Nvidia’s all-hands staff meeting took an unexpected turn on Thursday when CEO Jensen Huang received a call from President Donald Trump, who was on the line mid-meeting. Though Huang stepped away briefly to take the call, the distinctive voice could be heard through the company’s microphone, leaving employees abuzz with surprise.

Nvidia’s all-hands meetings are typically high-stakes affairs, where Huang presents or answers questions with thousands of remote employees watching in virtual livestreams. The direct call from the president came at a particularly interesting time for the company, which recently announced a new employee-funded political action committee as debate over AI policy intensifies.

Huang regularly lobbies government officials, including in closed-door meetings with Trump, to advocate for Nvidia’s interests. However, the company’s relationship with the Trump administration has not always been smooth, with disagreements over the regulation of AI models and chip sales to China. The call adds another layer of complexity to the already intricate web of political and technological relationships.

The incident also comes as Nvidia is reportedly in advanced talks to acquire Hugging Face, an open-source AI platform, potentially valued at more than $13 billion. Such a deal would require approval from US antitrust regulators, adding another dimension to the relationship between tech giants and government oversight.