In an unprecedented event, Elon Musk hosted a select group of prominent Indian business leaders at SpaceX’s Starbase facility in Texas on Friday. The gathering offered Indian entrepreneurs a rare opportunity to engage directly with Musk and tour SpaceX’s advanced space exploration facilities.
The visit included a guided tour of Starbase and a firsthand look at the successful launch and booster catch of SpaceX’s Starship Flight 7. During a moderated discussion, Musk emphasized the importance of fostering stronger collaboration between the United States and India, especially in fields like technology and space exploration. He remarked, “Things are trending positive. I’m certainly in favour of lowering trade barriers to increase commerce between the US and India.”
On India, Musk shared his admiration, stating, “India is one of the ancient civilizations and a very great and very complex one.”
The delegation, representing a diverse range of sectors including technology, manufacturing, and renewable energy, engaged in discussions on global collaboration, particularly focusing on finance, regulation, and technological advancements in space and AI innovation.
Musk also offered valuable insights into his ventures, including SpaceX, Tesla, and Neuralink, and emphasized his belief in the transformative potential of technology. “The goal of SpaceX is to expand the scope and scale of consciousness beyond what we know to understand what questions to ask about the answer that is the universe,” he explained.
He also mentioned the progress of Grok, stating, “One of the things we’re aiming for with Grok is we’re pretty confident that soon Grok 3 will be the most sophisticated AI in the world.”
The event highlighted the increasing importance of international cooperation in driving technological progress and addressing global challenges. Manoj Ladwa, founder of the India Global Forum (IGF), remarked, “This event underscores the growing importance of collaboration between India and global pioneers in shaping a sustainable and technology-driven future.”
Ladwa further emphasized the significance of dialogue between democracies, stating, “As the world’s most powerful democracy transitions to a Trump presidency, meaningful dialogue is more important than ever in these challenging times… This moment underscores the need for collaboration, bold ideas, and shared purpose. I believe India’s rise presents limitless opportunities, and this meeting signifies the potential for powerful partnerships.”
The IGF delegation included notable business leaders such as 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 at Aditya Birla Management Corporation; Nilesh Ved, Chairman of Apparel Group; and author Amish Tripathi, among others.