4 ms·

SpaceX deliberately doesn't make money as they want to invest as much as possible into going to Mars.

by kierank 3y ago

shaklee3 3y ago
That's not how VC investments work
- yencabulator 3y ago
  Lots of VCs will happily eat a loss for many years if it gives them a larger piece of the future pie. See Uber.
  - shaklee3 3y ago
    Nobody was arguing that point. I'm disputing the fact that Starlink, as a satellite internet service technology, is doing anything new. The launch cadence due to SpaceX's progress on rockets has nothing to do with the Starlink side.
    - yencabulator 3y ago
      Show me a non-Starlink satellite internet service widely available that can reach 200+ Mbps for a smallish fixed monthly cost.
      - shaklee3 3y ago
        Ah, but anecdotes don't mean reality: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/09/ookla-starlinks-median-us-download-speed-fell-nearly-30mbps-in-q2-2022/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/09/ookla-starlinks-... Starlink's median download speeds in the US dropped from 90.6Mbps to 62.5Mbps between the first and second quarters of 2022, according to Ookla speed tests. Satellite broadband has been able to hit 200Mbps to a single terminal for over a decade, but it makes no business sense to do that. This is why Starlink speeds are slowly degrading to where legacy satellite companies are. So having an anecdote from 4 years ago where the first Starlink terminals hit those speeds has really no basis in reality today as the system fills up.
        yencabulator 3y ago
        Anecdote from 4 years ago? I ran that speedtest while writing the comment. You're blinded by your hate.
        shaklee3 3y ago
        I'm not sure how many times you want me to repeat the same comment, but anecdotes don't match reality. Ookla and the FAA consistently show Starlink speeds on the decline to about 1/3 of what you're seeing for most users. The fact that you're in a (temporarily) uncongested area doesn't mean your speeds will stay what they are.
        yencabulator 3y ago
        It's a little weird to me that you're telling me the thing I just experienced "doesn't match reality". You can say it doesn't match the typical experience or something, but surely what I just experienced is reality. What me being in a relatively uncongested area means is that I'm exactly the kind of customer Starlink was meant for...
        shaklee3 3y ago
        https://www.starlink.com/map?view=download https://www.starlink.com/map?view=download
        inemesitaffia 3y ago
        FCC cited Ookla. These aren't independent sources
        shaklee3 3y ago
        https://www.starlink.com/map?view=download https://www.starlink.com/map?view=download
        inemesitaffia 3y ago
xedeon 3y ago
Not true at all: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/08/17/spacex-reported-a-profit-in-the-first-quarter-wsj-says.html https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/08/17/spacex-reported-a-profit...

SpaceX deliberately doesn't make money as they want to invest as much as possible into going to Mars.

shaklee3 3y ago

That's not how VC investments work

yencabulator 3y ago
Lots of VCs will happily eat a loss for many years if it gives them a larger piece of the future pie. See Uber.
- shaklee3 3y ago
  Nobody was arguing that point. I'm disputing the fact that Starlink, as a satellite internet service technology, is doing anything new. The launch cadence due to SpaceX's progress on rockets has nothing to do with the Starlink side.
  - yencabulator 3y ago
    Show me a non-Starlink satellite internet service widely available that can reach 200+ Mbps for a smallish fixed monthly cost.
    - shaklee3 3y ago
      Ah, but anecdotes don't mean reality: https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/09/ookla-starlinks-median-us-download-speed-fell-nearly-30mbps-in-q2-2022/ https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2022/09/ookla-starlinks-... Starlink's median download speeds in the US dropped from 90.6Mbps to 62.5Mbps between the first and second quarters of 2022, according to Ookla speed tests. Satellite broadband has been able to hit 200Mbps to a single terminal for over a decade, but it makes no business sense to do that. This is why Starlink speeds are slowly degrading to where legacy satellite companies are. So having an anecdote from 4 years ago where the first Starlink terminals hit those speeds has really no basis in reality today as the system fills up.
      - yencabulator 3y ago
        Anecdote from 4 years ago? I ran that speedtest while writing the comment. You're blinded by your hate.
        shaklee3 3y ago
        I'm not sure how many times you want me to repeat the same comment, but anecdotes don't match reality. Ookla and the FAA consistently show Starlink speeds on the decline to about 1/3 of what you're seeing for most users. The fact that you're in a (temporarily) uncongested area doesn't mean your speeds will stay what they are.
        yencabulator 3y ago
        It's a little weird to me that you're telling me the thing I just experienced "doesn't match reality". You can say it doesn't match the typical experience or something, but surely what I just experienced is reality. What me being in a relatively uncongested area means is that I'm exactly the kind of customer Starlink was meant for...
        shaklee3 3y ago
        https://www.starlink.com/map?view=download https://www.starlink.com/map?view=download
        inemesitaffia 3y ago
        FCC cited Ookla. These aren't independent sources
        shaklee3 3y ago
        https://www.starlink.com/map?view=download https://www.starlink.com/map?view=download
        inemesitaffia 3y ago

xedeon 3y ago

Not true at all: https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/08/17/spacex-reported-a-profit-in-the-first-quarter-wsj-says.html https://www.cnbc.com/amp/2023/08/17/spacex-reported-a-profit...