Technology company CEOs meet with Trump

Donald Trump met on Monday with the heads of 18 U.S. technology companies including Apple, Amazon and Microsoft, seeking their assistance to make the government’s computing systems more effective.

The White House wishes to upgrade government information technology systems, cut costs, get rid of waste and enhance service. Trump on Monday mentioned estimates that the government might save approximately $1 trillion over 10 years through such steps.

“Our goal is to lead a sweeping transformation of the federal government’s technology that will deliver dramatically better services for citizens,” Trump stated. “Government has to catch up with the technology revolution.”

The executives belong to the so-called American Technology Council that Trump formed to support efforts to modernize the government.

“The United States ought to have the most modern-day government worldwide. Today it doesn’t,” stated Apple CEO Tim Cook.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos stated he desired the Trump administration to use commercially available technologies, worker retraining, machine learning and artificial intelligence.

Before conference with Trump, the CEOs met in 10 group sessions with Vice President Mike Pence, Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross, together with the presidents of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Ohio State University.