PM Anwar Reveals How He Managed to Convince Elon Musk to Set Up HQ in Malaysia

Back in July, it was announced that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had organised a meeting with Tesla CEO, Elon Musk in hopes of convincing him to set up a HQ in Malaysia.

Following the success of the meeting, many Malaysians were intrigued by what had transpired during the meeting between the two and what had been said and done.

In an interview with Fortune, Anwar recently shared how he convinced Musk to back Malaysia over other countries such as South Korea and Indonesia.

“I made it clear and blunt to him that he does not need to worry about all the other nitty gritty bureaucratic encumbrances that he may face in dealing with some other countries.”

Anwar said he told Musk that he was ready to enact changes quickly to attract investment. “I want to effect change, and I want to do it now. Whatever is necessary will be done,” he said.

In his interview Fortune, Anwar said the country previously lacked “clear policy and commitment by the leadership,” which he believes dissuaded Musk and other business leaders like him from investing more in the country until now.

Anwar also shared how he is eager to see how investments from Musk and others transform Malaysia into a high-tech economy.

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Also read: PM Confirms Tesla Will Set up HQ in Selangor By End of This Year After Online Meeting With Elon Musk