- Tuesday, February 25, 2025
“I think India has more promise than any large country in the world,” the Tesla and Twitter owner said after talks with the Indian leader.
By: Shubham Ghosh
INDIAN PRIME minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday (20) met Elon Musk, chief executive of Tesla and owner of Twitter, hours after landing in New York to kick off his four-day state visit to the US.
After the meeting, Musk said he is a fan of the Indian leader and is “incredibly excited” about the South Asian nation’s future.
“I think India has more promise than any large country in the world,” he said.
Great meeting you today @elonmusk! We had multifaceted conversations on issues ranging from energy to spirituality. https://t.co/r0mzwNbTyN pic.twitter.com/IVwOy5SlMV
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2023
On the timeline of the auto giant entering the Indian market, Musk expressed confidence that Tesla will set its foot in India as soon as “humanly possible”.
This is the second time that Modi met Musk in the US. He visited the Tesla Motors factory in California during his visit to the US in 2015, a year after he became the prime minister.
Musk recalled that meeting saying he and Modi have known each other for a while.
“It was a fantastic meeting with the Prime Minister and I like him quite a lot. He visited our factory a few years ago. So, we have known each other for a while,” he said, NDTV reported.
“PM Modi really cares about India because he is pushing us to make significant investment in India, which is something that we tend to do. We just have to figure out the right timing,” Musk added.
“He really wants to do the right thing for India. He wants to be open, he wants to be supportive to the companies. And obviously, at the same time, make sure that it accrues to India’s advantage.”
The Tesla chief had said “absolutely” in an interview with The Wall Street Journal after he was asked whether the automaker was interested in entering the Indian market, one of the largest in the world.
After meeting Musk, Modi said in a tweet, “Great meeting you today @elonmusk! We had multifaceted conversations on issues ranging from energy to spirituality.”
To this, Musk replied, “It was an honour to meet again.”
The prime minister praised Musk’s efforts at making technology accessible and affordable in various sectors. He also invited the US entrepreneur to explore opportunities in India for investments in electric mobility and commercial space sector.
Modi reached New York on Tuesday morning after a long flight from New Delhi and will attend a state dinner hosted in his honour by US president Joe Biden and first lady Jill Biden. He will also address a joint session of the US Congress, becoming the first Indian leader to do it twice, after his 2016 visit.
Arindam Bagchi, spokesperson of India’s ministry of external affairs, also tweeted about Modi-Musk meeting, saying, “[Modi] Appreciated him [Musk] for his efforts at making technology accessible and affordable in various sectors. Invited him to explore opportunities in India for investments in electric mobility and rapidly expanding commercial space sector.”
Talking business and technology!
PM @narendramodi met with renowned business magnate and investor @elonmusk.
Appreciated him for his efforts at making technology accessible and affordable in various sectors. Invited him to explore opportunities in India for investments in… pic.twitter.com/TWWfyD2wS6
— Arindam Bagchi (@MEAIndia) June 21, 2023
In April, Musk had remarked on New Delhi’s multiple takedown requests from Twitter, and said he is likely to comply with all such orders or otherwise his employees may land in jail.
“The rules in India for what can appear on social media are quite strict, and we can’t go beyond the laws of a country. …look, if we have a choice of either our people go to prison, or we comply with the laws, we’ll comply with the laws,” he told BBC.
Modi also met a number of other chief executives on Tuesday evening and some academics and healthcare experts.
In New York City, held an extensive interaction with a group of academics. They shared their views on how to further strengthen the education sector in India with a focus on skills and innovation. I talked about the transformative potential of our National Education Policy. pic.twitter.com/SZFvsxYvIZ
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2023
Had an informative discussion with a group of healthcare experts. They shared their rich perspectives on ways to augment healthcare capacities in India. I told them about the work we have done in integrating latest technology in the sector and our efforts like TB elimination. pic.twitter.com/vvRdyzGkAP
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2023
Met a group of people associated with key think tanks. We talked about different aspects of policy making and the emerging global trends. Emphasised on the positive changes in India and how they are being powered by our youth. pic.twitter.com/bycaiImz2n
— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) June 21, 2023
On Wednesday (21), Modi will lead a yoga session at the United Nations headquarters on the occasion of the International Day of Yoga, something he will do for the first time.
Following the event, Modi will leave for Washington DC.
