(Bloomberg) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with US tech executives and investors in New York on Sunday to discuss the prospects for using artificial intelligence to boost his country’s economy and military capabilities, according to people familiar with the matter.
Attendees at the meeting with Netanyahu included Jacob Helberg, a former adviser at Palantir Technologies Inc. who’s been nominated to serve in the Trump administration as under secretary of state for economic growth, energy and the environment, according to the people. Helberg, a staunch supporter of Israel, is still awaiting Senate confirmation.
Others present included Eric Glyman, the chief executive officer of the fintech startup Ramp, along with Eric Wu and Keith Rabois, cofounders of the online real estate company Open Door, according to the people. Also in attendance for the AI discussion were Guillermo Rauch, CEO of cloud computing platform provider Vercel; and Lux Capital co-founder and venture capitalist Josh Wolfe, the people said.
The meeting was described by the people familiar with the guest list as an informal conversation between the executives and Netanyahu, who was joined by two aides. The people spoke on condition of anonymity to describe a private gathering.
Netanyahu’s get-together with the tech investors took place a day before he’s scheduled to see President Donald Trump at the White House to discuss a ceasefire agreement in Gaza being pushed by the US leader. The two men are scheduled to hold a news conference later Monday in Washington.
Netanyahu’s office and representatives for the tech industry attendees didn’t immediately respond to messages seeking comment.
–With assistance from Emily Forgash.
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