Mike Splinter and the Tech CEO Council Meeting with President Obama

President Barack Obama meets with members of the Technology CEO Council in the Roosevelt Room of the White House, Feb. 1, 2011. Seated across from the President, from left are;  Joseph Tucci, Chairman, President and CEO, EMC Corporation; Michael Splinter, CEO, Applied Materials; Sam Palmisano, Chairman, President and CEO, IBM; Ursula Burns, Chairman and CEO, Xerox Corporation; Michael Dell, Founder and CEO, Dell; and Steve Appleton, CEO, Micron Technology. (Official White House Photo by Pete Souza)

On Tuesday Mike Splinter Applied Materials Chairman and CEO and other members of the Technology CEO Council (TCC) met with President Obama and his senior advisers in the White House. Mike and the TCC CEOs discussed with the President and his team a variety of issues, all centered on U.S. competitiveness. Playing off many of the themes sounded by President Obama in his State of the Union address, the dialogue touched on innovation, taxes, trade, making government more efficient and regulation and other areas. The President recognizes the importance of innovation as the driving force behind U.S. economic prosperity and we at Applied Materials share his enthusiasm on the topic. On taxes, the CEOs conveyed the importance of aligning corporate tax structure to make the United States the favored destination for investment. Noting that 95% of the world's customers are outside the United States, the CEOs also noted the important of trade to U.S. economic prosperity -- and the President agreed. On the topic of making government more efficient, TCC members outlined the proposals contained in One Trillion Reasons.

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