Six Tech Leaders Receive America’s Top Science and Technology Medals

On 8 October 2026 President Donald Trump presented the National Medal of Science to Elon Musk, Sergey Brin, Jensen Huang and Lisa Su. He presented the National Medal of Technology and Innovation to Michael Dell and Satya Nadella [1]. The ceremony took place at the White House’s “Science: A New Golden Age” summit. MS NOW reports that it was held at the Institute of Peace in Washington [1][4].

Who got what, and why

The White House citations [1]:

National Medal of Science

• Elon Musk (SpaceX, Tesla): “for engineering achievements of extraordinary ambition and scale that have pushed the frontiers of space exploration, intelligent systems, communications, and beyond”.
• Sergey Brin (Google co-founder): “for the development of foundational algorithms for information retrieval and data processing”.
• Jensen Huang (Nvidia): “for advancing the graphics processing unit into a general-purpose computing architecture”.
• Lisa Su (AMD): “for a lifetime of leadership in semiconductor engineering and high-performance computing”.

National Medal of Technology and Innovation

• Michael Dell (Dell Technologies): “for advancing a vision of widespread adoption of personal and enterprise computing”.
• Satya Nadella (Microsoft): “for his transformative leadership of a critical American technology company” and for building hyperscale infrastructure.

Michael Kratsios, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, said: “Innovators like these six awardees are the architects of the future” [1].

What the medals are

The National Medal of Science was established by Congress in 1959. The National Science Foundation (NSF), which runs it, calls it “the highest recognition the nation can bestow on scientists and engineers”. It honours “outstanding contributions to knowledge in the physical, biological, mathematical, engineering, or social and behavioral sciences” [5].

The National Medal of Technology and Innovation is administered by the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO), part of the Commerce Department. The USPTO calls it “the nation’s highest honor for technological achievement”. It was established in 1980 and first awarded in 1985 [6].

How winners are normally chosen

According to the official pages:

• Science medal. Candidates are nominated by their peers. Each nomination needs a form and three letters of support. Nominations go to the President’s Committee on the National Medal of Science, which has 14 presidential appointees and two ex officio members: the OSTP director and the president of the National Academy of Sciences [5].
• Technology medal. A Nomination Evaluation Committee appointed by the Secretary of Commerce reviews candidates “nominated through an open, competitive solicitation process”. It recommends candidates to the Secretary, who recommends them to the President “for final selection” [6][7].

The White House release does not say how this year’s recipients were nominated or reviewed [1].

Why it is drawing attention

• First time as president. MS NOW reports that this was the first time Trump had awarded the medals as president. It says Trump praised Musk as a “modern day Thomas Edison” and also praised the other recipients in his remarks [4].
• Political donations. CNBC reports that each recipient “has financially contributed, in some capacity, to President Trump or Republican campaigns and causes”. It names Musk as Trump’s biggest financial backer in the 2024 cycle [3]. MS NOW says all “have contributed financially to Trump and the Republican Party’s initiatives in some form” [4]. CNBC also reports that Trump’s most recent financial disclosure shows him buying or selling shares in SpaceX, Tesla, Nvidia, Microsoft, AMD and Alphabet “as recently as July” [3].
• The White House’s case. The administration frames the awards around industry’s role in science. Its July report, which named the summit, highlights “the increased role of industry in driving R&D” [1]. White House spokesperson Liz Huston said, as quoted by AP and CNBC: “These recipients are helping ensure America keeps leading the world in innovation” [2][3].

What this does not prove

• How these recipients were selected. None of the sources describes the selection process used this year [1][3][4].
• That donations influenced the awards. CNBC and MS NOW report the contributions. Neither shows that they played a part in the selection [3][4].

The Bottom Line

Four tech leaders received the science medal and two the technology medal, with citations for work in computing, chips, search and space [1]. Both medals normally rely on nominations and committee review [5][6]. CNBC and MS NOW have highlighted the recipients’ financial ties to Trump and the Republican Party. The White House says it is recognising industry’s role in modern science [1][3][4].

Sources

1. The White House, “President Trump Presents National Medals of Science and National Medals of Technology and Innovation” (release), 8 October 2026. https://www.whitehouse.gov/releases/2026/10/president-trump-presents-national-medals-of-science-and-national-medals-of-technology-and-innovation/
2. Associated Press, “WATCH LIVE: Trump awards Elon Musk the National Medal of Science, among other awards for tech execs,” PBS News, 8 October 2026, 15:29 BST (pre-ceremony report). https://www.pbs.org/newshour/politics/watch-live-trump-awards-elon-musk-the-national-medal-of-science-among-other-awards-for-tech-execs
3. Lora Kolodny, “Trump awarding medals to Musk, Dell, Nadella and other tech execs at science summit,” CNBC, 7 October 2026, 22:31 BST (pre-ceremony report). https://www.cnbc.com/2026/10/07/trump-awarding-medals-to-musk-dell-nadella-at-science-summit.html
4. Sydney Carruth, “Trump gives Elon Musk the National Medal of Science at tech summit,” MS NOW, 8 October 2026, 19:26 BST. https://www.ms.now/news/trump-musk-national-medal-of-science
5. US National Science Foundation, “The National Medal of Science” (official page, including the nomination and review process). https://www.nsf.gov/honorary-awards/national-medal-science
6. US Patent and Trademark Office, “National Medal of Technology and Innovation (NMTI)” (official page). https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/ip-programs-and-awards/national-medal-technology-and-innovation-nmti
7. US Patent and Trademark Office, “NMTI Nomination Evaluation Committee” (official page). https://www.uspto.gov/learning-and-resources/ip-programs-and-awards/national-medal-technology-and-innovation/nomination