Recorded live at Fabula in Paris as part of our London & Partners VivaTech collaboration, we spoke to Mike about his thoughts on the French ecosystem, comparisons between London and Paris tech scenes and what Elon Musk is going to bring to the VivaTech stage

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Mike.

Hello.

Who are you?

I know your first name, but that's it.

Who are you and where are you from?

I'm Mike Butcher.

I'm editor at large for TechCrunch.

Uh, TechCrunch has about, uh, 15 to 20 million readers a month.

Oh, just 15 to 20?

Yeah, just a few.

It's a few.

You know, a couple.

We're just a few friends really.

Uh, we've been going since.

2005.

And, uh, I've been running around Europe for, for a few years with TechCrunch, uh, covering startups, and that's what I do.

What does it mean when someone says Editor enlarge?

Is there someone in, in small, uh, there's not an editor at Small.

No.

There's, um, editor Enlarge was a phrase coined in his 1960s, I think, to describe a journalist who's hardly ever in the office.

And that's kinda what, that's kinda what me, what I do.

Very good.

And, uh, what are you doing here at Viva Tech?

Viva Tech is one of these.

Seminal events, uh, of Europe.

It's obviously bringing together, you know, the, the largely the French tech scene, which has been growing for many years.

And as an outside observer based in London for Tech Crunch.

Um, I've seen the French ecosystem really just blossom probably, I think would say in the last, uh, five to 10 years.

Is that due to changes in law and things?

Cuz I know Macron's been trying, they, they, they, you know, French law is a bit like German law.

It's not very company friendly or entrepreneurial friendly maybe.

Um, that's, there's a, there's an, there's sort of overstatement and an understatement about it.

Uh, they're actually very friendly now for startups, uh, compared to what they used to be.

Uh, I would say as an outsider observer, as an objective observer, the UK is still really the simplest jurisdiction to launch and start a company.

You can start a company in an hour, in an hour online.

Similar in, say for instance in Estonia Prince as well.

Do they kind of have any IIS equivalent or anything like that?

Um, I think they're getting there.

They don't quite have that kind of, uh, you know, incentives for as much for Angels.

A lot of the, the money in France is institutional and.

Some of it's government tied, there's still quite a lot of legacy, uh, you know, fluff shall we say in this system.

But they're getting there and, and I think with Brexits happening and the, the French eyeing and the Germans and the Spanish eyeing the startup ecosystem, they think, you know, it's.

Everything to play for, and they can, they can go for it.

Is, uh, do you think a healthy competition between Paris and London, you know, for, with, you know, even Viva Tech and London Tech Week are at the same time now?

I think they're really very different events and, you know, London Tech Week is really more like an enwood investment conference.

Um, it's, it's not particularly the big showcase that Viva Tech is.

Viva Tech is a very, very large event.

Thousands and thousands of people.

One big venue and also and a big public open day, by the way.

So the, the public are open to right wander around Viva Tech and see all the robots and the flying cars as well, which is really, I think, a, a really great idea.

A slightly controversial question, but it seems like, you know, there's definite teamwork needed between London and Paris and Europe and America and South

Korea and Japan and sound, these treaty, you know, are we getting to a stage that, you know, there's almost a technological Cold War, China and Russia and us.

Then we have to collaborate, you know, or, or is that how you see the world?

Or are you more optimistic?

It's not just a technical, uh, cold war, it's an actual hot war between Russia and the West at this point.

So there's a hot war aspect to this.

So you are seeing the sort of depolarization of the globe.

You are, you are, you are seeing, uh, you the United States.

And Europe really forming an alliance.

And then you've got China and Russia sort of ganging up to some extent.

Really, Russia is a client state, shall we say.

Yeah.

More more diplomatic language Yeah.

Of uh, of China.

Right, right, right.

But the jurisdiction of the EU is really what's driving a lot of things right now because the AI laws are coming through the, through the commission at this point and the parliament.

And so how AI is going to be regulated going forward is, you know, really Europe is going to be.

Setting the benchmarks and the UK is going to be falling in line.

I mean, that's what I, my sources are telling me at this point.

Do you find regulation helpful?

I mean, take gdpr, it's a lovely concept, but in reality it, it, you know, these purposes, if not really, you know, you're just pressing accept to like, I, yeah.

I.

Concur.

They, the problem with GDPR is it favored large companies who could employ lots of lawyers.

I think there's a piece of work to be done, uh, to just get those guys on board.

The idea that if you are a company of size of say, 15 or less or whatever, you should be subject to those laws.

You should be, uh, you know, you should be allowed to innovate up to a certain point.

Perhaps they would listen at some, I'm, they're open.

They're open to those voices.

It's just a little, you know, but you've gotta remember, obviously the biggest lobbyists.

Voice is a big tech.

Yeah.

And they like to build these walls.

So, you know, the, the reason why Facebook met, uh, you know, uh, Google, et cetera, employee lobbyists, is because they want to build regulatory walls around their, their business models.

And Mike, what are you hoping to get out of the next couple of days?

Um, obviously I'm here to meet, uh, tech companies, make lots of contacts for the future.

One or two stories might come outta this trip.

Of course, TechCrunch is also running its own event.

Tomorrow evening, uh, where we'll get the grades and the good and the, the events venture capitalists and the, uh, the startups involved.

I mean, you know, we are very much about our readership is, is passionate about startups, passionate about innovation, and that's what we are here to do.

We've been doing it for over.

16, 17 years at this point, um, we've stuck to our knitting.

We've stuck to our game and and everybody wants to know what happens next.

What are the, sorry, what are the best implications?

And um, and that's what we do.

We've got a great team in Europe.

My colleagues are astoundingly amazing, uh, privilege to work with 'em every day.

But the US.

Is still our mother load Silicon Valley and the us, our US readership is, is extremely important.

And that, and, and then of course our European readership as well.

And what would you, uh, tell someone if they wanted to come and do business in London?

Would you give them any, uh, tips of dos and don'ts?

Is there a territory you particularly, uh uh, no.

Best.

Internationally.

Um, I'm, uh, obviously I'm a journalist with TechCrunch.

I also run the Europa Awards, which is, which I lovingly like to call the, the Eurovision Song Contest of Europe.

Oh, love it.

For startups, um, which we run in November, are the costumes as impressive.

Uh, Almost as impressive.

Not quite.

We've, we've gotta little get a little bit more glitter going on.

Uh, but no, it's, you know, it's, my idea was always to enliven the European scene and get, you know, startups out there.

And, uh, I've been doing it for 15 years and, uh, I, I'm probably be carry on doing it for a long time.

Who are you most excited to meet on this trip?

Think, well, what everybody's talking about is what will Elon Musk will say, oh, he's coming as tech.

Yes.

And, uh, uh, nobody really knows it's going to be, the ball is going to be up in the air.

Do we not think it'll be a little bit crazy town?

It, well, I think, uh, we, it's fair to say that whatever Elon says at this point is a little bit, uh, off the wall, shall we say.

Putting it diplomatically?

Yeah.

Do you think he's slightly lost the plot a little bit?

Well, he's just appointed in these.

CEO of Twitter.

So to some extent he's parked a lot of those problems.

A lot of people at SpaceX will be relieved that he will be back in, back in the fold, uh, paying attention to what's going on.

And Tesla.

And Tesla, by the way.

So we'll see what he says.

Uh, there's not a lot of previews going on.

Do you get to meet him where you, do you think you'll get an opportunity to talk to him?

I think, uh, it'll be a little bit like, uh, trying to, you know, break through the pretorian guard to meet Caesar.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.

Um, I think at this point, He just needs to know how funny you are.

You know, I hear he's got a crack his sense of humor.

You know, he's, uh, I think actually I, I met Elon uh, many years ago when he, uh, was visiting London and he actually, he was struck me as more like an academic, actually had an academic bent to him.

And he has this sort of, he's a very intelligent guy, but that there is a slight problem about the kinds of the way he likes to shape conversations in a public environment, uh, shall we say.

And, uh, and that's.

That's been to some extent, what happens is when you get to that elevated level, you do really want to sort of say anything you like really, you feel you are kind of untouchable.

I think to go back to the Roman comparison you had, you got, you know, in a triumph, you had a slave standing next to you telling you that everyone was mortal and everybody's gonna die, and that you are not that great, and maybe that's what those guys need.

At some point they need.

Somebody telling truth to power.

Right.

You do need a yago whispering in your ear.

Yes.

And famously Caesar, as he did a triumph through Rome, he would have somebody as he was on the gladiator kind of on the, on the chariot chariot.

And, and the idea was you had somebody whispering in your ear saying, you are not a God.

Yeah.

And there is a, Point at which some of these billionaires, these tech billionaires need that.

Really?

Yeah.

And the jury's out on whether or not they actually have that.

Yeah.

Uh, and what do you think of London and Partners have you've been involved with them before?

Um, you, you're good friends with Andrew Tibbits.

I here, um, Andrew and I had known each other for many years, actually, uh, worked with me on the Tech Hub, which was the first technology oriented.

Startup Co-working space in short Itch back in uh, 2011.

20 10, 20 11.

Have you been involved in London and Partners, though?

Is this your first experience of them, or, and, uh, well, London Partners, uh, does an excellent job, uh, talking about London as a place to do business.

Uh, it's one of those kinds of agencies that, you know, just has to do that job and, uh, they do a doing a great job.

Yeah, absolutely.

I'm not, not a, uh, not a critic at all.

Finally, where are you gonna be in 10 years and can we come?

Where am I gonna be in.

10 years?

Well, I think, uh, hopefully doing a similar kind of thing.

I'm a journalist at heart.

I like being in the media.

Um, I'm sure you guys like doing what you do.

I like what you're doing what I do.

Noel Gallagher from Oasis once said, uh, that, uh, he got that guitar thing, dinner, the backing guitar down, uh, doing a bit of lead guitar here and there.

And, uh, he, he was ready to do that for the rest of his life.

And I'm ready to do this for the rest of my life as well.

So I love the fact that you just quoted Algar.

I mean, how often does that happen?

We're gonna play business or bullshit.

It's, oh shit.

Okay.

We didn't play.

Can I do in the middle?

Yeah.

Yeah.

Put it in the middle.

Now we're just gonna ask something y to say with it's business or bullshit.

You may briefly elaborate if you want.

Cause you want the, do I say we say something and you.

Say whether it is business or bullshit or bullshit.

Okay.

Ready?

Very simple.

Ready?

We're gonna start with pip.

We're gonna go round like that.

LinkedIn bullshit.

Uh, universal basic income business.

Very good on there.

Business.

Do you speak French?

Always.

Do you speak French?

No.

Office nap pods.

Uh, I'm office.

I'm really pro this office.

Nap pods, I think definitely business.

Come on, why not?

Don't let people sleep in the office.

Happens above Siesta.

What a good idea.

But also, you know, when you, when you snooze for a bit, you get all your great ideas, right?

A hundred percent.

But when you wake up, they're all there.

Yes.

I think we should have office now buds.

And then obviously if you want to stay late in the office, work late.

Brilliant.

Mandatory office birthday cakes.

Um, absolutely business.

Because who would, who, who, who would stop somebody from having a nice birthday?

Yeah.

To the birthday cake.

Yeah.

That would be a horrible thing.

Very nice.

Oh, next.

Business plans.

Business plans.

Bullshit.

There's no sub.

Set a thing as a business plan.

No plan survives engagement with the enemy, as they say in the military.

There, there's a lot riding on this one.

Office dogs, absolutely.

Business.

A hundred percent.

Oh man.

Very, and I think, I think office dogs, especially, especially post covid, every office needs a, an the office, uh, dog cro.

Yeah.

Very good.

Ballpark figures.

I love ballpark figures as a journalist because it means that I can get much more information out of companies and it's usually a lot more accurate than the other things.

Very good.

Uh, um, team building exercises, goodness me.

Um, team building exercises, I would say.

Have you ever attended one?

Uh, I absolutely attended one.

We had to draw with crayon on a, uh, you know, various kind of whiteboards and things.

Oh Lord, this is, God knows.

Yeah.

Wa and then we went to the pub and had much better ideas than we had during the team building exercise.

I think we all know what your answer is on that one then.

That's how I'd say bullshit.

Uh, diversity, quotas.

Diversity, all controversial.

Um, my mother was born in South Africa, by the way.

I would say not diversity quotas, but diversity, you know, awareness for heaven's sake, business is, is diverse.

The society is diverse.

So let's, let's talk about awareness.

Leonard quote.

Nice.

Like it in-office.

Fitness glasses.

In-office, fitness glasses.

Um, so long as everyone's consenting, that's fine.

I would, and that's, uh, that's not necessarily used, not consenting in office.

It could be euphemism or not.

Br, br, br.

Brs.

Or MBAs?

MBAs.

Um, well, I, as a journalist working for tech.

Crunch.

Um, most of the time I meet entrepreneurs who've never done an MBA and they can be extremely successful.

And in fact, actually a lot of the time the people who are schooled less in, in the kind of business as usual, shall we say, uh, are, make some of the best entrepreneurs.

So I, it's fine if you do an mba, not nothing against it, but it's definitely not a prerequisite for being a successful entrepreneur.

Thank you, Mike.

You've been absolutely brilliant.

Brilliant to meet you.

My pleasure.

Thank you for playing business off Bullshit.

You're welcome.

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