Apple boss Steve Jobs was at a meeting with President Obama and other key business leaders in San Francisco on Thursday evening, it has been confirmed.
Reuters reports that White House press secretary Jay Carney confirmed that all invited guests – including Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and outgoing Google CEO Eric Schmidt – did attend. “Th
e president specifically discussed his proposals to invest in research and development and expand incentives for companies to grow and hire, along with his goal of doubling exports over five years to support millions of American jobs. The group also discussed the importance of new investments in education,” Carney said.
However, the report also mentions that none of the pool of reporters that had turned up to cover the event, which took place at the home of venture capitalist John Doerr, actually saw Jobs.
News of the meeting broke yesterday morning, in the wake of claims that Jobs’ health was deteriorating rapidly made in the tabloid publication the National Enquirer.
The claims were later repeated in the Daily Mail, though should be taken with a pinch of salt – the National Enquirer has got its facts wrong before , while the Daily Mail has had accusations of a lack of sensitivity over the timing of some articles levelled at it in the past.
Jobs is currently on a period of medical leave from Apple, though is believed to be calling the shots.