Tesla chief Elon Musk did not attend a high-profile tech event that US President Donald Trump hosted at the White House on September 4, 2025, raising eyebrows.
Trump hosts tech giants at White House, Elon Musk absent
At least five Indian American executives, including Satya Nadella and Sundar Pichai, were present
US President Donald Trump on Thursday (September 4) hosted a high-profile dinner at the White House, which was attended by many powerful tech executives. At the event, the Republican showcased research on artificial intelligence and boasted of investments that various firms are making around the country.
At least five Indian American tech executives – Satya Nadella of Microsoft, Sundar Pichai of Google, Micron CEO Sanjay Mehrotra, TIBCO Software chairman Vivek Ranadive, and Palantir executive Shyam Sankar were also present.
'High IQ people'
Finding himself surrounded by what he called “high IQ people”, Trump said it was taking America to a new level. Many of the tech leaders who were seen at the meeting also attended the president’s second inauguration earlier this year, proving once again the two-way courtship that they enjoy with the leader.
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“The most brilliant people are gathered around this table. This is definitely a high-IQ group and I'm very proud of them,” the president said. First Lady Melania Trump was also present.
Musk's absence surprises people
However, one tech leader who was conspicuous by his absence was Elon Musk. As people wondered whether the billionaire, one-time ally of Trump was invited to the event, the entrepreneur revealed on X that he was but could not attend it “unfortunately”. He said his representative was set to go instead.
“I was invited, but unfortunately could not attend. A representative of mine will be there,” Musk said on Thursday while responding to a user who asked why he was invited.
I was invited, but unfortunately could not attend. A representative of mine will be there.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) September 4, 2025
Musk also reposted a tweet by Lisa Su, chair and chief executive officer (CEO) of US technology firm AMD, who attended the event, about it, which some found surprising.
Musk not on list of invitees: Report
The Hill, which obtained a list of invitees that included the likes of Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Apple CEO Tim Cook, Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates, and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman, one of Musk’s major rivals in artificial intelligence, said Musk was not on the list.
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The Tesla and SpaceX leader, who was once seen accompanying Trump regularly, saw the alliance blowing up a few months into the president’s second term after he left the newly formed Department of Government Efficiency. He criticised the administration’s signature tax and spending bill and also announced to begin a new political party weeks after his fallout with Trump.
Trump recently remarked about Musk in a radio interview where he said the entrepreneur has 80 per cent super genius, and 20 per cent problems. He advised Musk to work out the 20 per cent, and he would be great. The president also called him a "good man" and said that he "always liked him".
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Melania hosts AI meeting
Earlier in the day, Melania hosted a meeting of the White House Task Force on Artificial Intelligence Education alongside members of the Task Force and private sector leaders from American industry.
Besides Pichai, IBM Chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna took part along with other technology leaders in the task force meeting.
The dinner was expected to be held in the recently renovated Rose Garden, where Trump recently paved over the grassy lawn and set up tables, chairs and umbrellas that look strikingly similar to the outdoor setup at his Mar-a-Lago club in Palm Beach, Florida.
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But officials later decided to move the event to the White House State Dining Room due to inclement weather.
What Indian American tech moguls said
After making opening remarks at the event, President Trump invited the attending technology experts to share their thoughts.
Commenting briefly, Pichai said that the “AI moment is one of the most transformative moments any of us has ever seen or will see in our lifetimes. So making sure the US is at the forefront," PTI reported.
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He said the Trump administration is investing a lot in AI and termed the ‘AI Action Plan’, unveiled in July by the White House, as a “great start”.
“We look forward to working together. And thanks for your leadership,” he told Trump, the report added.
“Great job you're doing. Incredible, really,” the president responded.
About Nadella, Trump said the Microsoft chief "has done a pretty good job” and added that he owns the Microsoft stock that has gone from USD 28 to now over USD 500.
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“What a job you've done,” Trump told Nadella.
The Microsoft chief thanked Trump “for bringing us all together” and for the policies he has put in place for America to lead in the sector.
(With inputs from agencies)