Key links
Musk controls the Starlink satellite internet network, the Supercharger network of charging stations, and the X platform (formerly Twitter). All these companies fulfill an important social function, and at the same time they are not subject to de facto any regulations – reminds the portal.
On Monday, Musk fired the nearly 500-person Supercharger team as part of a radical cost-cutting effort at Tesla automotive plants. The point is – explains Axios – that such a decision does not only concern Tesla, but affects the global pace of infrastructure development for electric vehicles.
Tesla received millions of dollars in government subsidies, and now Musk says the Supercharger network will expand “at a slower pace.”
SpaceX
The US government is increasingly relying on a company also owned by Musk SpaceXwhich is currently the only entity in the United States capable of putting manned ships into orbit. SpaceX is to enable astronauts to return to the Moon in 2026.
Since Musk took control of Twitter, he has fired 80 percent. personnel responsible for security and monitoring content inciting hatred or violence.
Starlink, X, Supercharger are global rather than domestic companies, so whether and how they will continue to operate depends “on Musk's mood, which can change with astonishing speed,” Axios emphasizes.
Starlink and the impact on the fate of the war in Ukraine
The portal reminds that in 2022 Musk turned off the Starlink networkto disrupt an attack by Ukrainian underwater drones against a fleet of Russian warships off the coast of Crimea out of fear of nuclear retaliation.
During a conversation with the then deputy head of the Pentagon Colin Kahl the billionaire allegedly said that he “had a great conversation with Putin” and claimed that he regularly consults with Kremlin representatives.
The problem is that Musk, a very unstable and changeable man, “has enormous power and is not afraid to use it,” the portal concludes. (PAP)
