Google CEO Sundar Pichai Paid A Rare Visit To White House On Friday

Google chief executive Sundar Pichai on Friday paid a visit to the White House where he met with Larry Kudlow, one of President Donald Trump’s top economic advisors. The meeting between the two focused on issues impacting internet platforms and the economy in general.

The White House announced that during the meeting Pichai has agreed to attend an upcoming roundtable with the US President and other internet stakeholders. More details about the meeting including names of other tech giants invited to the meeting are expected to be announced soon.

Notably, Pichai also met with a dozen House Republicans on Capitol Hill earlier on Friday to defend the company against allegations that it is biased against conservatives.

According to a person who attended the meeting and spoke on the condition of anonymity, Pichai explained to the lawmakers how the search giant sets up its teams and codes its algorithms to prevent bias.

After the meeting got over, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters that the meeting was “very productive” and “frank.”

“I think we’ve really shown that there is bias, which is human nature, but you have to have transparency and fairness,” McCarthy said. “As big tech’s business grows, we have not had enough transparency and that has led to an erosion of trust and, perhaps worse, harm to consumers.”

Pichai also described the meeting as constructive and informative. He said that Google and the company remain committed to an “active dialogue with members from both sides of the aisle.” He revealed that he will meet with both Republicans and Democrats and to answer all of their concerns.

Pichai also agreed to testify before the House Judiciary Committee in November to answer questions and concerns related to the Internet giant’s business practices, according to USA Today.

The Google chief executive is expected to meet Thursday with House Democratic Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi.