Chief Executive Officers (CEOs) of major technology companies in the United States gathered at the White House to publicly support an artificial intelligence (AI) education program led by Melania Trump. Analysts suggest that the big tech industry's efforts to strengthen ties with the administration come as they seek regulatory relief and policy support.
According to the Financial Times (FT) on the 4th (local time), Satya Nadella of Microsoft, Sam Altman of OpenAI, Sundar Pichai of Google, and Tim Cook of Apple—all CEOs of global big tech—attended an event at the White House on that day and supported plans to help American students learn and utilize AI. This scene evoked memories of the large political donations and heavy attendance by Silicon Valley leaders during Donald Trump's presidential inauguration in January.
Corporations are now in a position where they must respond to recent antitrust lawsuits, tariffs, and subsidy issues. President Trump has pressured specific companies by directly criticizing them or mentioning the imposition of tariffs. In response, the industry is intensifying its efforts to improve the policy environment through gestures of collaboration with the administration.
At the event, Microsoft CEO Nadella announced that the company would provide its Copilot AI for free to all American college students and would support the educational institutional sector with $4 billion (approximately 5.4 trillion won) over the next five years, including cash and services. He emphasized that the Copilot program would also be expanded for primary and secondary school teachers and students.
Altman, the CEO of OpenAI, unveiled a recruitment platform and certification program in collaboration with employers such as Walmart. He stated that he aims to provide certifications to 10 million Americans through online AI education courses by 2030. Having criticized President Trump in the past, Altman has been visiting Congress and the White House this year to explain the potential of technology and improve relations.
Pichai, the CEO of Google, also announced that he would invest $1 billion (1.35 trillion won) in AI-based education over the next three years. He expressed gratitude that the president and first lady have made preparing future generations a national priority, adding that he supports Melania's "President AI Challenge."
The event also invited Mark Zuckerberg of Meta, Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, Sergey Brin, co-founder of Google, Safra Catz, CEO of Oracle, and Shyam Sankar, an executive at Palantir. However, Elon Musk did not attend; he has been in conflict with President Trump since taking on the role in the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) earlier this year and sent a representative to the event.
Melania Trump launched a presidential AI competition last month aimed at enhancing the AI capabilities of students and teachers. She emphasized that "America's talent and workforce must be prepared for the advancements in AI." She also expressed support for the "Take It Down Act," which stipulates that deepfakes and revenge porn be classified as illegal and mandates corporations to delete such content within 48 hours.
Over 100 organizations, including big tech, participated in support signatures for the event. The industry is gearing up to strengthen its collaborative relationship with the administration by pushing for large-scale social contributions and educational investments while also aiming to mitigate regulatory risks.