India-US Trade Ties: 'Trending Positive', Says Elon Musk; Meets Leading Indian Entrepreneurs In Texas

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

The billionaire entrepreneur who owns 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 came right ahead of US President-elect Donald Trump's inauguration for a second term. Trump appointed Musk as co-chair of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

About the meeting with Musk

On Friday, 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, explored the SpaceX's cutting-edge facilities and witnessed the launch of SpaceX's Starship Flight 7.

Emphasising the potential for deeper collaboration between the United States and India, particularly in the technology and space exploration sectors, Musk said, “Things are trending positive. I’m certainly in favour of lowering trade barriers to increase commerce between the US and India”, as per PTI.

He went on to describe India as “one of the ancient civilisations and a very great and very complex one”. 

"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.

IGF delegation: Who all were present?

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.

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.

(With PTI Inputs)