French aerospace company Latitude, headquartered an hour outside of Paris, received a large number of applications from American engineers after Elon Musk said he would move the SpaceX headquarters from California to Texas.
A spokesman for Latitude said its recruitment system received a month’s worth of applications last week, 89% of which were from candidates in the United States. The candidates work for SpaceX, Blue Origin, Lockheed Martin, Tesla and other companies related to the aerospace industry, a spokesperson told CNBC Make It.
bumps appear after Musk wrote on On July 16, he plans to move the company’s base from Hawthorne, California, to Star, Texas. The SpaceX founder and CEO said his decision follows the passage of a new state law that prohibits school districts from requiring teachers to notify parents of changes in students’ sexual orientation and gender identity.
While it’s unclear if or when SpaceX will leave California entirely, aerospace business leaders were quick to capitalize on Musk’s message Sell yourself The company’s roughly 13,000 employees may be worried about their future careers and relocation plans.
Stanislas Maximin, CEO, Latitude wrote in a LinkedIn post SpaceX employees who “wanted to join an inclusive and ambitious rocket company” should contact him — and they did.
“It was a real surprise,” Maximin told CNBC Make It. Within days of posting, he said, he received about 200 messages of interest and his LinkedIn connections grew from 6,000 to 9,000.
He said the message was not intended to suppress Musk or SpaceX. Known as one of the “best engineering companies in the world.” Instead, he said, “If you are not happy with where you are now, if you want something different, you can come to Europe and we will help you.”
More and more Americans may be willing to accept the offer to move overseas. According to statistics, the number of U.S. workers hired by international companies increased by 62% last year Deel, an HR platform specializing in global recruitment.
Searches for “how to move” to a new country have surged in the United States since the first 2024 presidential debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump in June, and companies that help Americans relocate have also seen a spike in interest.
Latitude, which has about 140 employees and a dozen job openings, has previously hired several employees from U.S. job seekers and said it will help new employees obtain visas for themselves and any family members, find new jobs and school options for relatives , pay for the move, and handle other necessary logistics.
“We have done this many times,” Maximin said, adding that his company had the “full support of the French authorities” to ensure the move could be carried out quickly.
Why global leaders need American talent
American engineers bring technical expertise and a new cultural perspective, which will benefit Latitude’s growth, Maximin said.
He said global leaders are eager to capitalize on American workers’ ability to work “faster, more reliably and more profitably.”
Global leaders often tout America’s fast-paced work culture as an advantage when hiring American talent, especially technicians and other highly skilled workers.
As for how he evaluates good candidates, Maximin says it’s 50 percent having expertise in the field and 50 percent having a personality that helps the company thrive: They are builders, problem solvers, team players speaker and excellent communicator.
Given that international recruitment also requires candidates to undergo significant life changes that come with moving, it is crucial that applicants demonstrate perseverance and resilience, Maximin said. Additionally, he looks for people who have proven themselves to be good leaders, even if they have never directly managed anyone.
“All of our engineers have projects to manage, even if they are alone,” Maximin said. He looks for “people who have great organizational skills, who can be leaders and who can help each other, even if it’s outside their own area of expertise.”
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