Elon Musk, the multibillionaire who owns X, failed to appear for a voluntary interview in France on Monday as part of Paris authorities’ investigation into his social media platform and artificial intelligence chatbot, Grok.
In February, French officials summoned Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino to cooperate with the investigation that the social media company has described as “politically motivated.”
The investigation, launched in January 2025, concerns allegations that X’s algorithm interfered in French politics. It was later expanded to include more recent controversies plaguing X, including Grok’s dissemination of sexually explicit deepfakes.
The chatbot had been used, starting late last year, to generate sexualized images of women and children. Allegations of Holocaust denialism were also brought against X.
The company faces several suspected criminal offenses, including complicity in possessing child sexual abuse material and denial of crimes against humanity.
Paris prosecutors did not mention Musk’s name while taking “note of the absence of the first people summoned,” Agence France-Presse reported. Multiple news outlets corroborated that he was absent. The prosecutors clarified that the “presence or absence” of Musk and others won’t impede them from “continuing the investigation.”
The voluntary interviews reserved for current and former X employees are set to last the entire week.
It remains unclear whether Yaccarino, who resigned last year, followed Musk’s lead by skipping the requested interview as well. She now leads the telehealth company eMed.
Musk has been increasingly vocal about European investigations into X and Grok. Last month, he called French prosecutors leading the investigation “mentally retarded.”
IRELAND OPENS ITS OWN INVESTIGATION INTO MUSK’S X OVER SEXUALIZED IMAGES OF CHILDREN MADE BY GROK
As of Monday afternoon, Musk did not appear to comment on his absence via social media.
The Washington Examiner contacted X for comment.