CNN Exclusive: ‘How am I in this war?’: New Musk biography offers fresh details about the billionaire’s Ukraine dilemma

[Gandalf_The_Grey]

Content source

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/07/politics/elon-musk-biography-walter-isaacson-ukraine-starlink/index.html

Elon Musk secretly ordered his engineers to turn off his company’s Starlink satellite communications network near the Crimean coast last year to disrupt a Ukrainian sneak attack on the Russian naval fleet, according to an excerpt adapted from Walter Isaacson’s new biography of the eccentric billionaire titled “Elon Musk.”

As Ukrainian submarine drones strapped with explosives approached the Russian fleet, they “lost connectivity and washed ashore harmlessly,” Isaacson writes.

Musk’s decision, which left Ukrainian officials begging him to turn the satellites back on, was driven by an acute fear that Russia would respond to a Ukrainian attack on Crimea with nuclear weapons, a fear driven home by Musk’s conversations with senior Russian officials, according to Isaacson, whose new book is set to be released by Simon & Schuster on September 12.

Musk’s concerns over a “mini-Pearl Harbor” as he put it, did not come to pass in Crimea. But the episode reveals the unique position Musk found himself in as the war in Ukraine unfolded. Whether intended or not, he had become a power broker US officials couldn’t ignore.

The new book from Isaacson, the author of acclaimed biographies of Steve Jobs and Albert Einstein, provides fresh insights into Musk and how his existential dread of sparking a wider war drove him to spurn Ukrainian requests for Starlink systems they could use to attack the Russians.

https://edition.cnn.com/2023/09/07/politics/elon-musk-biography-walter-isaacson-ukraine-starlink/index.html

 

[oldschool]

Not surprised. Musk is scared little rich kid at heart.

 

[vtqhtr413]

Interesting article and probably an interesting book but just this little snippet throws up a flag, doesn't make sense, doesn't add up.

Musk’s decision, which left Ukrainian officials begging him to turn the satellites back on, was driven by an acute fear that Russia would respond to a Ukrainian attack on Crimea with nuclear weapons, a fear driven home by Musk’s conversations with senior Russian officials, according to Isaacson,

 

[Digmor Crusher]

Throw him in jail with Trump, bunk buddies.

 

[oldschool]

Interesting article and probably an interesting book but just this little snippet throws up a flag, doesn't make sense, doesn't add up.

Musk’s decision, which left Ukrainian officials begging him to turn the satellites back on, was driven by an acute fear that Russia would respond to a Ukrainian attack on Crimea with nuclear weapons, a fear driven home by Musk’s conversations with senior Russian officials,

It was precisely this sentence which spurred my response.

 

[oldschool]

https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/2023/09/07/elon-musk-starlink-ukraine-russia-invasion/?itid=sf_world_ukraine-russia_opinions_p001_f008

n the end, with Shotwell’s help, SpaceX made arrangements with various government agencies to pay for increased Starlink service in Ukraine, with the military and CIA working out the terms of service. More than 100,000 new satellite dishes were sent to Ukraine at the beginning of 2023. In addition, Starlink launched a companion service called Starshield, which was specifically designed for military use. SpaceX licensed Starshield satellites and services to the U.S. military and other agencies, allowing the government to determine how they could and should be used in Ukraine and elsewhere.

I guess the fat wad of $$$ resulted in a change of heart for Musk, proving once again that certainly he is a man of superior moral integrity.

 

[vtqhtr413]

Claire "Grimes" Boucher, the mother to two of Tesla CEO Elon Musk's many children, has seemingly claimed that her billionaire baby daddy is not allowing her to see their son, X AE A-Xii, or "X" for short, in a since-deleted tweet. As Page Six reports, Grimes' claim came in response to some photos tweeted [link] by Musk biographer Walter Isaacson, who shared two never-before-seen photos. One shows Musk with Shivon Zilis, a Neuralink executive and mother to two of his latest children, a pair of twins named Strider and Azure, while the other shows Musk and X looking at a humanoid robot.

After asking Isaacson to tell Zilis to "unblock" her, Boucher also asked the biographer to tell his subject to let her see her son —or, at very least, "respond to my lawyer, I have never even been allowed to see a photo of these children until this moment," Boucher wrote in the since-deleted response, "despite the situation utterly ripping my family apart." The Canadian-born electronic artist did not expound on what "situation" she was referring to or how long it had been since Musk allegedly stopped letting her see their son. While screenshots of the post do exist, Futurism has not been able to independently verify the post's authenticity.

Grimes Claims Elon Musk Isn’t Letting Her See Their Son

Claire "Grimes" Boucher has seemingly claimed that her billionaire baby daddy is not allowing her to see their son.

futurism.com

 

[Arequire]

Ah yes, Russian officials. Clearly the most credible individuals to listen to when making decisions...

 

[JohnR]

Ah yes, Russian officials. Clearly the most credible individuals to listen to when making decisions...

But amusing to know that US nat sec policy can allegedly be overturned / or set, by the unilateral decision of a civilian entrepreneur.

 

[monkeylove]

 

[Digmor Crusher]

Well I guess then whomever provides internet to the US government, AT&T, Verizon etc, should shut down access to them as they may decide one day to use the military for something.