Musk and Meloni: Are forming the most unexpected transatlantic "allies" of 2023?

Finance Associated Press, December 30 (edited by Xiaoxiang) Elon Musk, the world's richest man, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni (Giorgia Meloni) seem to have formed the most unexpected transatlantic friendship in 2023.

Behind their budding friendship is a shared position on political issues such as immigration and population, as well as a shared interest in the regulation of the tech industry and AI-related risks.

Musk, who currently manages Tesla, SpaceX and the X platform, has visited Italy several times this year and was invited to be a "surprise guest" at the annual "Atreju Conference" hosted by Meloni's Brothers of Italy party this month.

There are many indications of the intimacy between these two transatlantic cross-border figures. In June, Meloni hosted Mr. Musk at his official residence in Rome, where the two talked about artificial intelligence and showed their friendship amid laughter and hugs — most visitors simply shook hands.

Musk has said he spoke with Meloni, 46, earlier this year as he was looking for a venue in ancient Rome where he and Zuckerberg could have a cage fight. In October, Musk also liked the Italian leader's post on X, in which Meloni announced her breakup with her partner, Andrea Giambruno, to whom she had previously had a daughter.

Complementary interests

Stefano Quintarelli, a former Italian parliamentarian, tech entrepreneur and venture capitalist, said, "Musk is a great visionary for Meloni, so it's easy to see what she can get out of this relationship: exposure to a new world that is fascinating to her." And what is not very clear is what he (Musk) got out of it".

Some in Europe believe that Musk is seeking political allies in the region as the European Union seeks to regulate artificial intelligence.

Musk is also facing EU scrutiny for his ownership of X – the social media platform is facing an EU investigation into its handling of illegal content and disinformation. If found to have violated the EU's online content regulations, Platform X is at risk of being heavily fined. At this time, some advertisers who were dissatisfied with some of Musk's posts have withdrawn from the platform, causing the company's revenue to be hit hard.

Musk's appearance is also seen as an effort by Meloni to improve her credentials in the tech sector. Italy will take over the G7 presidency in 2024, and Meloni wants AI regulation to be one of the central topics in G7 discussions. She has said that AI could be "the greatest challenge of our time."

Musk has previously founded an artificial intelligence company and believes that AI technology is one of the biggest threats that humanity will face. Musk's "star effect" in all areas of technology, as well as his willingness to talk about the benefits and potential pitfalls of AI, could drive Meloni's efforts to put the technology on the international political agenda.

Meloni won the position of Italian prime minister in the 2022 Italian election, and she rose to prominence as a right-wing radical in Italy's culture war over immigration and traditional family values. For years, her signature policy commitment has been to stop illegal immigration from Africa across the Mediterranean to Italy – and she has worked to stop the increase in immigration numbers since taking office.

This fall, when Meloni slammed Germany for funding NGOs to rescue migrants in the Mediterranean, Musk made his opinion on X: "Germany is undoubtedly violating the sovereignty of Italy by transporting a large number of illegal immigrants to Italian territory: there is a sense of aggression ......"

A common goal

The two also found common ground in boosting birth rates and fighting what Musk called the "woke mind virus." Both themes featured prominently at this month's political festival in Rome.

Originally used to refer to being sober and vigilant about systemic racism, the term "woke" now encompasses political and social issues such as gender, transgender people, environmentalists, abortion, and sexual harassment. The "culture of awakening" in the United States has evolved into a culture war.

In terms of population, Musk said at an event in Rome this month, "Every year I look at the birth rate, which is a bit frustrating." Immigrants cannot be dependent on other countries. Italy belongs to the Italian people. ”

The entrepreneur said he would be worried about investing in a country with a low birth rate like Italy. "Will there be enough people there to work?" Musk said at the event. "Please raise more Italians, that's all I have to say".

Meloni, who is a staunch conservative, has also long called for a return to multiple children in Italian society, arguing that progressive "mainstream culture" denigrates parenthood.

Meloni is Italy's first female leader and the country's first prime minister from the anti-establishment far right. Since taking office, however, Meloni has distanced herself from her far-right past, pursuing mainstream conservative policies on economic and foreign affairs, including support for Italy's entry into the eurozone, a security alliance with the United States, and support for Ukraine's military action against Russia.

Of course, if there is any difference between Musk and Meloni, surrogacy is undoubtedly the most contradictory position between the two. Musk, 52, is already the father of 11 children, several of whom were born through surrogacy techniques. However, Italian Prime Minister Meloni is a strong opponent of surrogacy technology, which is also a crime in Italy.

However, it is clear that the differences in this regard are not so bad as to turn the two apart. In July, Italian opposition lawmaker Alessandro Zan shouted in parliament that Meloni should look Musk in the eye and tell him he was a criminal. Meloni did not respond to this.

Meloni's government is also currently seeking to let automakers produce cars and batteries in Italy to help offset the decline in the country's manufacturing sector. Fiat, Italy's long-dominant automaker, is now shrinking in the Italian economy as its owner, Stellantis, gradually shifts production elsewhere. So far, Musk has not said that he may consider opening a Tesla factory in Italy.

Musk has made several high-profile trips to Europe this year, and in addition to meeting Meloni, he has also met with the leaders of the United Kingdom and France. For the world's richest man, this frequent trip to Europe could be a major change in itself, as he has spent most of his time in Texas and California in recent years.

(Finance Associated Press Xiaoxiang)