Luke Vargas

But how much less frightened?

And specifically, what if the steps you're taking get the attention of the White House and provoke U.S.

anger?

This is still early days, but I'm curious what you've learned about that effort so far, what it's going to take for France if it wants to rival U.S.

tech competition and cultivate its domestic industry.

The U.S.

president has also been very forceful in basically going out there and soliciting orders, for example, for Boeing planes as a part of trade deals around the world.

Are we learning that that's kind of something that's necessary here?

You've got to basically help your companies compete at the head of state level?

Finally, when you look across the French tech landscape, startups and slightly larger businesses that already exist, do you think already there is a company out there that will grow and become a global competitor to some of the big U.S.

firms that we've talked about earlier?

Or is that missing the point?

David Amiel is France's Minister for State Reform.

Minister, thank you so much for being with us on What's News.

Thank you very much.

And that's it for What's News for February 22nd.

Today's show was produced by Daniel Bach and Hattie Moyer, with supervising producers Sandra Kilhoff and Melanie Roy.

I'm Luke Vargas, and we'll be back tomorrow morning with a brand new show.

Until then, thanks for listening.

Here is your Morning Brief for Friday, February 20th.