French tech, media and real estate mogul, Xavier Niel, at École Polytechnique for a roundtable with students

Xavier Niel, founder and main shareholder of the Iliad Group, parent company of Internet service provider Free and cell phone operator Free Mobile, held a wide-ranging discussion with École Polytechnique’s students on the theme of entrepreneurship in digital technology and artificial intelligence. 

He underlined France's success in AI and the role played by École Polytechnique and its graduates in it, advocating digital entrepreneurship in France and citing as an example the French nugget Mistral AI, co-founded in February 2023 by Arthur Mensch and Guillaume Lample (both X2011), which has just unveiled the new features of its conversational agent Le Chat, a nod to its American competitor ChatGPT.

Calling Xavier Niel's career as a tech entrepreneur, Laura Chaubard, President and CEO of École Polytechnique, said in her welcoming remarks: “You couldn't remain indifferent to the AI surge (...). In this field, you are defending the need for France and Europe to master the design and training of our own models to ensure our digital sovereignty.”

“In this School, the issue of sovereignty is particularly close to our hearts,” she added, referring to École Polytechnique's links with the Ministry of the Armed Forces. 

“France is in the world's Top 4 in AI and certainly at the forefront in Europe,” said Xavier Niel.

“On AI, École Polytechnique, an incredible School!”

“When people ask me why France is ahead in AI, I always quote a School, and it's yours. There's not a company, not a laboratory that works in the world [in the field of AI] without a French guy being there, usually from your School”. 

Xavier Niel, who had already come to exchange views with École Polytechnique’s students in 2014, praised the progress made in entrepreneurial culture over the past 10 years at the School, advocating the establishment of digital and AI start-ups in France.

“If you want to create a start-up, do it here. Creating a start-up in France means evolving in a welcoming system in which you're going to find talents who are going to be paid less than in the United States, who aren't going to fail you every six months and who are going to help you develop and progress over time. That's a huge advantage,” he said. 

“Secondly, you're an incredible School on this subject of AI, let's continue to have Schools, to train more people on these themes. Training on these AI topics is incredibly important. We need talent, researchers who are here, in France,” added Xavier Niel.

“Thirdly, when you succeed, help your country. If you succeed in these areas, ask yourself what you are capable of giving back to the society that enabled you to emerge, what you are capable of doing to ensure that France continues to exist as an important country in AI and other areas”. 

Laura Chaubard also spoke of Xavier Neil's strong involvement in digital training, with the creation of École 42, the European School for Internet Professions, and more recently, the data-focused Albert School of Business.

“You aspire to open the doors of innovation and digital to a wide diversity of talents,” noted Laura Chaubard adding, ”Fortunately, some of École Polytechnique’s graduates find favor in your eyes as you came accompanied by Aude Durand (X2012), who you recently appointed as deputy CEO of Iliad Group.”

A graduate of École Polytechnique and Stanford, Aude Durand, 31, joined the Iliad group in March 2024 to become number 2 to Iliad CEO Thomas Reynaud.