Argentinian President Javier Milei is set to embark on a trip to Silicon Valley in California, where he will have private meetings with several prominent figures, including top tech CEOs. The purpose of these meetings, according to press reports, is to promote business relations with Argentina.
During a one-hour meeting on May 28, Milei discussed “the enormous possibilities offered by a libertarian Argentina” with Sam Altman, the head of OpenAI and Worldcoin. Alex Blania, the co-founder and CEO of Tools for Humanity, who is also involved in the Worldcoin project, was present at the meeting as well. This was the second meeting between Milei and these individuals. Although Worldcoin faced political opposition during its operations in Argentina in the summer of 2023, it remains active in the country.
Milei’s itinerary also includes meetings with other notable tech luminaries, such as Sundar Pichai from Alphabet, Mark Zuckerberg from Meta, and Tim Cook from Apple. Additionally, he will be meeting with a group of start-up and AI entrepreneurs and delivering a speech at the Pacific Summit.
This marks Milei’s fourth visit to the United States since taking office on December 10. He is accompanied by a group of high-ranking officials from Argentina.
In addition to these tech figures, Milei will also meet with former U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and had a conversation with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on May 28, during which they reportedly discussed the situation in Gaza.
High-tech investment would be a welcome boost for Argentina, which is currently facing economic troubles due to inflation. Although inflation has decreased from 133% to 50% during Milei’s relatively short term, he remains a controversial figure in his home country. His frequent meetings with business leaders, however, help improve his public image.
Milei initially ran for office as a strong supporter of cryptocurrency and made promises to dissolve the country’s central bank. However, he has since disappointed many of his supporters by backtracking on many of these promises.
Despite this, regulators from Argentina and El Salvador recently met to discuss El Salvador’s experience with Bitcoin as a legal tender. Milei will conclude his visit to the United States on May 31 and attend the inauguration of El Salvador’s President Nayib Bukele for his second term.
Source: Jon Hartley
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