Elon Musk Ignores Paris Prosecutors' Call Over X and Grok

Select Language:

Elon Musk did not show up on Monday for a voluntary interview with Paris prosecutors, who had summoned the American tech billionaire regarding an investigation into his social media platform X and AI chatbot Grok.

Prosecutors told AFP they had “noted the absence of the individuals summoned” without naming Musk specifically.

Weeks earlier, Musk had called French authorities “retards” in a French-language X post.

“The presence or absence of the summoned individuals does not prevent the investigation from proceeding,” prosecutors stated.

The summons, issued in February, was part of an investigation launched in January 2025 into claims that X’s algorithm was used to influence French politics.

The investigation has since expanded to include the spread of Holocaust denial and sexual deepfakes created by X’s AI chatbot Grok.

In February, French authorities raided X’s Paris offices, which the social media company — denying any misconduct — condemned as “politicized” raids and “abusive judicial acts.”

At that time, Paris prosecutors also invited Musk and then-CEO Linda Yaccarino for voluntary interviews, citing their roles as the “de facto and de jure managers” of X during the relevant events. Musk called this move a “political attack.”

Yaccarino resigned as CEO in July after leading the company for two years.

In February, prosecutor Laure Beccuau indicated that company employees were also summoned to appear between April 20 and 24 “to be heard as witnesses.”

However, the prosecutors said that whether they attend voluntarily would not halt the investigation.

Details about the timing or location of Musk’s scheduled interview have not been disclosed.

The French probe is examining several suspected crimes, including complicity in possessing child sexual abuse material and crimes against humanity denial.

In July, X’s parent company labeled the investigation “politically motivated.”

This sentiment was echoed Monday by Pavel Durov, co-founder of Telegram and subject of a French investigation into illegal activity on his platform.

Durov, who has Russian and French citizenship, posted on X: “President Emmanuel Macron’s France is losing its legitimacy by weaponizing criminal investigations to suppress free speech and privacy.”