White House Hosts Top Tech CEOs Excluding Elon Musk Amid Tensions

President Donald Trump hosted a high-profile tech summit at the White House's renovated Rose Garden, featuring CEOs from major companies such as Meta, Apple, Microsoft, Google, and OpenAI. Elon Musk, who was once a close adviser to Trump but had a public falling out earlier this year, was notably absent from the official guest list, sparking speculation about the state of his relationship with the administration. Musk claimed he was invited but unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts and stated that a representative would be present, though this was unconfirmed. Despite Musk's absence, Trump recently described him as a "good man" with "some problems," signaling a potential thaw in their relationship and hopes for Musk's future support of the Republican Party. The event underscored Musk's complicated and evolving ties with the White House, especially following his departure from a government post and public disputes with Trump. Meanwhile, Musk's rivals in AI and space, such as OpenAI's Sam Altman and Blue Origin's David Limp, were in attendance, highlighting the shifting dynamics between Musk and the current administration.