Leading figures from the technology sector were among the attendees at the state banquet held in honor of President Trump during his second official visit to the United Kingdom on Wednesday.
According to the New York Times, the seating arrangement at the banquet featured prominent names such as Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia; Tim Cook, CEO of Apple; David Sacks, venture capitalist and White House AI and crypto advisor; Ruth Porat, president of Alphabet and Google; Satya Nadella, CEO of Microsoft; Marc Benioff, CEO of Salesforce; and Sam Altman of OpenAI.
On Thursday, the U.K. and U.S. entered into a Tech Prosperity Deal, aiming to advance collaboration in nuclear, artificial intelligence, and quantum technology. Earlier in the week, Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, and OpenAI shared plans to establish data centers in the U.K., while CoreWeave and Salesforce revealed multibillion-pound investments in the region. Altogether, American tech giants pledged a combined £31 billion (equivalent to $42 billion) to enhance the U.K.’s AI infrastructure.
This guest list for the state event appeared to be dominated by tech and business leaders, rather than the Hollywood celebrities who often frequent such gatherings.
This shift highlights the evolving economic priorities of both the U.K. and U.S. in the era of artificial intelligence, as well as the growing influence of the technology sector and its executives in President Trump’s second term. Over the last year, major technology firms including OpenAI, Google, and Apple have announced partnerships with the U.S. government, ranging from supplying AI-driven tools for public services to supporting digital health initiatives in the American healthcare system.
The president has also intensified his focus on technology, criticizing Tim Cook over Apple’s reliance on overseas manufacturing, signing an executive order against “woke” AI, and directing the attorney general to probe private enterprises with federal contracts that maintain DEI initiatives considered “illegal.”
This year’s presidential inauguration was attended by tech industry heavyweights such as Mark Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos. In early September, President Trump hosted a dinner for 33 leading Silicon Valley figures, including Altman, Cook, and Zuckerberg. Elon Musk, who previously served as a senior advisor and was affectionately called “First Buddy,” was absent from both events.
