French President Emmanuel Macron admitted that his country had kind of fallen behind the US and China when it came to the tech sector. The French leader made the remarks on Raj Shamani's podcast.
Macron was on his fourth visit to India. The French president attended the AI Impact Summit in New Delhi as part of his trip.
Emmanuel Macron On Raj Shamani's Podcast
During the podcast, Shamani pointed out that while France had invented a lot of early technologies, in the current scenario, most of the biggest tech companies were either American or Chinese, with many of them being led by Indian-origin CEOs. He asked whether the country's culture, taxation system or how European countries think about risk and failure, led to France falling behind.
Macron replied that a mix of all these factors was responsible, and added, “You are right that we had a lot of great researchers, scientists. We invented a lot of big innovations.”
The French president said that science relies on global cooperation between academics and researchers. Macron explained, “We do have this culture of research and invention. Entrepreneur, as I always remind people, is a French word that was taken by the English language.”
Macron pointed out that France was still extremely active in the sector and was the main system in Europe, apart from the UK, in terms of innovation startups, quantum and AI. He admitted the tech sector, on the other hand, was largely driven by seven American companies.
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Macron On France-India Relationship
The French leader highlighted his country's close ties with India on Shamani's podcast. When asked whether India and France were setting a global example, Macron said, “A series of cooperation initiatives have taken place across key sectors with your country. I really believe that when we team up, we deliver.”
He also spoke about the need for balancing global relationships. “Second, we don't want to be dependent on one of the two big powers. We want to have a good relationship with the US and China. We have, by the way, a different relationship with both of them between India and France," emphasising a preference for shared autonomy between the two countries.
Macron arrived in India on Tuesday, landing in the city of Mumbai. He discussed key issues with PM Modi in the city before visiting the AI summit in Delhi.
The French leader concluded his visit with a “Thank You" note on social media, highlighting the warm hospitality and key moments from the visit. The video also featured a light-hearted moment with Shamani, where the entrepreneur and podcaster had a pair of sunglasses in his hands, referencing Macron's famous Davos speech last month. The video concluded with Modi and Macron sharing a hug.
The French President said during his visit that he had invited Modi as a special guest to the G7 summit in France later this year. He also confirmed that he had accepted a reciprocal visit to India next year.
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