Macron woos tech world, pledges French 'startup nation'

In a first step, the French government on Thursday launched a "French Tech Visa," a fast-track four-year residence permit for entrepreneurs and their families if they meet certain criteria.

Richard Bruzzo, who works for Paris-based MIP Robotics, which makes "collaborative robots" for everything from artisan jewelers to major multinationals, said France doesn't do enough to support its own tech innovators.

Wasselin said it is constraining to oblige her company, which builds motion-based energy generators for connected devices, to designate an official employee representative given that it only employs just over a dozen people.

[...] his plans to peel back labor protections worry French unions and traditional workers, who fear being left behind in a startup, robot-obsessed nation that has less and less need for old-industry skills.