Google recently won an antitrust case brought by the US Department of Justice in 2020. The court found that the company had an illegal monopoly in the internet search market, but the fines and restrictions imposed were lighter than expected. After the decision was announced, Alphabet's market capitalization increased by $230 billion.
President Donald Trump congratulated Google CEO Sundar Pichai and co-founder Sergey Brin at a White House dinner. Pichai said he was pleased to see the deal through and thanked the Trump administration for the constructive dialogue, CNBC reported.
"It’s a long process. Appreciate that your administration had a constructive dialogue, and we were able to get it to some resolution," Pichai said, drawing laughter from the audience. Trump added that the matter was initiated by the Biden administration.
Pichai also emphasized the importance of AI development and said that the Trump administration's AI Action Plan is "a great start." The plan includes 90 federal actions in three areas: accelerating innovation, developing AI infrastructure, and leading the United States in international diplomacy and security. One of the key aspects of the plan is an executive order prohibiting AI models from incorporating "Woke AI," i.e., broadcasting the principles of DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion).
In parallel, Google is negotiating with Trump's lawyers regarding a lawsuit filed more than four years ago over alleged illegal censorship of Trump's YouTube accounts after the storming of the Capitol on January 6, 2021. Pichai also attended the White House AI Education Taskforce event that day, hosted by First Lady Melania Trump, where they discussed AI education and support for American technology companies.
Trump also said at the dinner that he plans to impose "pretty significant" tariffs on semiconductor imports for companies that do not move production to the U.S. However, companies will be able to avoid the tariffs if they invest in U.S. manufacturing, as Apple has done.