I think he is not joking. France is notorious for having a very cumbersome and over burdening fiscal and administrative system. From direct personal experience

I think he is not joking. France is notorious for having a very cumbersome and over burdening fiscal and administrative system. From direct personal experience, you better off being an employee than being under the status of self employed. The hassle you get from the tax office and employment agency totally overweight the flexibility this status should offer. There is a reason Paris is not the start up hub it would like to be. Sure you have the odd example that shows this is still possible, but in an industry where you do not need to be on location to produce some work, the incentive to stay in France and develop a successful start up is lessen by the appeal of the US and Canada and to a lesser extend the UK.