In response to Trump's tariffs, Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) announced that it will invest $500 billion in the United States and create an additional 20,000 job positions.

Apple Inc. (AAPL.US) announced a major plan to mitigate the impact of President Donald Trump's tariffs by investing up to $500 billion in the United States over the next four years, creating an additional 20,000 jobs and focusing on the production of artificial intelligence servers. The news came shortly after a meeting between Trump and Apple Inc. CEO Tim Cook in the Oval Office. Apple Inc. revealed that their investment plan includes various aspects such as establishing a new server manufacturing factory in Houston, founding a supplier academy in Michigan, and increasing investments in existing suppliers in the United States. Following the meeting, Trump stated that Apple Inc. has "invested billions of dollars." He hinted that the reason the iPhone maker is making such large investments in the U.S. is to avoid paying high tariffs. Trump had threatened to impose an additional 10% tariff on goods imported from China, and a significant portion of Apple Inc.'s iPhones and other products are produced in China. However, Trump has also used investments in the U.S. to obtain tax breaks in the past. The $500 billion investment and the addition of 20,000 new jobs announced by Apple Inc. is the largest investment they have made in the U.S. to date. It is worth noting that in the past five years, Apple Inc. has hired 20,000 research and development personnel. In 2021, the company announced a $430 billion investment in the U.S. over the next five years. Cook emphasized in a statement, "We are confident in the future of American innovation. We are proud to make a $500 billion investment in the future of our country, further solidifying our long-standing commitment to the United States. We will continue to work hand in hand with partners across the country to write a new chapter in American innovation history together." During Trump's first term, Cook successfully persuaded Trump to exempt iPhones from tariffs, citing that imposing tariffs on iPhones would benefit competitors like South Korea's Samsung Electronics. During this time, Apple Inc. also announced multiple large-scale investments in the U.S. and credited the production of the Mac Pro in Texas to Trump's policy support, despite already producing computers in Texas since 2013. In return, Apple Inc. was able to maintain high profit margins during Trump's first term, avoiding significant price increases for their products. With Trump's reelection, plans have been made to encourage U.S. companies to produce products domestically to avoid tariffs on imported products. Apple Inc. has also adopted a similar strategy, announcing a strategic investment plan to meet Trump's expectations. In January of this year, Cook attended Trump's inauguration in Washington, D.C., joining several other American tech company CEOs. After Trump's victory in the November election last year, Cook also met with Trump at Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida. However, Apple Inc. did not disclose whether these new investment plans had already been in the works before Trump's victory. According to Apple Inc., later this year, the company will collaborate with Foxconn Technology Group to produce servers supporting Apple Intelligence Cloud components (a system called Private Cloud Compute) in Houston. This marks a partial shift of Apple Inc.'s production from overseas to the U.S. A 250,000 square foot manufacturing plant of this kind will be officially launched in Houston next year. These private cloud computing servers utilize advanced M-series chips, which are widely used in Apple Inc.'s Mac computers. However, these chips themselves are still manufactured in Taiwan, China. Additionally, Apple Inc. will expand the production capacity of data centers in Arizona, Oregon, Iowa, Nevada, and North Carolina. These states currently have Apple Inc.'s production capacity. Apple Inc. confirmed that last month, Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co., Ltd. Sponsored ADR's factory in Arizona has started mass-producing chips. According to recent reports from Bloomberg, the factory is producing chips for some Apple Inc. watches and iPads. Apple Inc. states that the additional 20,000 jobs will mainly focus on research and development, silicon engineering, and artificial intelligence fields. Furthermore, the company is opening a "manufacturing academy" in Detroit, aimed at helping small companies with manufacturing production. Apple Inc. has also opened a college for app developers in Detroit. Apple Inc. plans to double its manufacturing fund in the United States to $100 billion.