At a White House dinner Thursday night, Google CEO Sundar Pichai personally thanked President Trump for helping resolve the company's landmark antitrust case, just days after Alphabet dodged a potential breakup and added $230 billion to its market cap. The exchange offers a rare glimpse into how Silicon Valley's biggest names are navigating the new political landscape.
The scene at Thursday's White House tech dinner was telling. President Trump, clearly pleased with Google's recent legal victory, called out CEO Sundar Pichai in front of the assembled executives. "Well you had a very good day yesterday," Trump said with a grin. "Google had a very good day yesterday. Do you want to talk about that big day you had yesterday?"
Pichai's response was immediate and grateful: "I'm glad it's over," he said, drawing laughter from the room. The Google chief then pivoted to praise Trump's administration, saying he appreciated "that your administration had a constructive dialogue, and we were able to get it to some resolution."
The victory Pichai was celebrating represents one of the biggest corporate legal wins in recent memory. Earlier this week, Alphabet avoided a potential breakup when U.S. District Judge Amit Mehta ruled against the most severe penalties proposed by the Department of Justice. The market responded immediately, with Google's parent company adding $230 billion to its market capitalization in a single trading session.
The antitrust saga dates back to 2020, when the DOJ filed its landmark case accusing Google of maintaining an illegal monopoly in internet search. Last year, the company was found guilty of those charges, setting up this week's penalty phase. The Justice Department had pushed for dramatic remedies, including potentially forcing Google to sell off parts of its business. Instead, Mehta opted for less severe measures, handing Google what Wedbush analyst Dan Ives called a "dream scenario."
But Pichai wasn't just there to celebrate a legal victory. The Google CEO used the opportunity to align his company with Trump's broader tech agenda, specifically praising the administration's "America's AI Action Plan" launched in July. "The AI moment is one of the most transformative moments any of us have ever seen," Pichai told Trump. "Already the AI action plan under your leadership I think is a great start, and we look forward to working together."
