France is hardcore mode for founders: • Pay an employee $5K net → costs you $13K • Make profit → 30% corporate tax • Succeed → public calls you an exploiter • Get famous → kidnapping becomes a real threat No other country stacks the difficulty this high.

France opened a formal judicial investigation into the 2018 murder of Jamal Khashoggi, appointing a judge from its crimes against humanity unit to probe Mohammed bin Salman's alleged role directly. Seven years after a Washington Post columnist was dismembered inside a Saudi consulate, this is the first time a French court has formally put MBS in the frame. Saudi Arabia has not commented, which is the only response available to a crown prince who cannot set foot in France without risking arrest.

France stepping up on anti-ballistic systems for Ukraine is the most concrete European air defense commitment since Germany's IRIS-T deliveries in 2023. Zelensky confirmed it after a call with Macron, and the timing matters: Russia has been cycling ballistic missiles through Ukrainian airspace at a pace that existing Patriot batteries can't fully absorb. Paris has the SAMP/T Mamba system already deployed with Ukraine, and this suggests deeper co-development, not just more hardware transfers.