The world’s richest man made an appearance in Davos for the World Economic Forum (WEF). On stage, Elon Musk said Tesla’s robotaxi should secure European authorisation next month and, at some point, also gain approval in China. He also spoke about a solar initiative involving SpaceX, aimed at boosting energy production-an issue he framed as critical to keeping artificial intelligence running and enabling its growth.
On Thursday 22 January 2026 in Davos, at the World Economic Forum (WEF), Elon Musk took part for the first time in a session held as part of the gathering of global elites, in conversation with Larry Fink, BlackRock’s chief executive. Over a relatively short exchange (35 minutes), the pair touched on space, the planet’s energy needs as AI accelerates, and briefly skimmed topics such as robotics and self-driving cars.
Here are Elon Musk’s main announcements in Davos:
- Tesla and SpaceX have a joint solar project: produce 100 GW within 3 years, separately
- Soon there will be more chips manufactured than chips that can actually be powered
- Tesla’s robotaxi is expected to obtain authorisation next month in Europe
- The robotaxi also hopes to be authorised in China at some point
- Optimus will be sold to the general public at the end of 2027
- By 2030, AI will be smarter than all of humanity combined
- Ageing is a completely solvable problem
- With AI and robotics, the global economy will see an unprecedented boom
- There will be more robots than human beings on Earth
The American billionaire, who for years criticised the World Economic Forum in Davos, surprised observers by flying in from California on Thursday. After a long trip on his private jet, Elon Musk landed in Zurich and then continued to Davos by helicopter. His visit does not appear to have been driven solely by his brief on-stage appearance. The day before, Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang had spoken on the same stage, as had US President Donald Trump.
Elon Musk in Davos live with Presse-citron
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22/01 - Tesla and SpaceX have a joint solar project: 100 GW within 3 years
One key takeaway from Elon Musk’s conversation at the World Economic Forum in Davos was the solar ambitions he outlined for Tesla and SpaceX. Over the next 3 years, the two companies are expected to scale up production to the equivalent of 100 GW of energy. The firms would work on this separately.
22/01 - What is Elon Musk trying to do in Davos?
After travelling for more than 10 hours for a conference slot lasting only 35 minutes, Elon Musk’s presence in Davos seems to point to other intentions. The Tesla boss may have planned a visit to Giga Berlin in Germany, where Tesla is said to have cut its workforce by 14% (1,700 jobs), according to local media reports relayed by Reuters.
22/01 - On Tesla’s Robotaxi, Elon Musk mentioned European authorisation
Without saying where specifically, Elon Musk said he hoped to obtain operating authorisation for his robotaxi in Europe as early as next month.
22/01 - Elon Musk would rather be “optimistic and wrong” than “pessimistic and right”
“I'm inspired by what he has done, who he is, and his vision for the future,” Larry Fink said. Elon Musk urged everyone to stay upbeat about what comes next, arguing it was better to have an “optimistic and wrong” outlook than a “pessimistic and right” one, before ending his Davos appearance-which lasted only 35 minutes.
22/01 - Elon Musk asked his community which topics he should raise in Davos
22/01 - AI in 2030 “will be smarter than all of humanity combined”
“Within 5 years, AI will be smarter than all of humanity combined,” Elon Musk said.
22/01 - Optimus will go on sale to the general public at the end of 2027
Elon Musk said his humanoid robot Optimus will be able to carry out more complex tasks than it does today in industrial settings. On this occasion, he stated that the general public will be able to buy the biped at the end of next year.
22/01 - Elon Musk on solving ageing
“I think it’s a completely solvable problem,” he said. “When we’ve discovered the causes of ageing, I think it will seem incredibly obvious.”
22/01 - The discussion between Elon Musk and Larry Fink continues, focusing on tech and the critical limits of energy production
Elon Musk highlighted China’s ability to manufacture solar panels and stressed the importance of the Sun in tomorrow’s energy mix. He also referred to a SpaceX concept involving launching solar panels into orbit.
22/01 - “We’re going to produce more chips than we can run”
Elon Musk argued that the biggest constraint on AI will be energy. While global computing capacity surges each year, energy output grows far more slowly-around 4% per year. “Soon we’ll produce more chips than we can run,” Elon Musk said.
22/01 - “There will be an unprecedented boom in the global economy”
After briefly mentioning the need to check whether there might be other forms of consciousness beyond Earth, Larry Fink questioned Elon Musk about robotics and AI. The billionaire said there will be “an unprecedented boom in the global economy” in a world where robots outnumber humans, and where access to AI remains free or almost free.
22/01 - Elon Musk mentions Greenland and Donald Trump’s Peace Council (with a joke)
As he took to the stage, Elon Musk referenced Greenland and quipped that in Davos today it was all about a “piece of land”, that everyone was looking for just a “piece”, playing on “peace” and the Peace Council created by Donald Trump.
22/01 - Elon Musk’s talk begins in Davos
22/01 - Elon Musk three years ago in Paris at VivaTech
In Paris three years ago, Elon Musk accepted an invitation to VivaTech, an innovation-focused event. On stage with Maurice Lévy, the event’s chairman and former head of Publicis, the American entrepreneur tried to win over the French audience. He did not make any announcements for France, but shared his desire to see peace in Ukraine. Later, he was joined by Orange chief executive Christel Heydemann, along with executives from L’Oréal and LVMH.
22/01 - “If President Trump returns to Davos, Elon Musk will also be welcome”
Børge Brende, the WEF’s new president since 2025, said last year in an interview that he very much hoped Elon Musk would join Davos. A double win for the former Norwegian foreign minister, and the first successor to Klaus Schwab, founder of the World Economic Forum in Davos.
22/01 - Elon Musk long criticised Davos; he’s attending the World Economic Forum for the first time
For years, the billionaire described the World Economic Forum as a “boring” event and questioned its annual staging for wealthy elites. In 2026, he is attending for the first time, as this edition is especially political and heavily centred on tech-particularly AI.
22/01 - Elon Musk expected on Davos’s main stage, after Nvidia’s CEO
Yesterday, that same stage hosted Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang for a talk about AI.
22/01 - Bad weather forces Donald Trump to return to Zurich by road
Elon Musk may also have had to take the road to reach Davos, 150 kilometres away. Poor weather made the US President’s transfer with Marine One difficult, forcing Donald Trump to join a road convoy lasting nearly 2 hours, according to Bloomberg.
22/01 - Elon Musk and Donald Trump will not cross paths in Davos
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Donald Trump met his Ukrainian counterpart Volodymyr Zelensky. The US President will not meet Elon Musk, however, even though the two were expected to pass each other in the air in their respective helicopters. Donald Trump is heading back to Zurich Airport to board Air Force One.
22/01 - The World Economic Forum website schedules Elon Musk’s session for 16:30
22/01 - Elon Musk’s jet filmed live
In a live video shared by ZurichAirportSpotter on YouTube, Elon Musk’s private jet was filmed during landing.
22/01 - Elon Musk’s jet lands at Zurich Airport
Elon Musk’s Gulfstream G650ER private jet, which took off last night from San José Airport near San Francisco, did indeed choose Zurich for its arrival. The American boss will almost certainly take a helicopter to Davos, a journey of around 30 minutes.
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Elon Musk in Davos: a surprise announcement
The American entrepreneur, the world’s richest person, boarded a Gulfstream G650ER overnight and landed at Zurich Airport at 14:22. His presence in Davos was not announced, and may not even have been planned. Elon Musk arrived just as US President Donald Trump was leaving the event. Earlier that morning, Trump had signed off on the launch of his “Peace Council” alongside around twenty other leaders.
Yesterday, Donald Trump delivered a highly anticipated speech about Greenland’s status. At the same time, Elon Musk was also talking about Europe, but on a far more anecdotal topic: Ryanair and its CEO, who was seemingly intent on capitalising on the attention around the American entrepreneur by taking a swipe at him. Elon Musk made no political intervention, limiting himself to comments about China’s dominance in solar-panel production.
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