Washington, USA: US President Donald Trump jokingly called Google CEO Sundar Pichai a “monster” during an interaction with reporters at the White House, prompting a humorous response from the Indian-origin technology executive.
The exchange took place after Trump hosted a meeting with several leading technology executives to discuss artificial intelligence, its development and safety measures for increasingly advanced AI systems.
Trump Praises Pichai, Calls Him a ‘Monster’
As Pichai began speaking to reporters, Trump interrupted and said, “This guy is a monster, and nobody knows him.” Trump continued by praising Pichai’s position and low public profile, adding, “What a great life! To be a monster and not have to go through this.”
Trump then emphasised Pichai’s first name, saying, “All you have to know is — Sundarr! Sundar is his name.” The remark appeared to be made in a light-hearted and complimentary manner.
Pichai Gives Witty Response
Pichai appeared to take the comment in good humour and responded with a quick joke: “Hopefully a better tagline than I’m a monster!” His response drew laughter from those around them.
Tech Leaders Meet Trump Over AI
The interaction came after a White House meeting involving several prominent technology leaders, including Pichai, Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei and OpenAI President Greg Brockman.
The discussions focused on the development and oversight of advanced AI systems. Technology companies also signed a voluntary White House Accord on Super Intelligence, outlining commitments related to internal controls, risk reviews and external auditing of AI development.
The unusual exchange between Trump and Pichai subsequently attracted attention online, with Pichai’s witty response becoming one of the highlights of the White House interaction.