Apple CEO Steve Jobs joined President Obama and other technology leaders on Thursday night for dinner and to discuss ways companies and government can work together.
[ad#Google Adsense 300×250 in story]Jobs and Obama were joined by John Doerr, Carol Bartz, John Chambers, Dick Costolo, Larry Ellison, Reed Hastings, John Hennessy, Art Levinson, Eric Schmidt, Steve Westly, and Mark Zuckerberg.
“The president specifically discussed his proposals to invest in research and development and expand incentives for companies to grow and hire,” said White House Press Secretary Jay Carney to reporters traveling with the president.
Carney said the group also discussed ways to encourage kids to study math, science and engineering, according to the Wall Street Journal.
More photos on the White House\’s photostream
I’m sorry, but I still find it hard to believe that Zuckerberg warrants a meeting with the President. I don’t care how big FB is, I can’t take him seriously. I doubt I ever will.
I bet that was an awkward dinner for Mark Zuckerburg and President Obama since a week ago The first lady publically announced that she didn’t want her children to go on facebook and they have banned it from their home.
would have loved to be a fly on the wall…some extraordinary talent sitting in one place. Go Steve Jobs…funny, he doesn’t look the same as the grey haired old man pictured in the National Enquirer bullshit article.
Anyway-
you’re looking at one of the few industries left that America has a CLEAR lead in. That is what Obama is embracing there folks…
No, I think that Mark understands.
Interesting, to me at least, that Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg are sitting alongside the President. Places of honor I would think.
In order to create a facebook page, you have to ‘sign’ that you are over the age of 13. So, unless the Obama’s allow their children to lie about their ages, they shouldn’t have facebook pages anyway. I don’t understand why so many parents simply ignore this policy and allow their younger children have pages. The minimum age is supposed to be 13. Of course, in my opinion, most 13 year olds aren’t yet old enough, but I can accept that as the official threshold.
POTUS (turning to Zuckerberg): So, Mark. Where do you see Facebook’s biggest challenges to growth in five years?
ZUCKERBERG (sipping a wine cooler): Is that a question?
POTUS: Shut up, Mark.
ELLISON: [snort]
Or, The Last Supper.
Because most people don’t bother to read the terms of service. I won’t let my 12 year old have a Facebook account yet, even though many of his classmates do, and was irritated when his class requires that they all get GoodReads accounts… even though GoodReads also requires that members be 13 or older.
This must be a major high point for SJ. For a guy who dropped out of college, a self-made billionaire, gave that moving commencement speech at Stanford, brought Apple up into super status on the planet, etc., he’s now being consulted by the President of the United States. Are we having fun yet? Ooooh yeah!
“to discuss ways companies and government can work together”
To do what? Tell them what their health care bills and marginal tax rates will be next year, yadda yadda yadda, they’ll have the bisque.
When I see Government in a room with the world’s friendliest computing platform, the biggest database company, the biggest aggregator of online content and behavior, and the biggest social networking site…the last thing I want anyone in that room to do is “discuss ways to work together.”
Naw, the guests are seated on both sides of the table.
Zuck got the right-hand spot over Jobs? Obama, come on 🙂
Obama is a lefty. 🙂
Good. They are children, and rather young ones at that. And parents should be taking responsibility for what their kids do online. On Facebook, Twitter, Smurf Village, whatever. She might be the First Lady but she’s a mother first. And acting like it
This meeting/dinner was very smart. Kiss up a bit to the big tech boys and when you need help sorting on tech initiatives that Congress doesn’t want to give a budget too, the boys will hopefully step up. Like this deal that Apple is apparently doing for underfunded schools that want to put iPads in the classroom.
And with the rising danger that Facebook can be to kids, including Zuck at the party could be a good move to get him on the same side of any discussions about privacy, security etc