Argentine President Javier Milei met tech billionaire Elon Musk on Friday at a Tesla plant in Austin, Texas, where they agreed on the “need to free markets.”
Milei shared a picture of them shaking hands in a conference room with a caption saying, long live freedom.
What did Musk and Milei talk about?
A spokesperson for the president said Milei and Musk “agreed on the need to free markets and defend the ideas of freedom” as well as the importance of eliminating bureaucratic obstacles to business.
In his meeting with Milei, Musk agreed to take part in an event in Argentina in the near future to promote the value of freedom.
Smiley photo ops, a video of Milei riding a futuristic cybertruck and bonding over free markets aside, much was at stake for Milei.
Argentina is home to massive lithium deposits, which are used for rechargeable batteries, like those that power Tesla electric cars.
Argentina’s incoming ambassador to the US, Gerardo Werthein, noted that Musk and Milei also discussed lithium.
Elon Musk, the tech billionaire, and President Javier Milei of Argentina agreed on the “need to free markets” during their Friday meeting at a Tesla factory in Austin, Texas. ****.
The two were seen giving each other the thumbs up in an image that Musk posted on his microblogging platform X, which was formerly Twitter. “To an exciting and inspiring future!” was written beneath the picture.
Milei posted a photo of them holding hands in a conference room along with the message, “long live freedom.”.
Known for being one of the wealthiest individuals on the planet, Musk has expressed his respect for Milei’s unwavering support of private enterprise while also finding socialist excesses repugnant.
What was discussed by Musk and Milei?
According to a president’s spokesperson, Musk and Milei “agreed on the need to free markets and defend the ideas of freedom” and the significance of removing bureaucratic barriers to business.
The spokesperson said in a statement that the populist leader also offered Musk his support in the legal dispute in Brazil. After accusing a Supreme Court judge of censoring social media networks, Tesla’s founder is presently the subject of an investigation in Brazil. Musk threatened to defy decisions in order to stop users from disseminating false information, calling the judge a “dictator.”.
During their meeting, Musk committed to participating in an upcoming freedom-promoting event in Argentina.
For Argentina, what is at risk?
Milei had a lot on the line, even if the video of her riding a futuristic cybertruck and bonding over free markets was just for fun.
There are abundant lithium deposits in Argentina. Rechargeable batteries, such as those found in Tesla electric vehicles, are powered by these deposits.
Milei and Musk also talked about lithium, according to Argentina’s new ambassador to the US, Gerardo Werthein.
We discussed the lithium investment prospects in Argentina. In statements obtained by the Argentine newspaper La Nacion, Werthein stated, “We’re very committed to adding value in addition to exporting raw materials.”.
He continued, “[Musk] stated he wants to help Argentina.”.
With thousands of Argentinians protesting in the streets, the recently appointed president is facing intense backlash for his market-oriented economic reforms. Some of his conservative allies have even resisted him.
Argentina now needs to keep up its support from the US and the IMF, to which it owes $42 billion (€39.36 billion) in order to increase investor confidence in the South American country.
mk/text (AFP, Reuters, AP).
