The special relationship that the French president tried to nurture with the tech billionaire never really bore fruit.
PARIS — There was no surprise waiting aboard Air Force Two when it touched down in France on Monday. Only the U.S. vice president, his wife and their three children stepped off the plane into the cold and rain.
The world’s wealthiest man was nowhere to be seen.
France’s political and tech establishments waited for weeks with bated breath to see if Elon Musk would accept President Emmanuel Macron’s invitation to attend the Artificial Intelligence Action Summit that began in Paris on Monday morning. Whispers of Musk’s attendance raced through the halls at Paris’ iconic, glass-roofed Grand Palais as the event got underway, but by Monday afternoon, Musk had still not arrived.
By late evening, the tech billionaire confirmed what most had expected. He was not coming to Paris.
Macron had hoped that the attendance of the world’s most famous technology entrepreneur and trusted adviser to U.S. President Donald Trump would provide his summit with a major reputational boost, even if Musk’s popularity in some parts of Europe is on the decline.
Though Musk had never publicly confirmed his attendance, he had privately promised to come when visiting Paris in December, according to Macron’s entourage.
On the one hand, it’s a major blow to the French president who has spent years courting the billionaire and trying to convince him to invest in France. But on the other hand, it spares Macron from a potential sideshow during the summit — one that his office was so worried about that it invited the best and brightest of French tech to debate the merits of Musk’s attendance at the Elysée Palace.
It’s unclear if the pros or the cons won out, but the two men’s relationship has deteriorated significantly in recent weeks, according to multiple people interviewed by POLITICO for this article who were granted anonymity either to speak candidly or to adhere to government protocol.
For now, the Elysée isn’t closing the door on Musk. But it likely won’t be rolling out the red carpet, either.
Assigned seating
As the titans of French capitalism and politics took their seats alongside Trump in the Notre-Dame cathedral for the historic building’s reopening in December, the silhouette of a surprise guest passed through the cathedral door: Musk himself.
His presence augured well for a possible appearance at the summit to be held about two months later.
But Musk may have left Paris with a bad taste in his mouth after protocol caught up with the eccentric American entrepreneur. Just as everyone had been received in the proper order and the ceremony was about to begin, Musk strode off to find a seat in the front row alongside Trump.
« He was the master of the house, » said a French lawmaker who attended the ceremony.
Organizers eventually relegated Musk to the ninth row, behind elected French representatives, so the then-president-elect could be seated in between Macron and his wife.
Barely a month later, Macron accused the American billionaire of fueling a « new international reactionary movement » after wading into German and British politics, backing far-right figures in both countries.
The Elysée still thought Musk’s appearance at the AI summit was within the realm of possibility. In mid-January, Macron discussed Musk’s possible attendance in a meeting that included Mistral boss Arthur Mensch and tech billionaire Xavier Niel.
« The question was: Do we fight for him to come or not, » recalled one participant. « We could make room for him, but he mustn’t take all the limelight. The subject was broached without naiveté. »
The group agreed that if Musk did indeed come, he should not be given a platform to share his political beliefs.
Unrequited love
Macron and Musk, who are in direct contact with each other according to three people close to the two men, have for several years been fueling a friendship that’s turned into something of a soap opera. But the relationship never really bore fruit for France.
Macron « has long had an image of Musk as a highly innovative entrepreneur who took risks to develop electric cars, » said a French politician who was granted anonymity in order to speak freely.
« Musk is someone with whom you can have friendly relations on a bilateral basis. Perhaps Emmanuel Macron appreciates his outspokenness and the fact that he is attentive. But he’s also someone who’s hard to follow, not at all linear in his expression. He goes from one thing to another, » the politician said.
The businessman was a guest of Macron during the May 2023 Choose France summit meant to attract foreign investment. Musk, who arrived at the Elysée Palace in a Tesla, was due to talk to the French president about setting up a factory for his car brand in the near future. At the end of the meeting, Musk announced that Tesla would be making « significant investments in France. »
« Let’s work together, » Macron responded in a message on X accompanied by a picture of the duo.
Tesla never ended up investing big money in France, instead choosing to expand its German gigafactory. Last year, Giorgia Meloni’s Italian government also announced that it had opened discussions with the American carmaker.
The French president’s office still hasn’t given up on trying to woo Musk’s millions. The Elysée again welcomed Musk in grand fashion when he traveled to Paris to watch LVMH boss Bernard Arnault receive the Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor in March. Unlike other advertisers, Arnault’s luxury conglomerate has not pulled its ads from X in response to Musk’s politics.
When Musk and Macron met one-on-one again, the two had « a very open discussion with the billionaire on X, digital regulation and strengthening French sovereignty » by trying to attract investment to the country, according to Macron’s entourage.
One organizer of the AI summit, who was granted anonymity in order to speak candidly, said Macron’s strategy with Musk was very similar to how the French president handled Russian leader Vladimir Putin in the initial aftermath of the invasion of Ukraine.
« As long as you can talk, you do it, hoping to avoid the worst, » the organizer said. »The idea was still to say that we needed him in terms of investment, because he’s a big player, close to Donald Trump. »
