Elon Musk has failed to appear for a voluntary interview with Paris prosecutors over an investigation into his social media platform X and its AI chatbot Grok.
Prosecutors confirmed on Monday that the first people they summoned did not show up, without naming Musk directly. They stressed that the absence of those invited for questioning would not stop the investigation from moving forward.
French authorities opened the probe in January 2025 over allegations that X’s algorithm was used to interfere in French politics. The investigation was later expanded to cover the spread of Holocaust denial and sexual deepfakes generated by Grok.
In February, investigators searched X’s Paris offices as part of the case, a move the company condemned as politicised and an abusive judicial act. Musk and then X chief executive Linda Yaccarino were both summoned for voluntary questioning as the de facto and de jure managers of the platform at the time. Yaccarino resigned as CEO in July 2025 after about two years in the role.
Paris prosecutor Laure Beccuau said employees of X have also been called to appear between April 20 and 24 as witnesses. Officials have not disclosed the time or location set for Musk’s planned interview.
The French case covers suspected offences including complicity in the possession of child sexual abuse material and denial of crimes against humanity linked to content on X and Grok. X has denied wrongdoing and described the proceedings as politically motivated.
Telegram co founder Pavel Durov, who is himself under French investigation over alleged illegal activity on his platform, echoed those criticisms. In a post on X, he accused President Emmanuel Macron’s government of weaponising criminal probes to suppress free speech and privacy.
Grok has come under intense international scrutiny after researchers found that users could produce sexualised images of women and children with simple text prompts. The Center for Countering Digital Hate estimated in January that Grok generated around three million sexualised images in 11 days, including about 23,000 that appeared to depict minors.
Britain’s data watchdog opened its own investigation in February into whether X and xAI complied with privacy laws in relation to Grok’s deepfake output. The European Union has also launched a probe over the chatbot’s role in creating sexualised images of women and minors.
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