London:

Tech billionaire Elon Musk told a delegation of leading Indian business figures at his SpaceX Starbase facility in Texas on Friday that he believes India-US ties are “trending positive” and that he favours an enhanced trade partnership between the two nations.

The Indian entrepreneurs, led by India Global Forum (IGF) to mark the UK-headquartered policy and events platform’s expansion into the US this week, toured the company’s cutting-edge space exploration facilities and witnessed the successful launch of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7.

During a moderated discussion, Musk emphasised the potential for deeper collaboration between the United States and India, particularly in the technology and space exploration sectors.

“Things are trending positive. I’m certainly in favour of lowering trade barriers to increase commerce between the US and India,” Musk was quoted as saying during the session.

He went on to describe India as “one of the ancient civilisations and a very great and very complex one”. The entrepreneur behind automotive major Tesla and social media platform X interacted with Indian business chiefs from across diverse sectors on the role of technology and India’s growing role in the global innovation landscape.

The meeting comes just days before the inauguration of Donald Trump as US President for a second term on Monday and Musk’s proposed role in his top team as co-chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“This event underscores the growing importance of collaboration between India and global pioneers in shaping a sustainable and technology-driven future,” said IGF Founder Manoj Ladwa. “As the world’s most powerful democracy transitions to a Trump presidency, meaningful dialogue is more important than ever in these challenging times,” he said.

“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 added.

The IGF delegation to Musk’s Starbase in Texas included Prashant Ruia, Director – Essar Capital; Jay Kotak, Co-Head – Kotak811; Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & Group CEO – OYO; Kalyan Raman, CEO – Flipkart; Aryaman Birla, Director – Aditya Birla Management Corporation Private Limited; Nilesh Ved, Chairman – Apparel Group; and bestselling author Amish Tripathi, among others.

It followed a set of closed-door discussions on Thursday with members of the incoming Trump administration and key US stakeholders and policymakers, including Jacob Helberg – the Designated Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment in the new American administration. The dialogue, organised for IGF’s US launch, also addressed the American economic landscape, exploring opportunities in digital infrastructure, tech, innovation and foreign investment, while highlighting ways to strengthen bilateral collaboration.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

London:

Tech billionaire Elon Musk told a delegation of leading Indian business figures at his SpaceX Starbase facility in Texas on Friday that he believes India-US ties are “trending positive” and that he favours an enhanced trade partnership between the two nations.

The Indian entrepreneurs, led by India Global Forum (IGF) to mark the UK-headquartered policy and events platform’s expansion into the US this week, toured the company’s cutting-edge space exploration facilities and witnessed the successful launch of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7.

During a moderated discussion, Musk emphasised the potential for deeper collaboration between the United States and India, particularly in the technology and space exploration sectors.

“Things are trending positive. I’m certainly in favour of lowering trade barriers to increase commerce between the US and India,” Musk was quoted as saying during the session.

He went on to describe India as “one of the ancient civilisations and a very great and very complex one”. The entrepreneur behind automotive major Tesla and social media platform X interacted with Indian business chiefs from across diverse sectors on the role of technology and India’s growing role in the global innovation landscape.

The meeting comes just days before the inauguration of Donald Trump as US President for a second term on Monday and Musk’s proposed role in his top team as co-chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

“This event underscores the growing importance of collaboration between India and global pioneers in shaping a sustainable and technology-driven future,” said IGF Founder Manoj Ladwa. “As the world’s most powerful democracy transitions to a Trump presidency, meaningful dialogue is more important than ever in these challenging times,” he said.

“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 added.

The IGF delegation to Musk’s Starbase in Texas included Prashant Ruia, Director – Essar Capital; Jay Kotak, Co-Head – Kotak811; Ritesh Agarwal, Founder & Group CEO – OYO; Kalyan Raman, CEO – Flipkart; Aryaman Birla, Director – Aditya Birla Management Corporation Private Limited; Nilesh Ved, Chairman – Apparel Group; and bestselling author Amish Tripathi, among others.

It followed a set of closed-door discussions on Thursday with members of the incoming Trump administration and key US stakeholders and policymakers, including Jacob Helberg – the Designated Under Secretary of State for Economic Growth, Energy, and the Environment in the new American administration. The dialogue, organised for IGF’s US launch, also addressed the American economic landscape, exploring opportunities in digital infrastructure, tech, innovation and foreign investment, while highlighting ways to strengthen bilateral collaboration.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

Elon Musk on Sunday praised the efficiency of India’s vote-counting process and slammed the prolonged delays in parts of the United States, particularly California. In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Mr Musk applauded India’s ability to count 640 million votes in just one day after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, contrasting it with the sluggish vote tallying in California for the US presidential elections, which remains unfinished nearly 20 days after voting began on November 5. 

Responding to a post that carried a screenshot of a media report titled ‘How India counted 640 million votes in a day’, the Tesla and SpaceX chief wrote, “India counted 640 million votes in 1 day. California is still counting votes”

India counted 640 million votes in 1 day.

California is still counting votes https://t.co/ai8JmWxas6

— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) November 24, 2024

India conducted its Lok Sabha elections earlier this year, involving over 900 million eligible voters. Of these, a record-breaking 642 million people cast their votes. Despite the sheer scale, results were declared within a single day of counting.

How India Counted The Votes

Through Electronic Voting Machines (EVMs): Used since 2000, these devices ensure rapid and accurate counting.

Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT): Introduced to enhance transparency, the VVPAT system produces a paper slip for every vote cast, allowing for verification if needed.

Additionally, India’s 543 parliamentary constituencies conduct counting simultaneously, overseen by the Election Commission of India (ECI).  According to Supreme Court guidelines, postal ballots are processed and counted before EVM votes are unsealed. Under the supervision of Returning Officers, votes are tallied in centralised locations, and results are declared after each round.
Even during state elections in Maharashtra and Jharkhand last week, India managed to count nearly 90 million votes in just a few hours. Maharashtra alone, with a population four times that of California, delivered results with remarkable efficiency.

Why The Delay In California 

Vote counting in the United States – particularly in states like California – often stretches over weeks. California, the most populous US state, reported delays in its November 5 presidential election, with more than 300,000 ballots still uncounted weeks later. This has drawn criticism not only from Mr Musk but also from voters and analysts who question the system’s efficiency.

California conducts most of its elections by mail. Processing these ballots involves multiple steps like Signature verification on ballot envelopes, opening and sorting ballots before they can be tallied, etc.
Unlike India’s centralised oversight by the ECI, the US relies on state and local election offices, each with its own laws and resources.

New Delhi:

Tesla chief Elon Musk is set to announce an investment in India of $2-$3 billion, mainly for building a new factory, when he visits New Delhi next week to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi, two sources familiar with the discussions said.

Elon Musk will meet PM Modi on Monday during his India trip, when the billionaire is expected to unveil his plans to enter the world’s third-largest auto market where electric car adoption is still in its infancy.

India’s EV market is small but growing and dominated by local carmaker Tata Motors. EVs made up just 2% of total car sales in 2023, but the government is targeting 30% of new cars to be EVs starting 2030.

Elon Musk’s visit comes as Tesla battles slowing sales in the major markets of the United States and China, and has this week announced layoffs affecting 10% of its workforce.

Details of Elon Musk’s India visit are closely-guarded, with the CEO only publicly confirming on his social media platform X that he will meet PM Modi in India.

The two sources said Elon Musk will likely give an investment figure for India without sharing details such as a timeline or an Indian state where the plant will be built.

Tesla did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

For years, Elon Musk opposed India’s high import taxes for EVs and lobbied for a change. India’s government in March unveiled a new EV policy lowering import taxes to 15% from as high as 100% on some models if a carmaker invests at least $500 million and sets up a factory.

Tesla has already started scouting for showroom space in New Delhi and Mumbai, and its Berlin factory is producing right-hand drive cars it aims to export to India starting later this year, Reuters has reported.

Elon Musk is also likely to attend an event organised by the Indian government in New Delhi with space startups, the two sources said.

Elon Musk owns the US space company SpaceX.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)