Big tech leaders pledge massive U.S. investments at White House dinner

America’s most powerful tech executives gathered at the White House this week, where President Donald Trump pressed them to publicly commit to increasing investment in the United States. The dinner, held on September 4 (local time), quickly turned into a stage for pledges of massive spending from Silicon Valley’s top names.

The first to be called upon was Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta. When Zuckerberg initially spoke broadly about building new data centers and energy infrastructure, Trump interrupted, asking for a specific figure. Forced to respond, Zuckerberg declared, “At least $600 billion by 2028.” The president, visibly pleased, called it “an enormous amount.”

Tim Cook, CEO of Apple, followed by thanking Trump for “creating an environment where such large-scale investment is possible.” Trump suggested Apple could be exempted from upcoming tariffs on imported semiconductors, quipping that “Tim Cook will be in a very good position.”

Trump then warned that semiconductor companies without U.S.-based factories could face “substantial tariffs,” reinforcing his long-standing push for domestic manufacturing.

The dinner featured a roll call of industry heavyweights: Sundar Pichai of Google, Sam Altman of OpenAI, Google co-founder Sergey Brin, Satya Nadella and co-founder Bill Gates of Microsoft, Safra Catz of Oracle, and Lisa Su of AMD. Each expressed readiness to expand American operations, with Trump highlighting government support in energy supply and regulatory approvals.

Noticeably absent was Elon Musk of Tesla, who later clarified via X (formerly Twitter) that he had indeed been invited but could not attend, sending a delegate in his place.

Observers note that beyond business, the dinner carried significant political weight. With midterm elections on the horizon, Trump’s team is expected to seek continued backing from tech leaders whose companies not only dominate global markets but also wield influence in campaign funding.