‘Wasn't sure which number he was asking about’: Meta CEO Mark Zuckerberg on embarrassing moment caught on camera with Donald Trump

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CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company may invest more than $600 billion in the United States through 2028. In a post on Threads, Zuckerberg said “If AI progress keeps accelerating, it's quite possible we'll invest even more than this. I had briefed the President that we're planning to invest $600B+ in the US through '28 and a significantly higher number through the end of the decade.” The posts comes following a viral hot mic exchange with President Donald Trump during a White House dinner last week.At the dinner, attended by several top tech executives, Trump asked about US spending plans. Mark Zuckerberg, who was sitting next to Trump, fumbled for an answer. He said “Oh gosh, um, I mean, I think it's probably going to be something like, at least $600 billion through 2028 in the US, yeah.” “That's a lot, that's a lot,” Trump said.After the conversation, a hot mic later captured Mark Zuckerberg apologizing: “"I'm sorry I wasn't ready... I wasn't sure what number you wanted to go with.” The clip quickly went viral on social media.

Mark Zuckerberg’s response to ‘hot mic’ moment at White House

In a post on Threads, Zuckerberg said the moment was misunderstood. “If AI progress keeps accelerating, it's quite possible we'll invest even more than this. I had briefed the President that we're planning to invest $600B+ in the US through '28 and a significantly higher number through the end of the decade,” he wrote. “I wasn't sure which number he was asking about, so I just shared the lower number through '28 and clarified with him afterwards,” he added.

Tech CEOs outline US spending

Notably, Meta CEO was not alone who was asked about investment in the US. Other executives also confirmed US commitments at the meeting.

Apple CEO Tim Cook

repeated a $600 billion investment, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai pledged $250 billion over two years, and

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella

estimated $75–80 billion for 2025. Similarly, OpenAI’s Sam Altman and AMD’s Lisa Su also promised significant spending, with Su thanking Trump for supporting AI.