INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
French President Emmanuel Macron gave a speech at VivaTech in Paris, alternating between French and English
He defended a third way to regulate tech companies, which is different from the U.S
and from China.Macron thinks Europe should have a say when it comes to regulation — and it shouldn’t be just about privacy
Of course, he defended GDPR and online privacy, but he also talked about taxes, cyberbullying, the protection of independent workers and
more.
What is at stake is how we build a European model reconciling innovation and common good Emmanuel MacronYesterday, Macron
hosted 50 tech CEOs to talk about leveraging tech for the common good, especially when it comes to education, labor and diversity
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella talked about the event before Macron took the stage.Macron first started with a few numbers on the French tech
“I want to talk to the entire French ecosystem here today
What we’re all doing is essential for our country and the world,” he said.Based on his numbers, startups raised $2.9 billion in France
That’s three times as much as in 2015
He then listed some of the recent changes, from corporate taxes to France’s open data policy and the French Tech Visa.He didn’t have
much to say about the tech industry in particular
You could feel that he has a lot on his plate right now and that tech is more or less an afterthought.“France is changing like crazy
And that's why we can say that France is back,” he said in English to conclude the first part of his speech.“My second message is for
Africa because you decided to invite Africa to VivaTech this year,” he said.Macron then announced that France is going to invest some
public money in the most promising African startups
“For the past six months, the French Development Agency has worked hard on this,” he said
“And the French Development Agency is going to announce in the coming weeks a new specific program of €65 million [$76 million] in order
to invest small amounts, €30,000 to €50,000 per startup.”Michel Euler / AFP / Getty ImagesFinally, Macron talked about the Tech for
Good Summit and tech regulation in general
“We’re currently experiencing a revolution
I truly believe in that revolution and our country believes in it too,” he said
“But you can’t deny that some people in our country and in the world fear change.”“Tech companies haven’t always been exemplary
Some haven’t complied with taxation laws and it has fostered mistrust — even from French entrepreneurs.”Macron then defended
France’s project to create a European tax on big tech companies
If the French Government can convince other European Governments, big tech companies would be taxed on local revenue in each European
It could be a way to avoid tax optimization schemes
Smaller European countries with a lower corporate tax rate don’t seem convinced yet.“I'm a big tech optimist and this country does
believe in innovation,” he said
“But it's not enough — making money, creating jobs and making shareholders happy is great
Especially creating jobs as far as I'm concerned.”Macron also criticized U.S
regulation on tech companies, saying that the U.S
Government is not doing enough when it comes to online harassment, taxes, labor and more.He then criticized the Chinese model, saying that
the Chinese Government is not doing enough when it comes to privacy, human rights and gender equality.“What is at stake is how we build a
European model reconciling innovation and common good,” he said
“We have to work together to build this common framework.”After yesterday’s commitments, the French Government is going to track tech
companies every six months to see if they actually implement what they promised when it comes to tech for good.He also finished by saying
that the Tech for Good Summit should become an annual initiative
Tech CEOs will be invited once again to the Élysée next year ahead of VivaTech.
