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Is now a member of the CDU: the former Tesla Germany boss Philipp Schröder
Photo: Emmanuele Contini / picture alliance / NurPhoto
Philipp Schröder, who with the US entrepreneur Elon Musk built up the German division of the electric car manufacturer Tesla, has joined the CDU.
The company's former head of Germany, who is a big player in the start-up scene, was previously close to the Greens, but was never a member of the environmental party.
"I realized that I came to ideological limits when I spoke to the Greens," the 36-year-old told SPIEGEL.
"It is difficult for the Greens to develop an overall economic concept."
That made him rethink.
He was certainly not in agreement with the Union on all points, said the manager who had attacked the CDU and CSU in the past for their climate policy, in particular Economics Minister Peter Altmaier.
"But I see a pragmatism among younger CDU MPs and believe that entrepreneurs should also support the party in developing new concepts," said Schröder.
In 2018, Schröder Fintech founded CAPinside, a company that aims to make financial instruments more accessible to a wide audience in order to also invest in green technologies.
Schröder considers black-green to be the best coalition option.
The Hamburg member of the Bundestag and designated CDU regional chief Christoph Ploß paved the way for his entry into the CDU.
"Christoph convinced me that we entrepreneurs now have to take on more responsibility and perhaps give a little less Sunday speeches from start-up stages," said Schröder.
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