Three takeaways from Day Four of Gov. Phil Murphy’s nine-day trade mission trip to Germany and Israel. Friday, the governor was in Berlin.
- Tough to form alliances
Gov. Phil Murphy met with the executive director of DIHK, an organization that companies in Germany are required to register with and belong to. Martin Wansleben said that it is a tough time to commit to being an ally to America.
“To be quite honest, it’s not easy. But we are totally convinced it is worth it to fight for that friendship.”
- No offense, Mr. President
Yet another jab at President Donald Trump and his administration Friday, on the fourth day of Murphy’s economic trip. This time, diplomatically, by the governing mayor of Berlin.
“I am very pleased indeed that we’ve come together, especially in these trying times, all over the world. That we promote good dialogue and cooperation. Especially when things in the big political arena are not going as smoothly as they used to be.”
- Meeting with Audible’s Katz
Murphy was joined by Audible CEO Don Katz Friday for a signing that focuses on developing the right system for a tech ecosystem. Afterward, Audible hosted a lunch and Katz and Murphy rubbed elbows over the meal. When asked what they discussed, Katz said the two have always had honest discussions about how to jumpstart the startup economy in the state.
“We’ve been talking about how to target economic growth. The truth of the matter is, there is a lot of inertia that affects governmental polices,” Katz said. “If you look at the character of investment and trying to retain really large, old companies in New Jersey — how well has that really gone for us?”
