Unlikely, but the death kiss was actually when he held coverage of Ukrainian soldiers hostage while they were engaged in a hot war.
I can pretty much guarantee you that the Pentagon immediately started a lot of conversations with established contractors about rapidly expediting their own LEO constellations, and promising help on the regulatory side.
It may not have been immediately apparent, but it was there. It honestly wouldn’t have mattered as much, except for the fact that SpaceX is entirely dependent upon government contracts, the military is a huge part of that.
SoylentBlake@lemm.ee 6 months ago
When Musk cut off Ukraine, the Pentagon informed him that they were immediately purchasing a minor controlling stake in the, currently, private company. Service to Ukraine was restored the next day.
That’s how “capitalism” works apparently.
I also assume that’s why NVidia did it’s sudden about face and fell right in line when the generals threatened to own them the next day.
It’s all just rich people getting reminded they’re only rich, or alive, because the government allows them to be.
Buelldozer@lemmy.today 6 months ago
Jesus, the absolute state of misinformation in your post…
circuscritic@lemmy.ca 6 months ago
I’m honestly at a loss with trying to discern whether you just honestly don’t understand the situation and how corporations and government work, if you’re repeating a source of genuine intentional disinformation, or if you’re actually maliciously trying to pump some counterfactual narrative.
I think it’s a mixture of the first two, which is unfortunate because the word count that is required to correct all of that bad information is a lot more then I’m willing to type out on my phone screen.
So, I’ll just point out you can own a controlling stake, or a minor stake, but the two are mutually exclusive, and at no point was either on the table for purchase from the Pentagon.
SupraMario@lemmy.world 6 months ago
They didn’t cut off Internet to Ukraine. They had to stop the military from using it in an offensive way, which is ITAR, it wasn’t even musk who pulled the plug, it was a bunch of lawyers that had to make that call.
circuscritic@lemmy.ca 6 months ago
Starlink is a defense contractor, ITAR was bullshit reasoning and not at all applicable. That’s like saying Raytheon missiles can’t be used to attack foreign targets, because ITAR, or even more accurately, Ukrainian missiles with American copper can’t be used.
But that guys comments about “the generals bought a minor stake the next day” is also just as full of shit.
SupraMario@lemmy.world 6 months ago
The fuck are you talking about starlink is not a defense contractor… it’s like saying Microsoft is a defense contractor because the military uses windows…ITAR was absolutely in play here…
Xtallll@lemmy.blahaj.zone 6 months ago
Musk doesn’t listen to lawyers, look at everything he has done at Twitter.
dangblingus@lemmy.dbzer0.com 6 months ago
You’re right. He got that advice from Mohamed bin Salman.
Rapidcreek@reddthat.com 6 months ago
I don’t know that Iridium is still working. I think it’s been decommissioned. But, the US military has been looking for its replacement for years. Now, they could launch their own, or buy a network. Musk not getting RUS funds and losing a thousand satellites from orbit a year makes Starlink a prime candidate.