Welcome to the Tech meme right home from Monday, February 24th, 2025. I'm Brian McCullough today.

Apple makes a huge investment in U.S. manufacturing and hiring.

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There was word over the weekend that Tim Cook recently met with President Trump,

and this seems to be the fruit of that meeting. Apple says it will spend $500 billion in the U.S. over the next four years, hire 20,000 new U.S. workers, and produce AI servers in Texas. Quoting Bloomberg, the company said Monday that it plans to spend $500 billion domestically over the next four years, which will include work on a new server

manufacturing facility in Houston, a supplier academy in Michigan, and additional spending with

its existing suppliers in the country. The disclosure comes days after Trump and Apple Chief

Executive Officer Tim Cook met in the Oval Office. He's investing hundreds of billions of dollars,

Trump said after the meeting last week. He implied that the iPhone maker is investing locally because it does not want to pay tariffs.

Trump has threatened an additional 10% tax on items imported from China, where Apple builds the vast majority of iPhones and other products, but he has traded investment in the U.S. for relief in the past.

The $500 billion investment and $20,000 new jobs over the next four years marks Apple's

biggest U.S. commitment to date. Apple said it hired 20,000 research and development workers over the

last five years and said in 2021, it would invest $430 billion locally over the next half decade,

end quote. And quoting 9 to 5 Mac. Apple is also doubling the U.S. Advanced Manufacturing Fund, which it says

supports world-class innovation and high-skilled manufacturing jobs across America. The fund will increase

from $5 billion to $10 billion. The fund incorporates Apple investments such as supporting the new

TSM Fab in Arizona, which will manufacture some Apple Silicon chips. Apple is also opening a new Apple

Manufacturing Academy in Detroit. Experts from Apple and top universities will work with small and

medium-sized businesses on how to implement AI and smart manufacturing methods in their supply chains.

The Academy will also offer free, in-person, and online courses, end quote.

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