Big tech firms pledge more than $31 billion and 250,000 jobs to strengthen cybersecurity

• The biggest tech companies in the US met at the White House Wednesday to discuss cybersecurity.
• Apple, Microsoft, Amazon, Google, and IBM all made pledges to strengthen the nation's cybersecurity.
• The firms pledged more than $31 billion total, including 250,000 new jobs and various trainings.

CEO's from the biggest tech companies in the US met with President Biden on Wednesday to discuss "opportunities to bolster the nation's cybersecurity in partnership and individually," the White House said in a press release.

Following a spate of cyberattacks against various US companies, including the Colonial Pipeline, and JBS meats, Microsoft, Google, Amazon, IBM, and Apple all made pledges during the meeting to strengthen cybersecurity across the sector.

The White House says that Microsoft will "immediately" make $150 million in technical services available to help all levels of the US government upgrade its security protections. The company will also invest $20 billion over the next five years to "accelerate efforts to integrate cyber security by design and deliver advanced security solutions," according to a press release.

Microsoft is also partnering with community colleges and nonprofit organizations to provide cybersecurity training.

Google announced that it will help 100,000 Americans earn industry-level digital skills certificates that could lead to high-paying jobs in the tech industry. The company will also invest $10 billion over the next five years to help secure the software supply chain, expand zero-trust programs, and strengthen open-source security.

IBM will train 150,000 people in cybersecurity over the next three years while partnering with more than twenty historically Black colleges and universities to "establish Cybersecurity Leadership Centers to grow a more diverse cyber workforce."

The White House says that Apple is creating a new program to improve security throughout the technology supply chain. In partnership with more than 9,000 US suppliers, Apple will adopt multi-factor authentication, security training, vulnerability remediation, event logging, and incident response.

Amazon said that it would release security awareness training to the public free of charge. The company will also provide a multi-factor authentication device to Amazon Web Services account holders, free of charge to protect against phishing threats and password theft.

"The reality is most of our critical infrastructure is owned and operated by the private sector, and the federal government can't meet this challenge alone," President Biden said before the meeting, according to the Washington Post. "You have the power, capacity, and responsibility, I believe, to raise the bar on cybersecurity. Ultimately we've got a lot of work to do."