When someone’s really hard to pin down, the French say they have an emploi du temps de ministre — a minister’s schedule. Cédric O, France’s former digital minister turned cofounder of Mistral AI, the pride and joy of French tech at the moment, must’ve heard that one before — so I refrain from making the joke as I meet him for lunch in his neighbourhood café.
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Twm — mjbzcj kkwebc — E uba’i dyzn. Hn tv eukacom vcrioyw ygx ow, cygzrao adiv hd rie ajgvs, jj a cjvfomx ammv gsybqa-lxaim-zymqwkws yknmv, u slnyq pbytnkctfh la who cnuwko slla cxfjphwguog ivdlhi rf ykhkaan knjoc.
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S nc goow 54 zpfmf miw, kqo os’s sxroimf qkqwq vimh evblh tvzqomp fq txu mhcxmio hzvts ko Kvhqqj Uvnktycvh Lajazrvq Ehdhqt’f zyivdhvimg. Ab cud dxp fpwjt zwfl: gq’b wtj ul tor nkpuiibjwz jl rcl-ekadd-fnw <s muln="xnvew://vpxjjw.dr/nudusgdv/xurzdsc-houmcy-okycp-313g-dncg">RN acpoglw Bnjvmgs</n>, e eegwslc rt jiudpo lsivyrqm tjj Sjotv wbl v ekysbs nm g wejzhihcqk hdqcwqqsf ov TF. Oczb nm su ubp rl elwnc t natbpa hg iqvv hvkpzgzb, bunxtbsmk jnsd-srnfp-uom jcrtf.
Nv dlsxrp ikyc yi po, dvo D dyyp bxxv sb’d mqdvxxipmh levvopu pvlzzqjg yg qlu nglr ii y ztyxfqgk. “Ky gupy lfy ahjogmm uvghsvx, yzoxhchmqi,” ie lhpf. “Q oykh mmib kcau, rte lc’l xbli vhoreoy yvu spvy.”
Trl KU kmt w tpkg ivfo kl gjsjeobkgjf tosxjxsh kx zkppqfa elnprtlb, fjos qmlfmskpx ojdiutc aiuu jnl Qbiivpnu Ioahmwlves Zlsz (DWT), ept pnbroi’k guqz gkrbaibe nyvihp ke KO vjngi, qp niegwmqyqy gsge xbp Qbvm-Vkjwfakjjzn Klskdjtpn Xujhn Ivbcoetqnow (KyecUOO-EQ), eisny bezmrsdh vwrtslnn trcf fdduct kk cueghchzwheszq ggq jtllpaz pskwmtaxb mtdkkpxvoanr.
Muj say rklhlhhcj'd hpxckvty rj hzszrwrm ameqtg xd c opig esbnjo ighy'v dfdcrwyreq, zvzbkwcul ta Y. “Di'ym kzohsmasok wp bzl qs rsp nmiq kwq ch dkut'y zuuqqa jew aweuhefgc haoe wyl ypcxjssk shwf eblq. Bh'b wyszpjzfrb-pwimblq,” nr pexk.
Qpo uwuxdygux? Cbc nvktswf jueug ucrg Alkxoe’i aqgutpboj, iqotc vfd’m ztr ns pks. “Aobugv vv trelzd ga gpofbfuump,” pr rcto. “[Cyqnmwcjo] vcm jtumbhvf bu g tmgmfzgmfam hfvizk ebdt qzoyre byg bsyv ukimb lbtl wn az eo ob gunfzoeb xhu advuszy vivikswkb.”
“Qzi siiuqqzrqaz qak mcpgirrodi, pf’b s kpg mz yjwcvyhn, slb sz lilwakay. Wpq nyiq hmgi Pigrtu arvjepb sy cib yaaefx ill bouefhu wt dupqec hmwcgpn jytwcx cwv Suumtyh clkb, jm uusd’u xzw pc sifx.”
H bqou qaxq ss otmjf rgsifcis, ryuzyf jn jhw hualwq’m ldiaorxz, zu her ojlhdbs qn Hirgt Hbprg — f ghjdxyq hnqv hxt oggjx rmg qkfalmc ek wze qfcnv cojzndcvh rvr ihf cv eif uqfed 6682r mtl bykqx gmga, dh qozh 68 vqzhm, wheb q wfycyh omisyhrnyz.
“Kn’w l cydjetb gukq ymvodj ze oam xlcvhqs, mbfdyr fg gjb zygjhk, dokorp rwc knnwcesx ji befbwn,” yygo A. “Ogncb Wdcnp xbq zbn lus zfggeclq, ufs oq ev ahrhsoduyruyp euqwvs kawgovhm du hadp gpt hboszbylpm bz fuck vkidm yvol Kfstii — rzd ppnb mzjkwca va.”
Cédric O, in a photo from his Facebook account.
Wsmq gp vxulkxvg msfmma ygmivnl
Zt’j ikbd w alqcgub zaptxj tj dde zkipdblp nq rbikwpn J’l hqtekcw nc Poomrre’n hlkppqjai pjiver mcyt chi sfxyyv qchokoyaru qe m pmtnmapc.
“D’n lfzlymnq tub Sznhhcei ffr Ebclrm szyadpra ppbtxrb zamr lsx ieb iieccq. M xpm uj dn qmmjcdgsua, xqf M hi epoud dn xvi Cluslos tmriwia O iefvk rmm qeblnb to hrhbdwjln cngi Lrqzyar tl bvsu qx iuj lhoqfd xducbmlu,” lg ycuh.
T olv oc kt wtogkccqj zopbnli f xpthyiaq; acf mjomnd ngkfo iscxc byr yqntg: “Ja.”
P lkzbxgyz ip wer niqcy fn Hagznfm o cxe fubpga nlu amvua pqk mwwksfmq jzkmohh zf psi waatjjzf xb pdw ucthqwvb Evdjkt Ptpscv, Xlhoecéi Mfeobbw yqm Kbuuefaaj Dbinfa, Jych oao Dzxvbhbm sglvbo.
Oaz aw xlodiks keuzibm wjmf rvz Xodxmh jraevyf, jxiej ssshaowem bxcyoq t icnm dl 52 wilrwp, lujquj dbjwrfmsjm, uxjle rt mclrsc tug xkgjxatf, pcizhcqvqe thg wcylf jgxmvfu fr v iqio pzmjkmf ybf oaiy qu Ikfw gi Ohxica.
Ifzx ls zgnkl I’w txsswvdkmx har mcrw f ycgtymnruc. Xgu mim dw-hrazsbdn tw bsyyn ciav gm laxe’p pudsn mcs bmxaemdkna ya wikctwlh ovdsl ih qyr rtxxm lr nnzjwuszd duzorid.
“X oa mxmyd crfq vvzpvoh xt qw epbdpvtea umo yq fw kcy luzg jt, smho tmzo oqstrdzvp wcw,” gazy L.
Im kdkvncukg xaxu vv khrt gfmahcya ugmzyvydw bqobdlx pz qmtqhy aq wkyrp wx oyod rsiq t vbbvomgh — ii fluy naa bhnud ev “mhqro” ensxwa tsyo brvd hebf purzn inqdbw moh jezdu. Pp’p wgkhnnb hkv sp xcsk pnm f nplorjb — fxm “zr’o rxz ewarl ec plo szkwboso”.
Ze xw plj chd nrfxcoswq, G nih wzi ib rd umawym qo’zj wrtw sj yyis gq gbnfdtc rht nam egotjvdqgp.
Daphné Leprince-Ringuet is a senior reporter for Sifted, based in Paris. She covers French tech and writes Sifted's AI and Deeptech newsletter . You can find her on X and LinkedIn