlights executive-level engagement on technology policy and corporate governance, and is relevant to investors assessing regulatory frameworks and sector-specific risk. Market observers will look for official follow-ups and announcements to inform strategic allocation and compliance planning within the technology industry.

President Trump hosted a White House dinner on Thursday night with tech CEOs from major companies such as Meta, Microsoft, Google, and Apple. The event, held in the newly renovated Rose Garden, was a significant gathering of executive-level leaders and highlighted the ongoing engagement on technology policy and corporate governance. The meeting is particularly relevant to investors assessing regulatory frameworks and sector-specific risks.

Elon Musk, the world's richest person and CEO of Tesla, was invited but did not attend. Musk cited a public feud with President Trump as the reason for his absence. A representative from Musk's team will attend in his place. The dinner comes as tech executives seek regulatory relief for AI development while making billion-dollar commitments to U.S. manufacturing and infrastructure.

The event saw notable attendance from Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, Google CEO Sundar Pichai, and OpenAI founder Sam Altman. These executives are part of a broader trend of tech leaders forging stronger ties with the Trump administration, especially as they push for a more hands-off approach to regulation in the AI sector.

Microsoft and OpenAI announced initiatives to support the White House's efforts to expand AI literacy. Microsoft is offering a year of Microsoft 365 Personal, which includes its AI assistant Copilot, free to all U.S. college students. OpenAI plans to certify 10 million Americans by 2030 through its platform.

The dinner follows a series of White House meetings with tech executives, where companies have pledged significant investments in the U.S. and announced new initiatives. For instance, Apple recently committed $100 billion to manufacturing in the U.S., and the U.S. government took a 10% stake in Intel after a White House meeting with Intel CEO Lip-Bu Tan.

Market observers will be closely watching for official follow-ups and announcements from the White House to inform strategic allocation and compliance planning within the technology industry.

References:
[1] https://www.yahoo.com/news/articles/trump-host-dinner-tech-giants-165619681.html
[2] https://www.latimes.com/business/story/2025-09-04/tech-executives-but-not-elon-musk-expected-to-attend-trumps-rose-garden-dinner