The mercurial billionaire turned off Starlink communications just ahead of a submersible drone attack, thinking that the assault might unleash nuclear war, according to a forthcoming book.
SpaceX chief executive Elon Musk reportedly caused a geopolitical crisis last year, when Ukrainian forces—which have relied heavily on the company’s Starlink satellite communications—were on the verge of striking Russian naval vessels off the coast of Crimea with submersible drones. Concerned that the attack would provoke Russia into using nuclear weapons, Musk unilaterally opted to sever the submarines’ satellite connection, throwing a wrench in the entire assault.
The incident—shared by CNN based on an adapted excerpt from an upcoming book by Walter Isaacson—demonstrates Musk’s increasing unwillingness to lend his satellite network to offensive maneuvers waged by Ukraine. “How am I in this war?” “Starlink was not meant to be involved in wars. It was so people can watch Netflix and chill and get online for school and do good peaceful things, not drone strikes.”
After foiling the attack, Musk reportedly received a desperate text from a Ukrainian deputy prime minister, Mykhailo Fedorov, who asked that Musk reinstate the Starlink connection to the drones. “I just want you—the person who is changing the world through technology—to know this,” Fedorov wrote. But Musk refused to reverse course, telling Fedorov that Ukraine “is now going too far and inviting strategic defeat.”
Apparently he was worried that the assault would provoke nuclear war. Musk showing actual thought for the first time in ever.
Anyone else concerned for the Musk / NAFO fans confused as to how they're supposed to pick a side but none of it makes sense because that would require a nuanced view? Nah, me neither.
This whole situation feels like copium for the failing CO.
Like fuck Musk, of course, but at this point it's hard to ignore that Ukraine's having a rough time. So Liberals are going to look for anything they can to make excuses, not unlike how Neo-Nazis make excuses for Germany's failure in WWII, by blaming the weather or pitting the blame for failure on one or two figures.
Starlink also sucks, it's genuinely horrid internet. It's only useful if you're far from cell signal and you want to access social media or streaming services, and at that, only if you're willing to accept buffering and snail-slow speeds. It's not something a military would want to exclusively use for coordination. Ukraine's military probably has its own internet, and its own secondary lines of communication. Blaming Starlink outages is simply illogical.
One way of reading the 'news' is as a giant advert for Starlink. So powerful it can tip the scales of war. Now (a) do what the imperialists tell you to do, otherwise they'll turn their power against you and (b) don't forget to buy the platinum subscription package for course-of-history-changing results.
This is a fantasy... both General Motors and Ford profited off the nazi war machine and, as has been mentioned: these investments were protected by the U.S. government under pressure from business interests.
Well I was watching out Elon tweets last year, he was very worried about NAFO and the nuke war which was provoked by media propagandists that Putin was going to use nukes and Russia is losing the war ASAP. He is an oligarch but at least he had sense when most of socdems had lost their minds over Russia.
I have to be honest. Musk as much as he's an absolute ass is also making the types of moves I like to see to enable a continued globalized world. He's the kind of bourgeoisie I hope wins the struggles ahead because he's preferable to the alternatives for a soft US empire implosion. He just keeps on doing things that I can't help but cheer, not because they're objectively good in a vacuum but because they're creating the best conditions and/or navigating the conditions making the best choices for AES and the global south freeing themselves.
He’s arrogant and childish and petty which hinders him. He’s also a reactionary but his selfish pettiness so far has done some interesting things in sabotaging the evil empire.
As to getting people killed. What the fuck does that mean? You sound like a fed crowing on about the dangers of subversive thinking and commies getting people killed.
The US is grinding Ukraine’s population to grist and ironically Musk was one of the few prominent people who said that was bad, they weren’t going to win and it was pointless and dangerous to continue. All true.
I know, I know. No one must insult the nazi fascist Ukraine regime and it’s American cheered genocide of its own people for western arms manufacturer profits.
He's broadly anti-decoupling with China to my knowledge. Somewhat willing to say good things about China. I mean he see's Chinese things like Ali-pay/WeChat and wants to emulate them. Being against escalation against Russia is also good actually.
He's like Trump and I'm honestly not sure how people here are not getting that was what I was saying. I mean I'm not going to trip over myself to disown him anymore than I have already. I shouldn't have to because there should be some critical thought given.
Do you have any evidence he is a hawk? Of the variety who would advocate using nuclear weapons or something to avoid giving up US hegemony (as many of the more silent bourgeoisie who control the US government and defense contractors would tend to be) as opposed to a self-serving but also self-defeating capitalist who can't stop gorging himself off the profit potential of staying linked with China. I mean I hope he and others like him are like that and continue to exist. I guess as an ML I can't help but be a bit optimistic that some of the bourgeoisie are selling us rope even in this day and age.
I mean there are degrees here. I don't know if wandering liberals have downvoted me or what but I think what I said speaks for itself and honestly I don't like Musk, so I'm not really going to compile a list of "why communists should think this guy is useful", it's just not worth my time and it was just musing. It was my hot-take. I don't believe it to be incorrect, no one has really hit me with anything that changes my view.
What a terrible excuse. Russians constantly claims they will do things, and it's always a lie. Why the hell would musk think they're going to retaliate with nukes? I'm sure if they were going to, they would have by now. Saying he was afraid Russia would use nukes makes him sound like a little bitch.
He asks how is he in this war? Does he not remember signing a contract with the government? I guess he didn't read the contract, just saw the $ and considered it a donation.