Zuckerberg’s hot-mic moment: promising $600B for US AI, and why it matters

At a recent White House dinner, Mark Zuckerberg told President Trump that Meta would “probably… at least $600 billion through 2028” in U.S. spending on AI infrastructure. A later hot-mic clip captured Zuckerberg apologizing to Trump: “sorry, I wasn’t ready …I wasn’t sure what number you wanted to go with.”

This post summarizes the exchange, context, and reactions.

Key details

• Quote: “probably going to be something like, I don’t know, at least $600 billion through [20]28 in the US.”
• Hot-mic addition: Zuckerberg saying he “wasn’t ready” and apologizing for the number choice.
• Context: The meeting followed a year of tense interactions between Zuckerberg and Trump, donations to Trump’s inauguration, policy shifts at Meta, and private meetings.

Why it matters

A public pledge of this scale — if accurate and acted on — would have major implications for AI deployment, jobs, infrastructure, and the relationship between big tech and government.

Sources

• Engadget coverage of the clip (originally reported): [removed RSS link per instruction]

More sources and video links will be added as available.