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Carlos Slim cancels his collaboration with Elon Musk's Starlink
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- toss1 2y agoNear the end of the article, the cause is described: >>Elon Musk shared a post on his social network stating that Slim could have ties to criminal groups, and five minutes later, Carlos Slim canceled all business collaborations with Starlink in Latin America, which made Musk lose 7 billion US dollars.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- c0nducktr 2y agoThis Musk fellow seems like quite the loose cannon.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- mmastrac 2y ago> Elon Musk shared a post on his social network stating that Slim could have ties to criminal groups, and five minutes later, Carlos Slim canceled all business collaborations with Starlink in Latin America, which made Musk lose 7 billion US dollars. Is there a source for this?
- duskwuff 2y ago> Is there a source for this? For the claim that Slim had criminal ties? No, not really. The immediate source was this tweet, which asserted, without any clear basis, that Slim has "significant ties to the drug cartels in Mexico": https://x.com/wallstreetmav/status/1882255277551972619 https://x.com/wallstreetmav/status/1882255277551972619 The linked NYT article in the reply-to was https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/world/americas/mexico-cartel-terrorists-trade.html https://www.nytimes.com/2025/01/22/world/americas/mexico-car... (archived: https://archive.ph/6Sn0Y https://archive.ph/6Sn0Y), which doesn't mention Slim at all.
- croddin 2y agoHere is Elon's quote of that tweet with the monocle emoji https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1882301283090190520 https://x.com/elonmusk/status/1882301283090190520
- imgabe 2y agoDo you think anyone does serious business in Mexico and doesn't run into the cartels?
- sirbutters 2y agoI get some animal farm vibe reading this. I'm looking at the US gov and I'm looking a the cartels, and I can't figure out which one is which. The way this US gov is operating, they pretty much operate likes cartels "we are the boss, you stfu and you do as we say, or else".
- Braxton1980 2y agoAmerican car companies?
- foogazi 2y agoLol, what do you guys think the cartels are ?
- emmelaich 2y agoProbably not possible to be the richest person in Mexico without some incidental connection or accidental involvement with organised crime. So it really hardly matters, unless you get a lot of details.
- duskwuff 2y agoI don't doubt that's often the case, but there's still a big difference between a general statement and a specific claim.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- pier25 2y agoThe cancellation of business with Starlink was announced in the Mexican media weeks ago. See this article in Spanish: https://expansion.mx/tecnologia/2025/02/26/america-movil-corta-lazos-con-spacex https://expansion.mx/tecnologia/2025/02/26/america-movil-cor...
- kaiwen1 2y agoThat article is dated 26 Feb 2025, not weeks ago.
- pier25 2y agoFrom the article: > "It is better to put our towers, plants and optical fiber to link them," said the business magnate in his press conference held on February 10. > Two days later, Daniel Hajj, CEO of América Móvil, confirmed the decision in a conference call with analysts, where he announced an investment of 22 billion dollars over the next three years to expand its infrastructure. With this move, the possibility of a collaboration with SpaceX was ruled out.
- doodlebugging 2y agoIt's like mush lives in a glass house and just hangs out online all day chunking rocks. I don't know Carlos Slim so maybe this is or maybe it isn't the pot calling the kettle black. Unless someone has evidence that can paint Carlos Slim with the same brush as the one mush uses on himself then I tend to believe that Slim's friends are a lot less shady than mush's.
- 2OEH8eoCRo0 2y agoWhat's the CEOs fiduciary duty again?
- Chyzwar 2y agoSpaceX is a private company. Tesla is public, but the board is not independent, still trying to give Musk a pay package of $50 B. CEO answer to the board, but a board can be controlled by the founder in one way or another. For example, Zuck control shares with more votes and Bezos have vote rights over his ex-wife shares. The CEO can also fill the board with loyalists, as Jobs did on his return.
- incompatible 2y agoTesla would in principle be so much better off without the connection to Musk and all the bad publicity that results, even without him constantly siphoning value from the company. However, if they were able to somehow get rid of him now, there'd be the potential retribution from the US government to worry about.
- scotty79 2y agoIn what world Elon is the founder of Tesla? He's just a CEO and about 20% shareholder who stuffed the board with his cronies in ways that should interest legislature so that laws can be written to prevent something like that from happening again.
- lesuorac 2y agoThis world. He sued the original founders into granting him the title. Although it really shouldn't be that big a deal he's labeled as founder. When you're the CEO you can just generate titles anyways so he could be called the The Excellent Supreme Leader Always (TESLA) and it'd be allowed. In layman terms he's not a founder of Tesla but titles aren't required to fit a layman's definition.
- apt-apt-apt-apt 2y ago
- rqtwteye 2y agoMusk really seems to have lost his mind and any kind of filter. He hears about something and tweets it without any thought. Pretty much the same approach he is using with DOGE. Look at something for five minutes max and if you don’t like it understand it, cancel it. My theory is that anybody who engages a lot on X for a while gets their perception of reality totally distorted. If US leadership keeps passing off the whole world I think the real winner of “America first” will be China and Russia.
- ziddoap 2y ago>I think the real winner of “America first” will be China and Russia. Indeed. >An hour later, Slim announced that he would transfer his projects for the next 5 years with Starlink, an investment of 22 billion dollars, to companies in China and Europe.
- nozzlegear 2y agoBrings to mind a meme that's quickly become a favorite of mine since Jan 20th. It's a picture of a "gigachad" Xi Jinping with the caption "Do nothing. Win." https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/002/352/212/95b.jpg https://i.kym-cdn.com/photos/images/original/002/352/212/95b...
- r00fus 2y agoI find that meme super funny - because China is doing a LOT of things that simply aren't getting noticed by (or being ignored by) the media in the West. Belt & Road, New Silk Road, solar panels everywhere, etc. They're not doing nothing - they're just not being idiots.
- walrus01 2y agoThere's plenty of evidence now based on his aberrant behavior in public that he has a serious drug problem. Look at the video of him on the stage at the event where he told all the x advertisers "fine, don't advertise, go fuck yourself". If you are wealthy enough you can certainly find enough licensed medical professionals to provide you with basically whatever substance you want, and in unlimited quantities. Exact same sort of thing that ended in the death of Michael Jackson.
- jmclnx 2y ago> The fallout between Slim and Musk was further exacerbated by a controversial tweet from Musk, which implied connections between Slim and organized crime. Lets hope Slim wipes the "business floor" with Musk with his initiative.
- rbanffy 2y agoI find it doubtful he’ll send Mexican gangsters after Musk, but I admit it would be an extremely amusing development.
- scottyah 2y agoIt's crazy to me how acceptable (or just prevalent) it's become to openly wish for murder online, even on this site.
- rayiner 2y ago[flagged]
- ceejayoz 2y agoIt’s entirely possible to root for them to gnaw on each other for a while.
- rayiner 2y agoOr you could root for Elon and Trump to be successful in taking out the cartels. Truly one of the greatest evils facing america today.
- i80and 2y agoRight now in my day-to-day, I'm much more materially threatened by the current administration's stated objective being rolling back my civil rights than by anything the cartels could do, much as I loathe them. And anyway if you think either Elon or Trump actually care about the cartels, I've got a bridge to sell you
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- xerox13ster 2y agoGood!!! I just finished porting my number off of T-Mobile since I canceled my service with them mid-Superbowl when I learned they were collaborating with StarLink; I don't want to support a man advocating for my erasure because he's mad at his daughter for disowning him. I made it explicitly clear why I was cancelling, citing Elon and StarLink by name. Glad to see others participating in the "free" market and "voting with our wallets" before that ends up being the only way we can vote. Even more glad Slim is costing him billions compared to my pennies.
- blastonico 2y ago[flagged]
- xerox13ster 2y agoThey're gonna come for me anyway. Better than my communications going through his network. Maybe if enough people cite his behavior when cancelling T-Mobile will back off working with him, and he'll lose even more money.
- rayiner 2y ago[flagged]
- jfaulken 2y agoPolitics, I know, but: I guess he just missed the part where Slim is dismantling his country for profit. Oh yeah and literally a Nazi.
- rconti 2y agoSeems like accusing someone of ties to organized crime is a bit of a reverse Pascal's Wager.
- latexr 2y agoSo Musk amplified an unsubstantiated tweet making accusations of “his main partner in 25 countries”, which not only made him “lose 7 billion dollars” but also “an investment of 22 billion dollars”? And this is the guy people are trying to convince us is some kind of business genius?
- knowknow 2y agoPeople forget that Elon impulse bought twitter and tried to reverse the deal through the bogus bot angle [1]. The only way in which the acquisition has been a success is as a way to force his political agenda. [1] https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-twitter-inc-technology-933f52cf58fea145e71f1112563951d4 https://apnews.com/article/elon-musk-twitter-inc-technology-...
- latexr 2y agoDo people forget that? It was highly publicised and he even admitted he only went through with it because he thought he’d be forced to. The political angle is clearly something he hadn’t realised at the time. https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43077177 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=43077177
- dylan604 2y ago> Do people forget that? If you mean people on HN, maybe not. If you mean people in general, then a lot of people don't know it at all let alone forgetting it. The vast majority of people do not pay attention to what CEOs do, if they even know who they are. The vast majority of people don't want to be tuned in like that and are using social media to deliberately check out. It's one of the reasons they are so susceptible to the algos
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- jszymborski 2y agoThank you. I got this Nate Silver article in my inbox on how Musk is some sorta special genius because he was born to wealth and won the PayPal lottery, and thought I was going insane. https://www.natesilver.net/p/elon-musk-and-spiky-intelligence https://www.natesilver.net/p/elon-musk-and-spiky-intelligenc...
- ZeroGravitas 2y agoThe timing seems weird. Did Elon know the deal was about to fall through and tweeted out of sour grapes?
- partloyaldemon 2y agoIf he knew, why didn’t he tweet something that did not make him seem like an impulsive fool?
- dylan604 2y agobecause he is an impulsive fool? a leopard can't change its spots.
- throwawaymaths 2y agonot only that but he historically never really took much of a hit for his idiotic impulsive life choices
- freejazz 2y agoThat assumes it's a possibility for him
- drooby 2y agoIt would be very on character. seems to be SOP for these stooges
- rbanffy 2y agoWill this be questioned by the FAFO offices?
- insane_dreamer 2y agoLooks like Elon's tweet may have been retaliatory, in response to Slim's decision not to continue business with Starlink (but build out more land-based networks), rather than prompting Slim's decision (though it no doubt solidified it). See https://expansion.mx/tecnologia/2025/02/26/america-movil-corta-lazos-con-spacex https://expansion.mx/tecnologia/2025/02/26/america-movil-cor... (Spanish)
- adfm 2y agoTerrestrial networks have their issues, but they don't have to continuously launch. Curious to know which is better for the environment.
- kklisura 2y ago> The fallout between Slim and Musk was further exacerbated by a controversial tweet from Musk, which implied connections between Slim and organized crime. Instant flashback when Elon called Thai cave diver a "pedo guy" when they declined his help. Elon needs to take rejections way less personally.
- hcarvalhoalves 2y agoA billionaire Asperger high on ketamine, can't stay out of the limelight for a single day, and for every stupid thought, media gives him some more attention. It's a vicious cycle.
- ks2048 2y agoI'm absolutely opposed to Musk and happy to see anyone trying to diminish his power... But, Slim having some connections to organized crime (cartels) seems much less far fetched than other Musk outbursts.
- loloquwowndueo 2y agoWhy?
- ks2048 2y agoI don’t really know - but the power of the Mexican Cartels suggests they have connections into the Mexican oligarchy. More credible than a random guy in Thailand being “a pedo” because he disagreed with Musk.
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- freejazz 2y agoIt didn't seem to bother Musk beforehand...
- mandeepj 2y ago
- LanceJones 2y agoIt's unlikely the rift will have any real impact: "In 2025, Quilty forecast that it [Starlink] will count 7.8 million people around the world as customers and generate $11.8 billion in sales." It is currently and likely will continue to be the biggest revenue driver for SpaceX, Mexico or not.
- ziddoap 2y ago>generate $11.8 billion in sales. This was an investment worth twice that, and you think it is not of "real impact"? Care to expand on your thinking?
- neuroelectron 2y agoI wonder what Elon thinks
- randomcarbloke 2y agodoes he even have the capacity
- inemesitaffia 2y agoThere's no way the numbers in the article are real. See Ukraine
- deleted 2y ago[deleted]
- throwaway48476 2y agoI'm amazed at how the other space companies have failed to offer competition to starlink just the same as the auto industry can't seem to compete with tesla and make a good and profitable EV. They've had a decade to figure it out, so where are they? Everyone has become cynical and no one is willing to invest in the future and build new things.
- i80and 2y agoI drive a VW ID.4. It's profitable for VW (modulo some boondoggles early on in production), and it's the best car I've ever driven, even solid for road trips. If I wanted, I could have gotten a Hyundai or a Chevy equally well. Tesla just isn't the only or even best game in town, and hasn't been for years.
- averageRoyalty 2y ago> If I wanted, I could have gotten a Hyundai or a Chevy equally well. Tesla just isn't the only or even best game in town, and hasn't been for years I'm yet to find an EV with the same range, acceleration and price point as the model 3 LR. Many seem to beat it on two but not three points. The Polstar is close. The ID.4 has less range, double the time 0-100 and (prices not confirmed yet in Australia but) expected to be $10-20k more expensive.
- cmrdporcupine 2y agoYou don't need 0-60 in under 6 seconds. I say this as a driver of a Polestar. It's just silly. In fact it's mostly dangerous. I won't pay for the upgrade to the "performance" package because 4.5 seconds is already crazy enough. Also consider we non-Tesla owners get luxuries like an actual dashboard, turn stalk... and body panels that fit together properly.
- gottorf 2y ago> an actual dashboard My biggest dislike in Teslas. I won't entertain buying one until they decide that an iPad is not in fact an appropriate way to handle user interface in a car...
- nemo44x 2y agoIt doesn’t really matter since the USA will invade Mexico in the next year as part of a new anti-terrorisim initiative initially aimed at drug cartels. As that escalates many things will get carved out for corporate interests. I’m not saying I support this. But this is the reality.
- hereme888 2y ago[flagged]
- sharder 2y ago[flagged]
- Braxton1980 2y agoHe supports Donald Trump who is lying about widespread election fraud.
- chneu 2y ago[flagged]
- dgrin91 2y ago> ... Carlos Slim canceled all business collaborations with Starlink in Latin America, which made Musk lose 7 billion US dollars. Uhhh.. what? Can anyone explain that line? Where did this 7B come from? Did Musk lose it or did SpaceX? This makes it sound like it was forefit like Musk just gave Slim $7B for free. What is actually going on there?
- inemesitaffia 2y agoThe numbers in the article make no sense and it's surprising people accept it uncritically
- mlindner 2y agoI'm surprised even hacker news is getting suckered in by this. This is a tabloid website and no legitmate source is reporting on this. The article also lies significantly. Carlos Slim's company was only a Starlink authorized reseller. There was no significant investment.