Are “auto-entrepreneurs” entrepreneurs or not, and Why should we care?

The aim of this article is to critically analyze the outcomes of entrepreneurial programs when the same are not adequately aligned with the features that define entrepreneurship and the entrepreneur. Taking the “auto-entrepreneur”1 status in France as an example, we offer an illustration of the practical implications resulting from a lack of coherence between a legal status, aimed at encouraging entrepreneurship, and the conceptual basis of what it means to be an entrepreneur. Our analysis leads us to observe the reasons why the status is becoming a recurring object of independent activity as opposed to a source for new business creation. We conclude with some insights on the considerations that governments must do, when creating programs that intend to promote entrepreneurship and hybrid-entrepreneurship.