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isn't it true that all of Musk's companies benefiting from the governments' help in terms of federal subsidies and space contracts? Do you think without it he w

isn't it true that all of Musk's companies benefiting from the governments' help in terms of federal subsidies and space contracts? Do you think without it he would have been this successful?

vvanders 10y ago
I think you're forgetting about PayPal.
- Throwaway23412 10y ago
  Ok. All but one then.
  - sokoloff 10y ago
    Yes, but that was the one that made him successful.
  - rdl 10y ago
    And Zip2?
btian 10y ago
How are space contracts governments' help and not SpaceX helping government from the evil ULA?
- greglindahl 10y ago
  The intent of the COTS contracts was to procure launches for much less than the usual price by providing up-front payments in exchange for a block buy of future launches. Seems to have worked great. Commercial companies sign contracts like that on occasion, when they don't like the prices from their current suppliers.
- gordon_freeman 10y ago
  because I have said that assuming that Musk's main goal with SpaceX is not to send the supply (or astronauts in near future) to Space Station. His main mission with SpaceX is to help create a self-sustaining city on Mars. It seems to me he is using government's space contract money to pay the bills till he achieves his main mission. In that sense, I'd say that Govt is helping him and not the other way around.
educar 10y ago
Not sure why you are getting downvoted, seems like a honest question.
rdl 10y ago
He certainly has benefitted from government programs (and of course from the general commercial situation in the US, lots of smart people here, centuries of science and engineering, etc.) That doesn't really speak to him being a closet authoritarian or anything, though.
cmsmith 10y ago
The other takeaway would be that Musk, unlike all those other billionaires, is working on things that are in the public interest. He generally wasn't the instigator for the govt subsidies, but his interests of "make money while making the world a better place" are pretty well aligned with the governments interests of "spend money in the USA while making the world a better place".
- ocdtrekkie 10y ago
  "In the public interest" is a very debateable term. I consider the way Google handles privacy and their cloud push very against the human interest. Of course, Google would argue offering free services that connect and inform people is in the public interest.
  - oarsinsync 10y ago
    Your vision may align with the governments then, given that the government isn't offering subsidies for companies to invest in cloud

isn't it true that all of Musk's companies benefiting from the governments' help in terms of federal subsidies and space contracts? Do you think without it he would have been this successful?

vvanders 10y ago

I think you're forgetting about PayPal.

Throwaway23412 10y ago
Ok. All but one then.
- sokoloff 10y ago
  Yes, but that was the one that made him successful.
- rdl 10y ago
  And Zip2?

btian 10y ago

How are space contracts governments' help and not SpaceX helping government from the evil ULA?

greglindahl 10y ago
The intent of the COTS contracts was to procure launches for much less than the usual price by providing up-front payments in exchange for a block buy of future launches. Seems to have worked great. Commercial companies sign contracts like that on occasion, when they don't like the prices from their current suppliers.
gordon_freeman 10y ago
because I have said that assuming that Musk's main goal with SpaceX is not to send the supply (or astronauts in near future) to Space Station. His main mission with SpaceX is to help create a self-sustaining city on Mars. It seems to me he is using government's space contract money to pay the bills till he achieves his main mission. In that sense, I'd say that Govt is helping him and not the other way around.

educar 10y ago

Not sure why you are getting downvoted, seems like a honest question.

rdl 10y ago

He certainly has benefitted from government programs (and of course from the general commercial situation in the US, lots of smart people here, centuries of science and engineering, etc.) That doesn't really speak to him being a closet authoritarian or anything, though.

cmsmith 10y ago

The other takeaway would be that Musk, unlike all those other billionaires, is working on things that are in the public interest. He generally wasn't the instigator for the govt subsidies, but his interests of "make money while making the world a better place" are pretty well aligned with the governments interests of "spend money in the USA while making the world a better place".

ocdtrekkie 10y ago
"In the public interest" is a very debateable term. I consider the way Google handles privacy and their cloud push very against the human interest. Of course, Google would argue offering free services that connect and inform people is in the public interest.
- oarsinsync 10y ago
  Your vision may align with the governments then, given that the government isn't offering subsidies for companies to invest in cloud