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‘How much money?’: Trump’s billion-dollar question to Pichai, Nadella, Cook and Zuckerberg
Earlier this year, he told Cook directly, “I don’t want you building in India.”
Earlier this year, he told Cook directly, “I don’t want you building in India.”
US President Donald Trump put America’s biggest technology chiefs on the spot during a White House dinner, pressing them to disclose the scale of their investments in the United States.
The high-profile gathering was attended by Apple CEO Tim Cook, Google’s Sundar Pichai, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella, Meta founder Mark Zuckerberg and OpenAI’s Sam Altman, among others.
Turning to Apple’s chief, Trump asked pointedly: “Tim, how much money will Apple be investing in the United States? I know it’s a very large amount. You were elsewhere before, and now you’re really coming home in a big way. How much money will you be investing?”
Cook responded: “$600 billion.” He credited the Trump administration for creating conditions that enabled the tech giant to expand in the US, saying: “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’s comments appeared to allude to Apple’s increasing focus on India. Earlier this year, he told Cook directly, “I don’t want you building in India.” The rebuke followed Apple’s announcement that it would expand production outside China, with reports suggesting the company intends to assemble 25% of its global iPhones in India over the next few years. Apple is expected to commit about $2.5 billion to increase production capacity from 40 million to 60 million units annually.
Other technology leaders faced similar scrutiny. Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg matched Cook’s figure, citing $600 billion in investment. Google’s Sundar Pichai disclosed that the company’s US investments were “well north of $100 billion” and projected to reach $250 billion within two years. Trump lauded the pledge, replying: “That’s great, that’s great. We’re proud of you. Thank you. A lot of jobs, a lot of jobs. Yeah, good.”
Microsoft chief Satya Nadella also revealed substantial commitments, stating: “This year, in the United States, we are close to around $75 to $80 billion.” Trump again responded approvingly: “Good, very good. Thank you very much.”
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