French President Emmanuel Macron on Wednesday called Elon Musk “over-subsidised” and urged Europe to invest more in domestic industries.
Speaking at an industrial summit in Antwerp, he cited US public funding for Musk’s Starlink as a reason for a “Buy European” approach. Macron argued that joint EU borrowing is essential to compete economically with the US and China.
“If you look at the US, you have a lot of private money…but you have a lot of public money,” Macron said. He added that Starlink benefited from billions of taxpayer dollars and described Musk’s support as “super-innovative.” The president stressed that European industries should receive similar backing to remain competitive globally.
Read more: Macron warns Europe: Invest or be sidelined
Musk responded on X, claiming European governments subsidise their industries even more than the US. He argued Tesla and SpaceX have received only about 1% of their combined value in government funding, while European aerospace firms received public funding exceeding 100% of their value.
Macron’s remarks come amid heightened scrutiny of Musk’s social media network X in France. Earlier this month, French police raided X’s Paris offices as part of a widening cybercrime investigation. Prosecutors are probing alleged misuse of algorithms, fraudulent data extraction, and potential violations involving sexually explicit deepfake images.
Read more: Macron warns Europe won’t yield to Trump’s Greenland push
Observers say the dispute highlights tensions between European governments and Big Tech, and underscores Macron’s push for a stronger EU industrial strategy. The comments also signal growing debate on balancing public investment, private innovation, and regulatory oversight across the tech sector.