Historic Meeting in Paris: Samsung, Hyundai, and Tesla Leaders to Discuss Future Tech

According to a report by the Chosun Daily, a highly anticipated and historic meeting is set to take place in Paris, France, early this month. Three industry giants—the chairman of Samsung Electronics, Lee Jae Yong; the Chairman of Hyundai Motor Group, Chung Eui Sun; and the CEO of Tesla, Elon Musk—will gather for the first time.

This weekend, the trio are set to seize a rare and unique opportunity, planning to share a meal at a location in Paris. This marks a significant moment in the industry, as it’s the first time these three influential figures will be in the same place at the same time.

Multiple high-ranking officials in the business sector revealed that “Visiting France during the Paris Olympics, the three agreed to meet to discuss next-generation technology development and collaboration.” Chosun Daily reported that Lee proposed the meeting, and both Chung and Musk enthusiastically accepted it, with a focus on next-generation technology development and collaboration.

Lee and Musk have met several times in the past. Last May, during a business trip to the U.S., Lee hosted Musk at Samsung Electronics’ North American semiconductor research facility in Silicon Valley. Samsung supplies critical semiconductor chips for Tesla’s autonomous driving technology.

The two also interacted during a business luncheon hosted by French President Emmanuel Macron on June 25. Chung, who visited France as the head of the Korean Archery Association, did not attend the luncheon that day.

This meeting will reportedly reflect a recent trend of increased global exchanges within the industry. A business source explained to Chosun Daily, “In the early stages of founding companies, there was a strong atmosphere of strengthening individual fields or competing against each other. However, as we reach the third generation, the mindset has shifted significantly towards ‘let’s cooperate where we can and compete where we must.'” The source stated the blurring lines between IT and manufacturing have also made extensive inter-company collaboration essential, further facilitating such meetings.

Samsung, Hyundai, and Tesla are growing their businesses by working together in automotive semiconductors, EV batteries, and vehicle electronics. The emergence of EVs and autonomous driving concepts has drawn attention to the automotive semiconductor market, which large semiconductor companies hesitated to enter.

Chung has not had as many public encounters with CEOs as Lee has. Musk is known for his scathing commentary on X (formerly Twitter) but displays an entirely different demeanor during meetings with business leaders. He’s publicly commended a rival company, Hyundai, stating, “They are doing well.”

The three will reportedly exchange views on the next-generation core industry of EV batteries. Tesla completed the preparations to manufacture batteries, and Hyundai followed suit.