Elon Musk underlined the possibility of closer cooperation between the US and India during a moderated debate, especially in the fields of technology and space exploration.
At his SpaceX Starbase facility in Texas on Friday, tech billionaire Elon Musk told a group of prominent Indian business leaders that he thinks India-US relations are “trending positive” and that he supports a stronger trade partnership between the two countries.
To commemorate the UK-based policy and events platform’s entry into the US, the Indian entrepreneurs, led by the India Global Forum (IGF), visited the company’s state-of-the-art space exploration facilities and saw SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7 launch successfully.
Musk underlined the possibility of closer cooperation between the US and India during a moderated debate, especially in the fields of technology and space research.
“The situation is improving. During the session, Musk was cited as saying, “I’m definitely in favour of lowering trade barriers to increase commerce between the US and India.”
India is “one of the ancient civilisations and a very great and very complex one,” he continued. The founder of social media platform X and the well-known car company Tesla spoke with Indian business leaders from a variety of industries about the importance of technology and India’s expanding place in the world of innovation.
Musk’s projected position as co-chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) in Donald Trump’s top team and his inauguration as US President for a second term on Monday coincide with the meeting.
“This event underscores the growing importance of collaboration between India and global pioneers in shaping a sustainable and technology-driven future,” said Manoj Ladwa, founder of the IGF. “As the world’s most powerful democracy transitions to a Trump presidency, meaningful dialogue is more important than ever in these challenging times,” added Trump.
“At India Global Forum, our mission is to bring together global leaders and innovators to tackle the defining challenges of our time… I believe India’s rise presents limitless opportunities, and this meeting signifies the potential for powerful partnerships,” he said.
Prashant Ruia, Director of Essar Capital; Jay Kotak, Co-Head of Kotak811; Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & Group CEO of OYO; Kalyan Raman, CEO of Flipkart; Aryaman Birla, Director of Aditya Birla Management Corporation Private Limited; Nilesh Ved, Chairman of Apparel Group; and best-selling author Amish Tripathi were among the members of the IGF delegation to Musk’s Starbase in Texas.
