Obama talks jobs with Jobs, other tech leaders
WOODSIDE, California (AP) _ President Barack Obama assembled some of the biggest names in Silicon Valley to confer on jobs and innovation, trying to get leaders from companies like Google and Apple behind his push to keep spending on high-tech initiatives even as Republicans push to slash the budget.
Facebook creator Mark Zuckerberg, Google chief executive Eric Schmidt, and Steve Jobs, the Apple founder and CEO now on his third medical leave, were among a dozen business leaders who met with Obama in California on Thursday. Also present for dinner at the Woodside home of venture capitalist John Doerr were the heads of Twitter, Yahoo!, NetFlix and Oracle, and the president of Stanford University.
White House press secretary Jay Carney said afterward that Obama wants to keep exchanging ideas with the group ``so we can work as partners to promote growth and create good jobs in the United States.'' The meeting was closed to the media.
Obama wants to spend billions on clean energy, education, high-speed rail, faster Internet service and other programs even as he calls for a five-year freeze on domestic spending in other areas.
The approach is getting a frosty reception from newly empowered Republicans in Congress, who are pushing steep cuts to a range of programs and balking at new spending.
The president argues that targeted spending, including education initiatives aimed at producing a more sophisticated workforce, is crucial for job creation and future U.S. competitiveness with other nations. A stamp of approval from the Silicon Valley's leading innovators and job creators could help.
At the same time, the president's meeting extends outreach to the business community that he's embarked upon since Democrats suffered steep losses in the November elections. With unemployment stuck at 9 percent, Obama has been pleading with corporate America to hire.
Carney said earlier Thursday that the high-tech sector has been ``a model, really, for that kind of economic activity that we want to see in other cutting-edge industries in the U.S. where jobs can be created in America and kept in America, and that's what he wants to talk about.''
After the meeting, which lasted more than two hours, Carney said Obama discussed his proposals to spend on research and development and to expand incentives for companies to grow and hire.
The president also talked about his goal of doubling exports within five years to help create jobs, his plans for spending on education and a new initiative to support small business and start-up companies, Carney said.
The group also discussed ways to encourage people to study science, technology, engineering and math and to pursue careers in those fields, he said.
After California, Obama planned to tour Intel Corp.'s semiconductor manufacturing facility in Oregon, on Friday with CEO Paul Otellini. Otellini, who was among a group of CEOs who met privately with Obama in December, has criticized Obama's policies as creating uncertainty for businesses.
Obama has left Washington weekly since his Jan. 25 State of the Union address to highlight his plans to boost education, innovation and infrastructure. Education is this week's theme.
Steve Jobs (AP-Yonhap News)
U.S. President Barack Obama is shown during a press conference at the White House in Washington, D.C. on Tuesday. (AFP-Yonhap News)
오바마, 잡스-주커버그 사이에서 만찬
(워싱턴=연합뉴스) 미국 백악관이 `6주 시한부설'에 휩싸인 스 티브 잡스 애플 최고경영자가 참석한 오바마 대통령과 IT업계 경영자간의 17일 저녁 (현지시간) 만찬 사진을 18일 공개했다.
백악관 공식사진사가 촬영한 이 사진에는 잡스가 오바마 대통령의 바로 왼쪽 좌석에 앉아 다른 참석자들과 함께 건배를 하는 모습이 담겼다. 하지만 이날 공개된 사진은 잡스의 얼굴이 보이지 않고 뒷모습만 보이는 사진이다.
Photo: White House
이 때문에 잡스의 건강상태 등은 이날 공개된 사진으로도 정확히 확인되지 않았다.
캘리포니아주 북부 우드사이드 교외에 있는 벤처기업인 존 도어의 자택에서 열린 이날 만찬 행사에서 잡스는 자신의 트레이드 마크인 검은색 터틀넥 스웨터를 입고 있었다.
오바마 대통령의 오른쪽에는 대표적 소셜네트워크서비스(SNS) 페이스북의 설립자 마크 주커버그가 자리를 잡았다.
췌장암을 앓았던 잡스는 지난달 17일 신병치료를 위해 기간을 밝히지 않은채 병가를 냈고, 미국 타블로이드 주간지 내셔널 인콰이어러는 최근 촬영했다는 잡스의 초췌한 모습이 담긴 사진을 공개하며 잡스가 6주정도 더 살 수 있을 것이라고 보도해 잡스의 이날 만찬 참석에 이목이 집중됐었다.
이날 만찬은 이틀 일정으로 미 서부를 방문 중인 오바마 대통령이 미국 경제회복과 실업률 감소를 위해 기업들의 기술 혁신을 독려하려는 목적으로 마련됐다.
insight@heraldcorp.com
