President Donald Trump’s White House dinner with the chiefs of the US’s biggest tech companies was meant to showcase unity between the president and Silicon Valley.
Instead, the glaring absence of Elon Musk underscored the growing rift between the one-time allies as rivals like Apple’s Tim Cook and OpenAI’s Sam Altman lined up to praise the administration.
The event, held in the state dining room after rain washed out plans for a rose garden spectacle, saw executives, including Cook, Altman, Google’s Sundar Pichai, and Meta’s Mark Zuckerberg, take turns thanking Trump for his “pro-business” agenda.
Many used the opportunity to trumpet multibillion-dollar investments in US chip manufacturing and AI education, as the White House seeks to position the US at the forefront of AI.
Altman was among the most effusive, calling Trump a “pro-innovation president” and crediting his leadership for America’s tech edge.
Cook pledged Apple would spend $600bn (£443bn) in the US, praising the administration’s focus on domestic manufacturing.
Microsoft chief Satya Nadella and Pichai each rolled out education initiatives, promising AI training programmes that would reach millions of students.
For Trump, it was a chance to highlight what he cast as a cooperative relationship with industry, from loosening regulation to tackling the energy demands of new data centres.
“The most brilliant people are gathered at this table”, he announced at the event. “This is definitely a high IQ group”.
Musk: A missing seat at the table
However, Musk was missing from the table.
Once Trump’s closest confidant in the tech world, the SpaceX and Tesla chief has since fallen out with the president after quitting his short-lived role running the so-called Department of Government Efficiency (DoGE).
The pair’s dispute over Trump’s “big beautiful bill” tax-and-spend plan spiralled into a public feud, culminating in Musk threatening to launch his own “America party”.
Musk said on X that he had been invited to Thursday’s dinner, but instead he opted out of attending.
His absence came despite his previous willingness to bankroll Trump’s re-election campaign to the tune of nearly $300m.
The break marks a dramatic reversal from just months ago, when Trump joked he “couldn’t get rid” of Musk.
It also complicates the billionaire’s standing in Washington at a time when Tesla faces waning demand, a tumbling share price and growing competition from cheaper Chinese EVs.
“Investors are growing tired of the distraction”, said Jed Dorsheimer, analyst at William Blair, warning Musk’s political ventures risk dragging on Tesla’s already weakened stock.
Winners and losers in Trump’s orbit
If Musk is losing influence, others are moving in to fill the vacuum.
Cook, who once sparred with Trump over tariffs, has become a more regular visitor to the White House.
Altman, long seen as sceptical of Trump, is now working closely with officials on AI initiatives, even thanking the president personally. “It’s a very refreshing change. We’re very excited to see what you’re doing to make all of our companies and our entire country so successful,” he stated.
While Pichai told the White House, Google was “incredibly thankful for the partnership of everyone in this room, and to the first lady and the administration for leading the way.”
For now, the dinner showcased both Trump’s ability to command Silicon Valley’s public loyalty – and the costs of falling out with him.
Tech leaders are keen to avoid the president’s wrath, mindful of the targeted tariffs and antitrust pressure he has deployed in the past.
But the spectacle of the chief executive offering praise also reinforced an awkward truth: that while the administration is promising to cut red tape and accelerate AI adoption, it is also centralising power in ways that leave companies more dependent on Washington’s favour.
And for Musk, once the loudest voice at the table, being on the outside looking in may prove more damaging than any regulatory hurdle.