During the All-In Summit held in Los Angeles on Monday, Nvidia’s CEO Jensen Huang received a notable phone call from former President Donald Trump that he chose to answer live in front of the audience.
“I’m onstage with friends,” Huang remarked to Trump, referencing the venture capitalists present, including tech figures Chamath Palihapitiya, Jason Calacanis, and advisors David Friedberg and David Sacks.
In a bold move that would likely cause a stir among PR professionals, Huang demonstrated his ease with the former president by putting the call on speakerphone for the gathering to hear.
“The great thing about life is Jensen can develop the most complex computer chip in the world… but he can’t figure out how to put you on speaker,” Trump remarked during the call. It’s clear that Huang knows how speakerphones function; he had asked for an extra microphone to amplify the call to the audience.
While onstage, Huang and the All-In hosts were engaging in a conversation about Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei’s call to “slow the pace of AI advancements.” Prominent figures like Elon Musk and OpenAI CEO Sam Altman have echoed Amodei’s sentiments, whereas Huang holds a differing viewpoint.
“They’re just playing right into the hands of people who don’t want to see this progress,” Trump stated. “That could be politicians or even China. We cannot allow that to happen. It’s a hoax.”
“You’re right. We’re not going to allow that to happen, sir,” Huang replied, prompting applause from the audience.
Trump and his supporters, including Y Combinator CEO Garry Tan, argue that the increasing opposition to data center construction is part of an international strategy aimed at hindering American economic development. However, public apprehension appears more straightforward. Recent Gallup polls indicate that 70% of Americans are against data centers being built in their neighborhoods, with over half citing environmental concerns. Approximately 20% expressed worries about rising living costs and impacts on their quality of life.
“We need to approach this carefully… We need to act responsibly, but that doesn’t mean we will halt an industry,” Trump told Huang. “I’m fully on your side. I didn’t even realize you shared my views. We will take the lead.”
