Tim Cook to Attend Donald Trump's Tech Summit on Wednesday

Apple CEO Tim Cook is among a small group of tech leaders who plan to attend President-elect Donald Trump's reported tech summit at Trump Tower in Manhattan on Wednesday, according to Recode.

tim-cook-donald-trump

Apple CEO Tim Cook and President-elect Donald Trump (Photo: Gage Skidmore)

Other attendees will allegedly include the CEOs of Google parent company Alphabet, Microsoft, Cisco, IBM, Intel, and Oracle. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos was also invited, and he is likely to attend, the report noted. Bloomberg later confirmed Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt will be in attendance.

There could be a few other attendees, as invites reportedly continued to be sent by Trump's chief of staff Reince Priebus, son-in-law Jared Kushner, and presidential transition team adviser and tech investor Peter Thiel late into the week.

A handful of tech leaders have reportedly declined the invitation, as the report noted some of the technology companies and executives disagree with Trump on a myriad of key issues, ranging from encryption to immigration reform.

“Look, this is obviously a circus,” said one person close to the situation. “Everyone in tech just wants to be invisible right now when it comes to this administration, but has to participate since we have done it before.”

In addition, Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey has reportedly sent mixed signals about being invited or not. Reports are similarly conflicting about whether Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk will be in attendance.

Attending
• Apple CEO Tim Cook
• Alphabet CEO Larry Page
• Alphabet chairman Eric Schmidt
• Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg
• Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella
• Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins
• IBM CEO Ginni Rometty
• Intel CEO Brian Krzanich
• Oracle CEO Safra Catz
• Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos (Likely)
Not Attending
• Uber CEO Travis Kalanick
• Airbnb CEO Brian Chesky
• Netflix CEO Reed Hastings
• Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff
• Slack CEO Stewart Butterfield
• Dropbox CEO Drew Houston
• HP CEO Meg Whitman
• Mark Cuban

The topics to be discussed at the roundtable meeting were not disclosed, but Trump has previously expressed his desires to reform the corporate tax code, reduce regulation, and negotiate better trade deals with other countries.

Trump previously said he plans to offer Apple a "very large tax cut" alongside "substantial regulation cuts" that will incentivize the iPhone maker to manufacture its products in the United States, rather than in China and other overseas countries.

"We're going to get Apple to start building their damn computers and things in this country instead of in other countries," said Trump, while campaigning at Liberty University in Virginia earlier this year.

Apple did reportedly ask its Taiwanese manufacturing partner Foxconn to study the possibility of moving iPhone production to the United States, although Foxconn chairman Terry Gou was said to be less enthusiastic about the idea due to inevitably higher production costs compared to China.

Meanwhile, Trump called for an Apple boycott after the company refused to comply with a court order to unlock the iPhone used by shooter Syed Farook in the San Bernardino attack last December. The FBI later dropped its lawsuit against Apple after reportedly turning to Israeli company Cellebrite to crack the iPhone.

Trump said Cook congratulated him on winning the election, but the Apple chief was personally a Hillary Clinton supporter. Following Trump's victory, Cook urged Apple employees to "move forward together" despite "uncertainties ahead."

Note: Due to the political nature of the discussion regarding this topic, the discussion thread is located in our Politics, Religion, Social Issues forum. All forum members and site visitors are welcome to read and follow the thread, but posting is limited to forum members with at least 100 posts.

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 3 4ths Perspective Aluminum Camera Module 1

New iPhone 17 Pro Details: Brighter Display, Best Battery Life, and More

Wednesday September 3, 2025 5:33 am PDT by
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max models will feature a number of significant display, thermal, and battery improvements, according to new late-stage rumors. According to the Weibo leaker known as "Instant Digital," the iPhone 17 Pro models will feature displays with higher brightness, making it more suitable for use in direct sunlight for prolonged periods. The iPhone 16 Pro and...
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro Prices Estimated Ahead of Apple Event Next Week

Tuesday September 2, 2025 1:50 pm PDT by
Just one week before Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series, an analyst has shared new price estimates for the devices. Here are J.P. Morgan analyst Samik Chatterjee's price estimates for the iPhone 17 series in the United States, according to 9to5Mac: Model Starting Price Model Starting Price Change iPhone 16 $799 iPhone 17 ...
Apple Watch Ultra 2 Complications

Apple Watch Ultra 3 Coming Next Week: Eight Reasons to Upgrade

Thursday September 4, 2025 7:38 am PDT by
We're only days away from Apple's "Awe dropping" fall event scheduled to take place on Tuesday, September 9 – and along with the new iPhone 17 series, we're going to get a new version of the Apple Watch Ultra for the first time since 2023. By the time the Ultra 3 is unveiled, it will have been two years since the previous model arrived. The intervening period has left plenty of room for...
iPhone 17 Pro Iridescent Feature 2

iPhone 17 Pro Clear Case Leak Reveals Three Key Changes

Sunday August 31, 2025 1:26 pm PDT by
Apple is expected to unveil the iPhone 17 series on Tuesday, September 9, and last-minute rumors about the devices continue to surface. The latest info comes from a leaker known as Majin Bu, who has shared alleged images of Apple's Clear Case for the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max, or at least replicas. Image Credit: @MajinBuOfficial The images show three alleged changes compared to Apple's iP...
iPhone 17 Pro Dark Blue and Orange

iPhone 17 Release Date, Pre-Orders, and What to Expect

Thursday August 28, 2025 4:08 am PDT by
An iPhone 17 announcement is a dead cert for September 2025 – Apple has already sent out invites for an "Awe dropping" event on Tuesday, September 9 at the Apple Park campus in Cupertino, California. The timing follows Apple's trend of introducing new iPhone models annually in the fall. At the event, Apple is expected to unveil its new-generation iPhone 17, an all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17...
iPhone 17 AIR Loud Feature

iPhone 17 Air Could Start at $1,099 With 256GB Storage, 1TB for $1,499

Thursday September 4, 2025 2:54 am PDT by
Apple's upcoming iPhone 17 Air will have a $1,099 starting price providing 256GB of base storage and will max out at $1,499 with a 1TB option, according to the latest TrendForce report. Apple will offer three price/storage tiers for the all-new ultra-thin iPhone 17 model, which replaces last year's iPhone 16 Plus in the lineup. Here's how TrendForce sees them breaking down: 256GB — $1099...

Top Rated Comments

Menopause Avatar
114 months ago
Tim Cook should step down. It's time to Make Apple Great Again.
Score: 101 Votes (Like | Disagree)
jdillings Avatar
114 months ago
This has got to be both humbling and humiliating for all these CEOs who campaigned so heavily against him. And I love it.
Score: 94 Votes (Like | Disagree)
magicschoolbus Avatar
114 months ago
Quite simply, I don't want to align myself with any brand that actively cooperates with this racist, sexist, xenophobic bigot.

It's fine to passively get by under this administration, business is business. But don't entertain this moron. I hope Elon Musk gives him the middle finger.
Wow. You're really sipping that mainstream media kool aid.
Score: 44 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Nr123*123 Avatar
114 months ago
Quite simply, I don't want to align myself with any brand that actively cooperates with this racist, sexist, xenophobic bigot.

It's fine to passively get by under this administration, business is business. But don't entertain this moron. I hope Elon Musk gives him the middle finger.
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Sy7ygy Avatar
114 months ago
Quite simply, I don't want to align myself with any brand that actively cooperates with this racist, sexist, xenophobic bigot.

It's fine to passively get by under this administration, business is business. But don't entertain this moron. I hope Elon Musk gives him the middle finger.
Ok ok, calm down Mr SJW. :rolleyes:
Score: 34 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Soni Sanjay Avatar
114 months ago
We need a leader like Steve Jobs, I don't imagine Cook doing anything interesting.
Score: 31 Votes (Like | Disagree)