Tim Cook, Satya Nadella reportedly to meet with President Biden

The CEOs of some of the tech industry’s most influential companies will reportedly meet with President Joe Biden to discuss efforts to improve cybersecurity. Apple’s Tim Cook, Microsoft’s Satya Nadella and Amazon’s Andy Jassy plan to attend the White House event Wednesday, sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg.

The executives are likely to discuss efforts to improve cybersecurity for critical infrastructure such as banking, energy and water utility sectors. The discussion is also likely to focus on how software can drive better security in the supply chain, a source told the news outlet.

The meeting comes amid 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, spurring fears of shortages and concerns that other critical infrastructure is at risk. A number of federal agencies also fell victim to the SolarWinds hack that was uncovered last year, including high-level officials at the DHS. 

Earlier this year, the Biden administration unveiled several efforts to shore up cybersecurity practices across federal agencies, including a $20 billion plan to secure the country’s infrastructure against cyberattacks.

Jassy plans to attend the meeting, people familiar with the matter told CNET. The chief executives of Google, IBM and J.P. Morgan Chase have also reportedly been invited.

Representatives for Apple, Google, Microsoft and Amazon didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment.