Elon Musk claims today that he has "No idea" of Xavier Niel's identity. A version impossible to defend. The owner of X had personally responded to the founder of Free on February 10, 2025, after being called a "asshole" on France 2. He even brought up his criminal past to publicly accuse him of being a pimp. Elon Musk therefore knew perfectly well who Xavier Niel was.
Elon Musk is trying to portray Xavier Niel as a fabulist
The case originated from an excerpt of How to become a billionaireXavier Niel's show, broadcast on Canal+, featured the Free founder recounting a meeting with Elon Musk in the Paris catacombs. His anecdote suggested the two men had already spoken directly. When the video reached Elon Musk on X, the American billionaire responded curtly: "No idea who this guy is."i.e "No idea who this guy is."Elon Musk presents the Frenchman as a complete stranger and immediately casts doubt on his testimony. In the following hours, Xavier Niel is accused by some internet users of having fabricated his relationship with Elon Musk. The head of Free then responds by publishing old emails dating from February 2014, presented as exchanges between the two men. These messages show that contact did indeed exist. But even more obvious evidence contradicts Elon Musk today: his own public reaction from February 2025.
In February 2025, Elon Musk knew exactly who Xavier Niel was.
On February 10, 2025, Xavier Niel was interviewed on France 2 about Elon Musk. The founder of Free initially acknowledged the entrepreneurial qualities of the Tesla CEO, before launching a fierce attack. "I think he's the greatest entrepreneur in the world, and besides that, a guy who, to say the least, has complex issues. And I'm going to use a harsh word, maybe sometimes an asshole, there you go."" says Xavier Niel. Elon Musk's response came a few hours later on X." The American billionaire perfectly identifies Xavier Niel and chose to attack him on his past. "This guy was sent to prison for being a real pimp with a group of prostitutes.", writes Elon Musk.
Elon Musk was therefore well aware of Xavier Niel's identity. He knew he had been incarcerated. He was aware of the legal case related to his past investments in peep shows. He thus possessed sufficiently precise information to launch a personal attack against him. A man whose identity is completely unknown would not, a few months earlier, have received such a precise response. Elon Musk can claim that he no longer remembers their meeting in the catacombs. He can dispute the closeness described by Xavier Niel. He can consider that the Frenchman exaggerates the importance of their exchanges. But he cannot claim to have had no knowledge of the situation. "No idea" of who he is.
The attack published in February 2025 referred to Xavier Niel's 2004 incarceration. The founder of Free had been charged with aggravated pimping and receiving stolen goods in a case involving several adult establishments. He was placed in pretrial detention at La Santé prison on May 28, 2004, and remained there for approximately one month. It should be noted that Xavier Niel was never convicted of pimping. The charges against him were dismissed in August 2005. He was subsequently sentenced in 2006 to a two-year suspended prison sentence and a €250,000 fine for receiving stolen goods.
"We'll sort this out at Lidl."
As a reminder, Xavier Niel had responded to this attack with a formula that went viral : "We'll sort this out at Lidl." This humorous response was a reference to a previous social media joke in which a user challenged the founder of Free to settle a dispute in front of a Lidl store. The exchange between the two billionaires went viral. Elon Musk, therefore, cannot be unaware of the identity of his "opponent."
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