The One Charitable Act Elon Musk Is Committed To Fulfilling
After first saying that he wouldn't, Elon Musk posted a tweet that suggests he will continue to provide Ukraine with free access to SpaceX's Starlink internet service.
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Elon Musk wears many hats. He is the CEO of Tesla and founder of SpaceX and is now, apparently, the de facto intermediary between the United States and Ukraine. And he made news headlines over the weekend, once again, over a high-profile and controversial statement.
The most recent hubbub can likely get traced back to his attempts at brokering peace between Ukraine and Russia. He submitted a proposal to the two sides attempting to negotiate a peace treaty. But the Ukrainian government soundly rejected his offer, saying it was too favorable to the Russians.
So, Elon Musk then took to Twitter with a poll. According to CNBC, “Musk drew criticism from Ukrainian officials earlier this month when he posted a Twitter poll gauging support for what he claimed was a likely outcome of the Russia-Ukraine war.” Somewhere along the way in this string of events, the Ukrainian ambassador told Musk to “f— off.”
And then last Friday, Elon Musk appeared to confirm rumors he may pull his Starlink internet out of Ukraine. This came after news about a report that SpaceX requested that the Pentagon reimburse the donations it makes to the embattled country. The company estimated it would cost nearly $400 million to fund Starlink in Ukraine over the next year.
There is no word on what, if any, response the Pentagon provided SpaceX. Reuters tried to find out and reached out to both parties. But, that effort was in vain, as the Pentagon declined to comment and SpaceX did not respond.
However, Musk publicly stated that the company was losing money by funding Starlink in Ukraine and could not continue to do so “indefinitely.” Then on Saturday, he published a tweet that seemingly backtracked on this stance. What happened in between the two tweets remains a mystery.
He definitely caught fans by surprise when he stated, “The hell with it…even though Starlink is still losing money & other companies are getting billions of taxpayer $, we’ll just keep funding Ukraine govt for free.” This statement suggests that Elon Musk’s SpaceX will continue to provide Starlink satellite internet service to the Ukrainian government. At least for the time being.
The apparent retraction may have something to do with his existing relationships with the US federal government. CNBC noted that SpaceX has multiple contracts with the government. But whether or not Starlink is part of those contracts is unknown.
What is certain is that the donation of the Starlink satellite internet terminals has played an instrumental role in the war. Since it began in February, Russia has destroyed much of the Ukrainian communications infrastructure. The access to a satellite internet system allowed the Ukrainian military to remain online.
And at the rate the war is developing, there is no visible finish line. So the country may rely on Elon Musk’s Starlink for some time. While its availability is great news for the citizens and military in Ukraine, it is clearly a financial burden to SpaceX.
However, we do have a slight glimpse into Musk’s mind. He responded to several tweets that replied to his unexpected statement on Saturday. In one, he stated, “we should still do good deeds,” which is a good lesson for everyone.
