Benjamin Haddad explains his choice to stay on Elon Musk's platform

Going against the grain of several institutions, media and personalities in recent days, Benjamin Haddad has made his choice. “I will not leave X”. The Minister Delegate for Europe made this announcement this Saturday on the social network bought in 2022 by American billionaire Elon Musk, explaining his decision in a long post.

While X is suspected of spreading false information and manipulating public debate in Europe, the minister, for his part, sees it as a place for the confrontation of ideas. “The battle of ideas must be waged wherever it takes place”writes Benjamin Haddad, saying to himself “always on the side of pluralism and freedom of expression”.

Already on Friday, the French government, via its spokesperson Sophie Primas, indicated on Friday in West France that leaving X, formerly Twitter, was “not at all current” for the executive. While a movement to boycott the platform is launched in France as the installation of the new administration of Donald Trump approaches in which the boss of Tesla will be responsible for“governmental efficiency”the spokesperson argued that “it is not up to us to leave these platforms, but rather up to them to comply with the European rules in force.”

“Let our tweets make us cry”

“Life is more interesting when we confront different points of view”believes for his part Benjamin Haddad. Recognizing that “foreign powers use these platforms to weaken us”, the minister calls for another method to safeguard the “technological sovereignty” European: go through “innovation, not regulation”. “When I see X and TikTok, I especially see the appointments missed by Europe”berates the former Renaissance MP. And to praise the capabilities of Elon Musk's companies in the field of electric automobiles (with Tesla) and space (with Space X). “Where are the European Musks?”again calls out Benjamin Haddad, deploring that “when others have innovated”Europe was content to “rule(s)”.

“When Silicon Valley produced Chat GPT, the European Commission produced the “AI Act”: instructions for using a product… manufactured by others!” cries the minister, recalling that “the one who exports his standards is the innovator, not the bureaucrat”. “Yet our talents exist”assistant Benjamin Haddad, “They too are hungry and want to take risks”. Encouraging to find “the path to growth” with other European countries, it calls for being “lucid on the findings and radical in the solutions”. Under penalty of no longer having “only our tweets to cry”.