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The heads of Apple, Google, Amazon, Microsoft and IBM are going to the White House on Wednesday to meet with President Joe Biden and other industry leaders to discuss how the government and private sector can work together to improve the nation’s cybersecurity, according to a senior administration official.
In addition to sharing ideas, the government and industry leaders will make announcements in key areas, including technology and talent, that build on the administration’s efforts to shore up the nation’s cybersecurity, according to the senior administration official. The tech CEOs will also meet with members of Biden’s cabinet to look as ways to build enduring cybersecurity, while other groups will focus on critical infrastructure and the cybersecurity workforce.
The meeting, which was previously announced by the administration in July, comes on the heels several high-profile ransomware and cyberattack episodes in the US. So far this year, ransomware attacks have shut down a gas pipeline and a major meat producer, fueling concerns that other critical infrastructure is at risk. A number of federal agencies also fell victim to the wide-reaching SolarWinds hack that was uncovered late last year.
Tech executives attending the meeting include: ADP CEO Carlos Rodriguez, Alphabet CEO Sundar Pichai, Amazon CEO Andy Jassy, Apple CEO Tim Cook, IBM CEO Arvind Krishna and Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella.
Also attending are executives from the financial, education, energy and insurance industries, including JPMorgan Chase CEO Jamie Dimon and ConocoPhillips CEO Ryan Lance.