TEL AVIV (VINnews) – Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, praised Israel’s innovation ecosystem as the world’s leader per capita, calling the Jewish state’s achievements “objectively” outsized relative to its population.

Speaking virtually Monday at the Samson International Smart Mobility Summit in Tel Aviv, Musk delivered the remarks when asked for a message to Israeli innovators.

“I’m a huge admirer of the innovation coming out of Israel,” Musk said. “It is objectively true that Israel punches high above its weight — I think honestly number one in the world… innovation per capita, Israel is by far number one in the world.”

Musk, who has visited Israel in the past and maintains business interests in the region, also tipped his hat to the country’s tech achievements. “My hat is off to Israel for just how much incredible innovation,” he added.

The comments come as Israel continues to position itself as a global leader in areas such as cybersecurity, artificial intelligence, autonomous vehicles and water technology, despite its small size. Israel has more startups per capita than any other nation and consistently ranks high in global innovation indexes.

Musk’s virtual appearance at the summit focused heavily on the future of mobility, AI-driven transportation and Tesla’s plans for robotaxis and humanoid robots. He tied broader technological progress to Israel’s strengths in the field.