On 27 September 2025, Abdulla bin Mohammed bin Butti Al Hamed, chairman of the UAE National Media Office, the UAE Media Council and the BRIDGE Summit met Elon Musk at Tesla’s headquarters to discuss the future of media and technology and to invite Musk to the inaugural BRIDGE Summit in Abu Dhabi (8–10 December 2025).

What happened at Tesla HQ

Abdulla Al Hamed travelled to Tesla’s headquarters and held a private discussion with Elon Musk on the intersections of media, technology and infrastructure. Al Hamed carried an official invitation asking Musk to participate in the BRIDGE Summit in Abu Dhabi from 8–10 December 2025. The UAE’s official news agency WAM reported the meeting and the invitation.

Both sides focused on three linked themes: the role of artificial intelligence in content and platforms; the importance of data centers and digital infrastructure; and how clean, affordable energy underpins large-scale tech deployment. Musk praised the UAE’s investments and infrastructure; Al Hamed emphasized the UAE’s readiness to lead technological and media transformations. The conversation was framed as exploratory seeking partnerships, investments and speaker participation at BRIDGE.

BRIDGE is being promoted as a global marketplace for media, content and entertainment billed to run at ADNEC, Abu Dhabi, and to host tens of thousands of visitors and hundreds of speakers. Securing participation from a figure like Musk would boost the summit’s profile and accelerate conversations on platform governance, AI in content, creator economies and cross-border data infrastructure. For the UAE, attracting such tech leaders supports its strategy to combine energy, capital and infrastructure to become a regional hub for data-intensive industries.

Expect three near-term outcomes to watch: (1) whether Musk accepts the BRIDGE invitation or sends senior executives, (2) announcements or memoranda of understanding around data centers, cloud capacity or AI partnerships, and (3) BRIDGE programming that pairs media executives with infrastructure and energy players. Official confirmations or signed deals will likely come through UAE state channels and summit organizers in the coming weeks. Reporters and industry watchers should monitor WAM and BRIDGE press channels for formal participation and any accompanying MoUs. Whether Musk accepts the invitation or sends his executives, the symbolism is clear: the UAE wants to turn Abu Dhabi into the Davos of media and technology, a place where the world’s most influential builders come to set the agenda. And maybe that’s the real story behind the handshake at Tesla HQ: not a courtesy invite, but a statement that the media of tomorrow will be decided by those who can think as big as building a rocket or a nation’s digital backbone.