Trump invites tech leaders to roundtable next week
SAN FRANCISCO — President-elect Donald Trump has invited technology industry leaders to a roundtable next week in New York.
The invitation for the Dec. 14 summit was sent by Trump's chief of staff Reince Priebus, Jared Kushner, Trump's son-in-law, and transition team adviser Peter Thiel. Among the CEOs who plan to attend the meeting are Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins and Oracle Co-CEO Safra Catz.
The tech industry, which bet heavily on Hillary Clinton in the months leading up to the presidential election, is looking to build bridges to the incoming administration.
The Trump transition team did not respond to a request for comment. A spokesman for Thiel declined to comment.
Tech tries to get Trump's ear after shunning him during campaign
The stakes are high after the industry-wide snubbing of the president-elect, who attacked Apple and Amazon during the campaign.
Trump last week announced the formation of a business council chaired by Stephen Schwarzman, CEO of investment firm Blackstone Group and comprised of the leaders of major U.S. corporations including GE, GM and Boeing.
Noticeably absent were the chief executives of Apple, Facebook and Google. The only representative from tech was IBM CEO Ginni Rometty, who is not from Silicon Valley. Last month Rometty published an open letter to Trump, offering support for some of Trump's policies.
Trump’s remarks on tech — his opposition to net neutrality and hard stance on immigration — have alarmed tech executives, but they also see a new opportunity to push a tech-friendly agenda. Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos wished him success, and Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff congratulated Trump on Twitter. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella posted his congratulations on LinkedIn. Apple CEO Tim Cook called Trump to congratulate him, Trump told the New York Times.
"Most of Silicon Valley is moving from the 'surprised and in denial' phase to accepting the change that's coming," said Semil Shah, general partner at venture capital firm Haystack Fund in Menlo Park, Calif. "Some of that change, such as immigration, creates anxiety and uncertainty. Some of that change, such as potential for economic stimulus at a national level, gives some folks business confidence.”
Trump adviser Peter Thiel is on Silicon Valley speed dial
Tech has a Trump emissary in Thiel, the billionaire investor who is advising the Trump transition team. He was a delegate for Trump and spoke at the Republican National Convention.
Thiel has not taken a formal role during the transition but has spent weeks advising the Trump team. He's expected to play a key role in representing the interests of the tech industry on regulatory and policy matters in Washington, along with a small group of conservatives from his circle.
Facebook declined to comment whether it would attend next week's tech roundtable. Thiel sits on the board of the giant social network.
Leading Silicon Valley companies such as Alphabet's Google declined to comment.
Meg Whitman, the CEO of Hewlett Packard Enterprise and self-described "proud Republican" who had supported Trump rival Hillary Clinton in the campaign, won't attend, the company said.