A multi-billion dollar lunch. Emmanuel Macron is receiving, this Thursday, July 25 at noon, Elon Musk, the billionaire very committed to Donald Trump’s return to the White House, as well as around forty other heads of international groups present in Paris for the Olympic Games, in order to “reassure” them in the face of the political crisis the country is going through.
During a lunch, the French president will therefore welcome to the Elysée the head of the automobile group Tesla, the social network X and the aerospace company SpaceX. But also James Quincey (Coca-Cola), Joe Tsai (Alibaba), Brian Chesky (Airbnb) and Shou Zi Chew (TikTok), according to a non-exhaustive list provided by the presidency, which specifies that these are foreign CEOs present in France for the Olympic Games, on the eve of the opening ceremony.
“Explain the choices he made”
The head of state’s entourage explained to the press that the meeting, which had been planned for a long time, would be an opportunity to “reassure” foreign investors in light of the political uncertainty created by the dissolution of the National Assembly wanted by Emmanuel Macron and the results of the legislative elections, which did not result in any clear majority.
He will “explain to them the choices that were his, including the dissolution” and “invite them to continue to invest in our country”, explained a presidential advisor, who evokes a “mini-Choose France”, the name of this annual forum aimed at attracting foreign investments – and which recorded record commitments this year. “For foreign investments, what counts is the policy that has been implemented of continuity over time, of stability, the fact of giving certainty”, she stressed.
“Putting France at the center of the radar”
According to the Elysée, it is about “putting France at the center of the radar and making it an ever more attractive country”, following the policies initiated by the head of state since 2017 on taxation and employment. However, due to a lack of visibility on the future government and the policy it will lead, Emmanuel Macron cannot in fact assure business leaders that the fiscal and economic orientations will not change.
Other big names invited to the lunch included Jaz-Yong Lee (Samsung), Aditya and Lakshmi Mittal (ArcelorMittal), Neal Mohan (YouTube), Mukesh Ambani (Reliance Industries) and Paul Caine (Endeavo).
Among the French people whose company is a partner of the sporting event, the leaders of LVMH Bernard Arnault, of the BPCE bank Nicolas Namias, of Carrefour Alexandre Bompard, and of Accor Sébastien Bazin will be at lunch.