In May, Trump told Tim Cook that he doesn't want Apple to build its products in India.
- Apple will invest $600 billion in the United States, CEO Tim Cook confirmed
- Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg also pledged $600 billion investment in the United States
- Google and Microsoft plan US investments of $250 billion and $75-80 billion respectively
During a high-profile dinner with Silicon Valley honchos at the White House, US President Donald Trump grilled Apple CEO Tim Cook over the company's investment in the United States, as the iPhone maker returns "home in a big way" from "elsewhere"-- a reference that appeared to be about Apple's operations in India.
In the conversation that took place in the presence of Meta's Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, Google CEO Sundar Pichai and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, Trump asked Cook, "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?"
The Apple CEO replied, "$600 billion." He also praised the US President for "setting the tone" for Apple to grow in America.
"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," said Cook during a dinner also attended by US First Lady Melania Trump.
Apple's India Plans
In May, Trump told Tim Cook that he doesn't want Apple to build its products in India, taking a shot at the tech giant's move to diversify production away from China.
"I had a little problem with Tim Cook yesterday...I said to him, 'My friend, I treated you very good. You're coming here with $500 billion, but now I hear you're building all over India.' I don't want you building in India," Trump had said, urging Apple to pivot stateside.
The US leader was referring to Apple's commitment of a $500 billion investment in the US, which was announced in February after Trump came to power for the second term.
The iPhone maker has been ramping up production in India as it aims to reduce its dependency on China, where around 90 per cent of the company's flagship smartphone is currently assembled. Apple is planning to make around 25 per cent of global iPhones in the country in the next few years.
In August, Apple reportedly told the Indian government that it has no intention of slowing down its expansion in the country. Per a report by The Times of India, the tech giant is planning to commit an estimated $2.5 billion in India to boost iPhone production capacity from over 40 million units annually to about 60 million.
Trump Quizzes Other CEOs
The US President asked the same question about American investment to Meta CEO Zuckerberg, seated to his right. Zuckerberg also said: "$600 billion."
The next question was about Google's investment, to which CEO Sundar Pichai replied, "We are well north of $100 billion. In the next two years, it will be $250 billion in the US."
"That's great, that's great. We're proud of you. Thank you. A lot of jobs, a lot of jobs. Yeah, good," Trump said.
On Microsoft's investment, CEO Satya Nadella replied, "This year, in the United States, we are close to around $75 to $80 billion."
"Good, very good. Thank you very much," Trump said.
