Trump’s AI lunch included every major tech company. Except Apple

Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, stands with U.S. President Donald Trump, Mark Zuckerberg, CEO of Meta Platforms, Jensen Huang, CEO of Nvidia, Speaker of the House Mike Johnson (R-LA) and others holds a press briefing with AI executives following a meeting on artificial intelligence outside the West Wing of the White House on Sept. 29, 2026 in Washington, DC.Kevin Dietsch | Getty ImagesWhen President Donald Trump gathered execs from the world's most powerful tech companies in the White House on Tuesday to discuss the future of artificial intelligence, one company was conspicuously absent: Apple.Neither Chairman Tim Cook nor his successor as CEO, John Ternus, were present, while leaders from every other tech megacap – and many other companies – lunched with Trump.Apple didn't respond to CNBC's questions about the meeting, nor did the White House.Social media buzzed with conjecture that Apple wasn't invited because the company is behind on AI. Altimeter Capital CEO Brad Gerstner, a powerhouse investor in Silicon Valley and a Trump ally in the second term, called Apple's absence a "nothing burger" int an interview with CNBC's "Squawk Box" on Wednesday. "I can assure you, they're ve...