Elon Musk woos world leaders, courting controversy

A parade of foreign leaders on recent US trips, including on official state visits at the White House’s invitation, have added sit-downs with Elon Musk to their schedules.

This year, the world’s richest man has met with, to name a few, the heads of France, Italy, India, South Korea - and, in just the past two days, Turkey and Israel.

Yet while the mercurial billionaire is more highly sought after than ever, there is no love lost between him and the Biden administration.

And as the outspoken contrarian’s political reach expands, including by wading into sensitive geopolitical issues, there is growing unease for some over Mr Musk’s power and access.

Some foreign leaders are seeking an economic and electric vehicle industry boost from a new Tesla factory or an infrastructure investment from SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet services.

Others have discussed X, the Musk-owned platform formerly known as Twitter, and the future of artificial intelligence.

French President Macron has courted the tech mogul three times since December, a charm offensive driven by the desire for a new Tesla gigafactory in his country