Elon Musk has worked on the side of a peaceful resolution to the Russian invasion of Ukraine since it began in February, but the SpaceX founder and CEO’s altruism was recently met with backlash after he insisted on a stopping point. Now, in a move deemed an about-face, the billionaire cast a light on the grift of the military-industrial complex and the financial lampreys in its wake as he declared, “The hell with it …”
Like many executives at the onset of Russian President Vladimir Putin’s aggression, Musk had stepped up in a big way when asked to contribute to the defense of Ukraine. SpaceX’s Starlink satellite system had been sought after to maintain connectivity after Russia had reportedly damaged the nation’s internet infrastructure and units were deployed to aid the military and civilians alike.
Expected to cost the company $100 million by the end of the year, and despite an effort to malign his reputation, Musk made an executive decision Saturday with bile and disdain announcing on Twitter, “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.”
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
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 15, 2022
The move from Musk came on the heels of news that the satellite company had been communicating with the Pentagon to get the U.S. government to pay for continued use of the network that, to date, had been provided free of charge.
A Ukrainian journalist looked to be pinning the move as retaliation for former Ukrainian Ambassador to Germany Melnyk Andrij telling Musk to “f*ck off” after proposing a peaceable end to the conflict and to that suggestion, the billionaire replied, “We’re just following his recommendation.”
Warning: Language
We’re just following his recommendation 🤷♂️
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2022
As previously reported, Musk had made a statement Friday clarifying his position that, “SpaceX is not asking to recoup past expenses, but also cannot fund the existing system indefinitely *and* send several thousand more terminals that have data usage up to 100x greater than typical households. This is unreasonable.”
It was also made apparent that after already spending $80 million, another 12 months of funding for the program would cost as much as $400 million. This SpaceX had communicated to the U.S. government before Musk suggested a negotiation between Russia and Ukraine.
Elon Musk says SpaceX can’t afford to pay for Starlink in Ukraine https://t.co/R2CIuYCHEC pic.twitter.com/ipEgpwDSSd
— Conservative News (@BIZPACReview) October 15, 2022
The decision to move ahead anyway included the businessman’s shot at other companies profiting off war and The National Pulse’s editor-in-chief Raheem Kassam suggested Musk “Just send an invoice with Raytheon logo at the top and it’ll get paid. No one checks.”
“The hilarious thing is,” the billionaire responded, “you’re not wrong.”
The hilarious thing is you’re not wrong 🤣
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 15, 2022
Ahead of declaring “The hell with it,” Musk still endeavored to set the record straight as corporate media pushed a negative narrative. Specifically responding to an article from The Washington Post where a “U.S. defense official, speaking on the condition of anonymity” had claimed “no one asked” for Starlink, he replied, “That dude is not just a ‘condition of anonymity’ spineless coward, he’s also an ignorant fool. Starlink was directly requested by the Ukraine government, as it was the only thing that worked.”
That dude is not just a “condition of anonymity” spineless coward, he’s also an ignorant fool. Starlink was directly requested by the Ukraine government, as it was the only thing that worked.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 15, 2022
The ultimate takeaway for Musk as he lamented his efforts to de-escalate the global tension came in reply to one social media user who wrote, “No good deed goes unpunished.”
To that, the CEO declared, “Even so, we should still do good deeds.”
Even so, we should still do good deeds
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 15, 2022
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Native of Brooklyn, NY, Kevin Haggerty is a graduate of Hunter College where he studied Cultural Anthropology and Geography. An avid reader and truth seeker, he currently resides in Texas with his wife and their dog and, when he isn't researching current events and their impacts, you'll find him spending time with friends and family or working on his next novel.
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