This story is getting a lot of play, seems like someone in the defense industry is pushing it hard.
Giving Starlink away for free as a humanitarian effort for the people of Ukraine makes a lot of sense, it’s the right thing to do and good PR for Space X.
Using Starlink for military operations also makes a lot of sense, if you need it, they are building out “Starshield” services for just that purpose but it’s not what the current network was designed for and it’s hard to get the appropriate licenses in a war zone.
As for asking for someone to pay for the service: nobody is giving away military hardware for free, it’s all on lend-lease agreements that Ukraine will eventually have to repay over time (the UK only recently finished paying their WWII bills to the US on similar agreements).
We know that DoD is paying for Starlink service in Ukraine, but there are no public details of the contract. Not sure how paying for a service is a subsidy.
“Opposing Autocracy” is an interesting choice of words, since everyone who’s up in arms about this is implying that the government should force a private company to participate in any war on whatever terms they dictate. Freedom isn’t easy, sometimes people and companies do stuff you don’t like, but I we want a working democracy you have to give them that liberty or else loose your own eventually.
SpaceX had spent tens of millions of its own money sending the satellite equipment to Ukraine, according to Musk. And the company told the Pentagon that they wouldn’t continue to foot the bill for the satellite gear, as CNN first reported last October.
After CNN’s reporting, Musk reversed course, tweeting “the hell with it … we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free.”
Gwynne Shotwell, Musk’s president at SpaceX, was livid at Musk’s reversal, according to Isaacso
“The Pentagon had a $145 million check ready to hand to me, literally,” Isaacson quotes Shotwell as saying. “Then Elon succumbed to the bullshit on Twitter and to the haters at the Pentagon who leaked the story.”
Why would he turn down money? He’s not exactly known for being on the side of morality.
Is it not possible that he intentionally turned down the Pentagon check so that he could continue to provide the service on his own terms, versus those of the Pentagon? Including the ability to revoke/block it when/where he saw fit?
This story is getting a lot of play, seems like someone in the defense industry is pushing it hard.
Giving Starlink away for free as a humanitarian effort for the people of Ukraine makes a lot of sense, it’s the right thing to do and good PR for Space X.
Using Starlink for military operations also makes a lot of sense, if you need it, they are building out “Starshield” services for just that purpose but it’s not what the current network was designed for and it’s hard to get the appropriate licenses in a war zone.
As for asking for someone to pay for the service: nobody is giving away military hardware for free, it’s all on lend-lease agreements that Ukraine will eventually have to repay over time (the UK only recently finished paying their WWII bills to the US on similar agreements).
That’s a lot of word gymnastics for saying “he can change the deal whenever he feels like it”. Even if it’s pro-bono.
Look at it this way: Elon lives in the west. The west is tasked with promoting and supporting democracies and opposing autocracy.
Especially if the service in question was paid for by subsidies.
We know that DoD is paying for Starlink service in Ukraine, but there are no public details of the contract. Not sure how paying for a service is a subsidy.
“Opposing Autocracy” is an interesting choice of words, since everyone who’s up in arms about this is implying that the government should force a private company to participate in any war on whatever terms they dictate. Freedom isn’t easy, sometimes people and companies do stuff you don’t like, but I we want a working democracy you have to give them that liberty or else loose your own eventually.
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Are they?
All of it?
From CNN Exclusive: ‘How am I in this war?’: New Musk biography offers fresh details about the billionaire’s Ukraine dilemma:
Why would he turn down money? He’s not exactly known for being on the side of morality.
Is it not possible that he intentionally turned down the Pentagon check so that he could continue to provide the service on his own terms, versus those of the Pentagon? Including the ability to revoke/block it when/where he saw fit?