President Donald Trump welcomed Chinese President Xi Jinping to the White House on Thursday for a formal state dinner, drawing a guest list heavily populated with prominent technology executives and influential business figures.
The evening’s attendees featured several of the world’s most recognized tech billionaires, including Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, OpenAI co-founder Sam Altman, Tesla and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk, and Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, all reportedly dressed in black tie attire for the diplomatic event.
Another reminder that these billionaires have more direct access to world leaders than most citizens ever will. The concentration of wealth and influence is staggering.
Elon and Mark in tuxedos? I never thought I would see the day. Makes you wonder who really holds the power in these meetings these days.
It is fascinating to see such a heavy tech presence at a diplomatic event. Do you think this signals a new era of Silicon Valley influence in foreign policy?