Scoop: Anthropic's Dario Amodei to have White House dinner with Trump
· Axios
President Trump plans to host Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei at a private White House dinner on Sunday evening, sources familiar told Axios.
Why it matters: The dinner —the first one-on-one meeting between the two— is an indication of thawing relations between Anthropic and the administration, whose officials and allies have had longstanding tensions.
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Driving the news: Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson plan to meet top AI CEOs Tuesday at the White House, and this friendly dinner serves as an appetizer.
- Top tech CEOs from OpenAI's Sam Altman to Google's Sundar Pichai flanked Trump during a state dinner last week but there was one notable exception —Amodei, who had a scheduling conflict.
- Afterward, Trump personally invited Amodei to the dinner, one of the sources said.
The big picture: Anthropic's relationship with the administration has been on shaky ground all year, with signs of warming quickly deteriorating thereafter.
Between the lines: Amodei is such a quirky and controversial figure in AI that he has started to enter mainstream pop culture.
- Amodei was mocked on the latest episode of Saturday Night Live over his personality traits and his views on AI safety.
- Last week, Trump allies circulated talking points to the White House that emphasized Amodei's role in, and the oddities of, the effective altruism movement.
- Months ago, when Anthropic first started talking about having a one-on-one with Trump, some advised against it because "Dario's a little too weird" for Trump, one senior official told Axios.
What they are saying: "President Trump has been clear: America will lead the world in Super Intelligence, while protecting American consumers," a White House official said.
- "We will drive innovation, strengthen American competitiveness, and ensure this transformative technology works for the American people."
The bottom line: In an administration that is so closely attuned to the president's moods and personal relationships, a sit down with Trump at the White House is priceless for any company.