When tech titans Mark Zuckerberg, Jeff Bezos, Sundar Pichai and Tim Cook dinner frolicked collectively at a pre-inauguration church service in Washington, DC, Monday morning it was apparently by selection.
A supply within the know informed The Publish that, whereas a number of seats at Monday morning’s service at St. John’s Church had been reserved for President Donald Trump’s household and members of his workers, others weren’t assigned.
Meta CEO Zuckerberg, Amazon founder Bezos, Google CEO Pichai and Apple head Tim Cook dinner had been photographed collectively virtually in an ideal row.
Afterward, Zuckerberg and spouse Priscilla Chan had been noticed chatting with Bezos and his fiancée, Lauren Sanchez, as all of them headed into the Capitol Rotunda for Trump’s swearing-in. Inside, Bezos — whose Blue Origin had its first profitable launch of the New Glenn rocket final week— was seen on digicam laughing together with his space-race rival and SpaceX CEO Elon Musk.
The group, together with Pichai, had been positioned on the dais straight behind Trump’s family.
“For the primary time in my life, you could have a president and an incoming White Home who’re aligned with Silicon Valley,” Nick Bilton, creator of “Hatching Twitter,” informed The Publish. “That’s why you’ve obtained Bezos and Sundar and Zuck there. They see this as a chance to lastly work with the federal government. I feel we’re going to see extra tech developments within the subsequent 4 years than now we have seen within the final 40 years.”
Notably, cameras didn’t catch any dialog between Musk and Zuckerberg, who as soon as threatened to face off towards one another in a cage match.
“Whereas they’re all opponents, they’re all considerably associates,” Bilton stated of the tech titans.
“I suppose the analogy can be a bunch of fellows get invited to a marriage they usually don’t actually know anybody else, in order that they wind up on the identical desk,” he added of Bezos, Zuckerberg and Cook dinner sitting collectively within the church. “Plus, they’re all within the inexperienced room collectively at tech conferences the place they converse they usually all go to the identical billionaire dinners. So it is sensible for them to be collectively.”
Open AI’s Sam Altman and TikTok CEO Shou Zi Chew had been additionally on the swearing-in, the place Zuckerberg, Bezos, Pechai and Musk had prime seats: proper behind Trump’s kids and in entrance of Protection Division nominee Pete Hegseth and Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who Trump has tapped for secretary of the Division of Well being and Human Providers.
“All of them strike me as barely unlikely Trump supporters. However, you already know, they’ve obtained to kiss the ring. And that is a part of it,” one supply informed The Publish of the tech CEOs’ pride-of-place seating.
“It’s additionally about self-preservation. All of them want visas for educated employees and it looks as if an excellent alternative for placing in coverage that may assist know-how. They now have a chance to take a seat on the desk. They need to broaden and succeed and purchase. So, they’re enjoying this sport.”
