Technology

Yeah but Starlink isn't sustainable, it's burning VC just like all of those AI companies. Not as big as a rate like the AI companies, but still. And Starlink gets government contracts as well.

I think the only reason they ever got started with Starlink is to prop up SpaceX. SpaceX got their launch costs down by reusability and scaling in production. But there really wasn't enough demand for those costs to really matter all that much. So they got started with Starlink which requires a lot of launches and is one of the few things that keeps on requiring a lot of launches forever. But the revenue isn't enough to cover the launches, construction, maintenance, ground stations etc. And the only reason the service is even a little bit competitive is because of the terrible state of US infrastructure. With 5G networks being rolled out everywhere and fiber continuing to expand, the market for satellite internet is shrinking all the time. The terrestrial based services have the advantage their infrastructure doesn't fall from the sky every four years.

So as the government contracts are under pressure at SpaceX and the Starlink VC money isn't infinite, Musks empire could collapse. By pivoting to AI and rolling everything into that, he can keep the grift going for years to come.