Google CEO Sundar Pichai had a moment of relief at the White House on Thursday evening. He was at a dinner hosted by President Donald Trump with some of the biggest names in tech. During the dinner, Trump congratulated Pichai and Google co-founder Sergey Brin for a major win in Alphabet’s long-running antitrust case.
“Well, you had a very good day yesterday,” Trump said to Pichai. “Google had a very good day yesterday. Do you want to talk about that big day you had yesterday?”
Pichai kept it short and honest: “I’m glad it’s over.” His words made the other guests laugh. The “big day” Trump mentioned came after a court decision this week that avoided the most severe penalties the Department of Justice had sought. Alphabet’s market value jumped by $230 billion after the ruling, which ended the possibility of breaking up Google, even though the company had been found to hold an illegal monopoly in internet search last year.
“It’s a long process,” Pichai said. He also thanked the administration for having a “constructive dialogue” that helped reach a resolution. Trump added a comment saying that Joe Biden had prosecuted the case, but Pichai didn’t correct him.
The conversation soon moved to artificial intelligence. Pichai said AI is one of the most transformative moments anyone will see in their lifetime. He praised the administration’s “Winning the AI Race: America’s AI Action Plan,” which was launched in July. The plan includes 90 actions to support AI innovation, build infrastructure, and strengthen U.S. leadership in AI. It also includes a controversial rule that AI models should avoid reflecting “Woke AI” or ideological ideas like diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Earlier in the day, Pichai had attended the White House AI Education Taskforce event hosted by First Lady Melania Trump. The focus was on using AI to improve education in American classrooms.
Google is also still in discussions with Trump’s lawyers over a lawsuit he filed more than four years ago against YouTube, accusing the platform of unlawful censorship. That lawsuit came after Trump’s social media accounts were suspended following the January 6 Capitol attack.
For Pichai, Thursday was a mix of relief and reflection. After years of legal battles and uncertainty, he could finally say with a smile: yes, it’s over.
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