French authorities have summoned Elon Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino to Paris for voluntary interviews as part of a wide-ranging investigation into alleged misconduct on the social media platform X. The inquiry centers on serious accusations, including the spread of child sexual abuse material, sexually explicit deepfakes, and other potentially illegal content.
Prosecutors are examining whether there was “complicity” in hosting or distributing illicit images involving minors, as well as the proliferation of non-consensual deepfake content. Additional concerns include posts generated by X’s AI system Grok that allegedly denied historical atrocities such as the Holocaust—an offense under French law—and the possible manipulation of automated data systems. Other employees from X are also expected to testify as witnesses during the investigation.
A key focus of the probe is the recent controversy surrounding Grok, which reportedly produced offensive and unlawful outputs before later acknowledging its errors. French prosecutors are exploring whether this controversy may have been intentionally orchestrated to generate attention and artificially inflate the valuation of Musk’s companies ahead of a potential stock market listing planned for June 2026. While this claim remains unproven, it adds a significant financial and strategic dimension to the investigation.
Meanwhile, the U.S. government has reportedly declined to assist French authorities. The United States Department of Justice has criticized the probe, suggesting France may be attempting to regulate a global social media platform through legal action.
Even if Musk and Yaccarino choose not to attend the interviews, French prosecutors have stated that their absence will not halt proceedings, signaling that the investigation is likely to continue regardless of their participation.
