Apple CEO, Tim Cook (R), shakes hands with US President Donald Trump during an event in the White House Oval Office on August 6, 2025 in Washington, DC.
Win McNamee | Getty images
The best technological executives are at the forefront of an unprecedented recent tape with US President Donald Trump.
In the past few days, the White House has confirmed that two manufacturers of American fleas, Nvidia And Dmlawould be authorized to sell advanced fleas in China in exchange for the United States government receiving a reduction of 15% of their income in the Asian country.
Apple CEO Tim Cook recently announced its intention to increase the company’s American investment commitment to $ 600 billion over the next four years. This decision was largely considered an attempt to bring the giant out of Trump’s reticulus technology on prices – and seems to have worked for the moment.
In total, analysts say that transactions show how important it is for the largest companies in the world to find price relief.
“The burst of competition is an effort to obtain a lighter treatment of prices,” said Paolo Pescatore, technological analyst at PP Foresight, at CNBC by e-mail.
“In a form or form, all large technological companies have been negatively impacted by prices. They may not afford to pay millions of dollars in additional costs which will become more the benefits that have been highlighted by recent quarterly income,” said Pescatore.
While the devil will be in the details of these agreements, Pescatore said that Apple paving the way for his accelerated investment in the United States will probably trigger “a domino effect” within the industry.
Apple, for its part, has long been considered one of the large technological companies most vulnerable to simmering trade tensions between the United States and China.
Earlier this month, Trump announced its intention to impose a 100% rate of imports of semiconductors and fries, but with an exemption for companies that “build in the United States”.
Apple, which relies on hundreds of different chips for its aircraft and has hired $ 800 million in tariff costs during the June quarter, is among the companies exempt from the prices offered.
A “practical” approach
The NVIDIA and AMD with the Trump administration have pending intense debate on the potential impact on flea giant companies and if the US government can seek similar agreements with other companies.
Some strategists have described the arrangement as a “shakedown”, while others have suggested that it could even be unconstitutional and compare it to an export tax.
White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said on Tuesday that the legality and mechanics of the 15% export tax on Nvidia and AMD “were still being calculated.” She also suggested that agreements could extend to other companies in the future.
Ray Wang, founder and president of Constellation Research, described the NVIDIA and AMD agreement to pay 15% of flea sales income in China in the US government as “bizarre”.
Addressing CNBC “Squawk Box” on Monday, Wang said what is “really bizarre” is that there is still a certain uncertainty about whether these chips represent a national security problem.
“If the answer is no, well ok. The government makes it a cup,” said Wang. “Jensen Huang and Lisa Su by Nvidia and Lisa at AMD have both decided that OK, we have a way to get our tokens in China and maybe there is something good to get out.”
Investors’ concerns
While investors initially welcomed the agreement as largely positive for Nvidia and AMD, which, once again, secure access to the Chinese market, Wang said that some in the industry will nevertheless be concerned.
“As an investor, you are worried because then, is it an arbitrary government decision? Each president can Kingmaker play in terms of these transactions?” Said Wang.
“So, I think that is really what concern is, and we still have additional prices and trade agreements to come from negotiations in China,” he added.
In the future, Dan Niles, founder and head of the portfolio at Niles Investment Management, said that the investor issue was whether the “practical” approach to the Trump administration is positive or negative for American companies.
“I think that for each company, it’s very different. So, is it certainly something I take into account. The most important thing for me is that you have a stability in politics? Do you have a policy for a week, then he returns the next one?” Niles told CNBC on Monday “Closing Bell: Overrime Overrime.” Right now, that’s what concerns me a little more. “
– The Leswing Arjun Kharpal & Kif of CNBC contributed to this report.
