Dinner At The White House, Tim Cook Sitting In A Shirt With Prince Mohammed Bin Salman

Apple CEO Tim Cook, with Cristiano Ronaldo, soccer star (photo: x @centregoals)

JAKARTA - Tim Cook is back as a topic of conversation, and this time it's not because of the new iPhone or the iOS update that caused a stir for Gen Z. Apple CEO was seen attending a dinner held by US President Donald Trump at the White House, along with an honorary guest who still leaves a global controversy: Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was linked to the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in 2018.

The dinner on Tuesday 18 November was actually a formal agenda for Prince Salman's visit to the United States. However, the guest list makes the atmosphere feel like a crossover episode between politics, technology, and geopolitical dramas.

Apart from Cook, Elon Musk, Michael Dell, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang, and AMD's Lisa Su were also present. The entertainment and sports world was not left behind with the presence of David Ellison, Mary Barra, Cristiano Ronaldo, to FIFA President Gianni Infantino as reported by the New York Times.

Cook's presence is considered consistent with his recent approach to business diplomacy to the Trump administration. He often appears on agendas involving the President, from private meetings to donations and investment support to the United States.

But controversy arose when Trump defended Salman from allegations of involvement in Khashoggi's murder. Trump stated that Salman "did not know anything" about the killing, contrary to the assessment of US intelligence which confirmed the approval of Saudi's top party in the operation. Trump even called "things happen" and invited the public to "end the discussion there."

The Khashoggi case itself once dragged Apple's name because the journalist's Apple Watch was proof of the key. The smartwatch recorded audio of his murder seconds and synchronized automatically to his fianc's iPhone waiting outside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.

Some time after that, a fake site on behalf of Apple Insider had spread false quotes as if they were from Tim Cook, taking advantage of the situation to spread disinformation. Apple and Cook never made official comments regarding the case.

The meeting at the White House also reminded the public that Salman had previously met Cook at Apple Park in 2018 to discuss the development of applications and education, just months before Khashoggi's murder took place. Salman's name also surfaced in 2020 because of his alleged involvement in hacking Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos' cellphone, via a WhatsApp video.

In the midst of geopolitical issues, Cook's presence in this dinner made the public question again how technology leaders navigate business and ethical relations. In an increasingly hyper-connected world, the movement of technology CEOs is not just a dinner agenda, but part of the dynamics of global power that is always interesting to monitor