Sure, but my main point was that the advancement of civilization shouldn't depend on the whims of random billionaires. We shouldn't prevent random billionaires

Sure, but my main point was that the advancement of civilization shouldn't depend on the whims of random billionaires. We shouldn't prevent random billionaires from developing the tech either, but multi-decade trend of politics and society believing that "capitalism" provides a complete economic system has big holes in it for certain advancements: space travel, for antibiotics, for civilization-ending externalities like climate change. The pileup of what capitalism isn't addressing is getting very serious. And if you're being quantitative, skipping all/most long-term, low-visibility-payoff risks still leaves your economy behind one that is able to make those investments -- at least some of the time, in favor of the next social-chat app, or k-cup juice tech. And incidentally - IMHO, I strongly suspect there is nothing in avionics algorithmically or computationally that modern rocketry needs that didn't not already exist 30-40+ years ago (then again, I don't closely follow that anymore...) One of the key structural advancements for SpaceX rockets - was created 20+ years ago - friction stir welding... I may be too cynical, but really the only real advancement there is parties able & willing to take on long term risks.