PARIS: Elon Musk, the billionaire, arrived in Paris on Friday for his second meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron in recent weeks, as European capitals compete for investment from his electric car firm Tesla.
On Thursday, Elon Musk, who also controls SpaceX and Twitter, met with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, who afterward tweeted that they had a “fruitful meeting” about “innovation and opportunities.” He came to Paris in a Tesla for his meeting with Macron, who had previously said that he would “tout the attractiveness of France and Europe” as an investment destination. Musk will then travel to France’s largest technological trade show, VivaTech, where he will appear in front of thousands of people for an hour-long “conversation” with the event’s French founder Maurice Levy. Musk and Macron held talks in May and afterward, he said he was considering big investments in France.
Jean-Noel Barrot, the country’s technology minister, fueled suspicions earlier this week when he told US channel CNBC that “a lot of effort and energy” had been wasted to obtain a Tesla facility for France. However, according to sources from Spain, Tesla intends to build manufacturing there. The electric carmaker has a tiny European footprint, having launched its first manufacturing plant in Germany last year.
Macron revealed his plans during a trip around the aisles of VivaTech on Wednesday. He said they will discuss artificial intelligence, which he is interested in, social networks, and regulatory frameworks. He added that he will speak with him about cars, batteries, and the sector to promote France and Europe’s attractiveness.
Europe’s leaders and plutocrats are eager to meet Musk; in Paris, he lunch with French tycoon Bernard Arnault, with whom he frequently trades the title of “world’s richest man.” Despite the scope of Musk’s business empire – his brain implant firm Neuralink recently received US approval to begin human trials – his acquisition of social media network Twitter his acquisition of social media network Twitter that continues to captivate and confuse observers.
He paid $43 billion for the platform, fired many of its employees, enabled right-wing conspiracy theorists to return, and imposed an array of new levies and charges.
