5 ms·

This is much better alternative compared to American defense just being captured by Lockheed Martin and Northrop forever.

unsnap_biceps 2y ago
Is it? Why is this set of companies going to be better than the old guard? Honestly, given Musk's meddling with starlink access in Ukraine, I'm hesitant to give him control over hypersonic missiles in orbit. I've never had a similar concern around Lockheed or Northrop.
- barrister 2y ago
  I think the presumption is that Musk and the new guard are frugal and careful with money as seen by his passion for DOGE.
  - kevincrane 2y ago
    But, as also seen with DOGE, they’re careless and refuse to do even cursory research on anything beyond the first-order effects of their actions which, to me at least, seems like a terrible set of traits for being in charge of weaponry.
    - UltraSane 2y ago
      Musk behaved the EXACT same way when he took over Twitter and wanted to move out of one of the 3 main data centers they used. Actual experts told him it would take a year so he instead impulsively hires basic movers to rip the servers out and was surprised at how many things this broke. He said "I didn't realize how many places that data center was hardcoded". Except people absolutely told him that.
  - thfuran 2y ago
    But DOGE is a sham that's more interested in disrupting the government than frugality.
  - mindslight 2y ago
    Sarcasm doesn't translate well to online comments. See also: Poe's law.
  - UltraSane 2y ago
    Only gullible people actually think that. Musk is using DOGE to settle scores and shut down agencies investigating him or regulating his companies or ones he doesn't like.
    - disqard 2y ago
      Thank you for plainly stating the obvious! It's exhausting repudiating the "good faith arguments" online. The simple explanation is correct: he's mean, petty, insecure, and greedy, and is using this opportunity to "get even" and "get even richer".
      - UltraSane 2y ago
        Everything Musk has done in the past few years has proven he is not to be believed or trusted in any way. He is a destructive moron. He is the gremlin on the wing of the plane. Between Tesla, Twitter, and now the Federal Government he might have fired more people than anyone else in history.
        mindslight 2y ago
        > He is the gremlin on the wing of the plane This is the scene I keep coming back to! Can you imagine having actually gotten into a space ship bound for Mars with this guy [0] ? He'd be whining that the trip was taking too long, complaining that the ship must be too heavy, and trying to drill speed holes in the hull. [0] (as we envisioned back when we thought this guy might actually put his own skin in the game like that, before his tragic spiral into social media and ketamine addictions)
        computerthings 2y ago
        [dead]
  - NeutralCrane 2y ago
    I don’t think he’s particularly frugal. How much money did he blow buying his favorite social network again? DOGE (and Twitter) are examples of a modern American business management affliction: if you can’t think of anything to create, the next best thing is to start tearing other things down in the name of “efficiency”. Reap the short term benefits and then get out before it collapses.
- netsharc 2y ago
  Imagine President Harris saying "we need the system activated, Putin is threatening us" and the Ketamine-Head deciding otherwise...
  - defrost 2y ago
    [flagged]
    - timeon 2y ago
      Ketaminov on the continent.
- Georgelemental 2y ago
  Different incentives. Lockheed and Northrop make their big bucks on “cost-plus” contracts, which is a euphemism for “paying the company to fail”. SpaceX and Anduril avoid that type of contract
croes 2y ago
The outcome will be the same, just the benefactor will change.
zfg 2y ago
Doesn't seem to be. SpaceX is issuing direct threats to civil servants: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/faa-workers-threatened-firing-spacex-b2709799.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/faa-worker... It's grubby.
- mlindner 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - marcusverus 2y ago
    [flagged]
    - zfg 2y ago
      Sure. Musk is cool: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy87vg38dnpo https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy87vg38dnpo He's very stable: https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/03/08/elon-musk-dubiously-blames-billionaires-george-soros-reid-hoffman-over-tesla-protests-citing-unnamed-investigation/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/03/08/elon-mus...
      - marcusverus 2y ago
        [flagged]
        dang 2y ago
        Personal attacks will get you banned here, and your account has unfortunately been doing this repeatedly, so please stop. Also, please don't use HN primarily for political or ideological battle. It's not what this site is for, and destroys what it is for—regardless of which politics you're for or against. Also, please don't post flamewar comments generally. If you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules when posting here, we'd appreciate it.

unsnap_biceps 2y ago

Is it? Why is this set of companies going to be better than the old guard? Honestly, given Musk's meddling with starlink access in Ukraine, I'm hesitant to give him control over hypersonic missiles in orbit. I've never had a similar concern around Lockheed or Northrop.

barrister 2y ago
I think the presumption is that Musk and the new guard are frugal and careful with money as seen by his passion for DOGE.
- kevincrane 2y ago
  But, as also seen with DOGE, they’re careless and refuse to do even cursory research on anything beyond the first-order effects of their actions which, to me at least, seems like a terrible set of traits for being in charge of weaponry.
  - UltraSane 2y ago
    Musk behaved the EXACT same way when he took over Twitter and wanted to move out of one of the 3 main data centers they used. Actual experts told him it would take a year so he instead impulsively hires basic movers to rip the servers out and was surprised at how many things this broke. He said "I didn't realize how many places that data center was hardcoded". Except people absolutely told him that.
- thfuran 2y ago
  But DOGE is a sham that's more interested in disrupting the government than frugality.
- mindslight 2y ago
  Sarcasm doesn't translate well to online comments. See also: Poe's law.
- UltraSane 2y ago
  Only gullible people actually think that. Musk is using DOGE to settle scores and shut down agencies investigating him or regulating his companies or ones he doesn't like.
  - disqard 2y ago
    Thank you for plainly stating the obvious! It's exhausting repudiating the "good faith arguments" online. The simple explanation is correct: he's mean, petty, insecure, and greedy, and is using this opportunity to "get even" and "get even richer".
    - UltraSane 2y ago
      Everything Musk has done in the past few years has proven he is not to be believed or trusted in any way. He is a destructive moron. He is the gremlin on the wing of the plane. Between Tesla, Twitter, and now the Federal Government he might have fired more people than anyone else in history.
      - mindslight 2y ago
        > He is the gremlin on the wing of the plane This is the scene I keep coming back to! Can you imagine having actually gotten into a space ship bound for Mars with this guy [0] ? He'd be whining that the trip was taking too long, complaining that the ship must be too heavy, and trying to drill speed holes in the hull. [0] (as we envisioned back when we thought this guy might actually put his own skin in the game like that, before his tragic spiral into social media and ketamine addictions)
        computerthings 2y ago
        [dead]
- NeutralCrane 2y ago
  I don’t think he’s particularly frugal. How much money did he blow buying his favorite social network again? DOGE (and Twitter) are examples of a modern American business management affliction: if you can’t think of anything to create, the next best thing is to start tearing other things down in the name of “efficiency”. Reap the short term benefits and then get out before it collapses.
netsharc 2y ago
Imagine President Harris saying "we need the system activated, Putin is threatening us" and the Ketamine-Head deciding otherwise...
- defrost 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - timeon 2y ago
    Ketaminov on the continent.
Georgelemental 2y ago
Different incentives. Lockheed and Northrop make their big bucks on “cost-plus” contracts, which is a euphemism for “paying the company to fail”. SpaceX and Anduril avoid that type of contract

croes 2y ago

The outcome will be the same, just the benefactor will change.

zfg 2y ago

Doesn't seem to be. SpaceX is issuing direct threats to civil servants: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/faa-workers-threatened-firing-spacex-b2709799.html https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/faa-worker... It's grubby.

mlindner 2y ago
[flagged]
- marcusverus 2y ago
  [flagged]
  - zfg 2y ago
    Sure. Musk is cool: https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy87vg38dnpo https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/cy87vg38dnpo He's very stable: https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/03/08/elon-musk-dubiously-blames-billionaires-george-soros-reid-hoffman-over-tesla-protests-citing-unnamed-investigation/ https://www.forbes.com/sites/conormurray/2025/03/08/elon-mus...
    - marcusverus 2y ago
      [flagged]
      - dang 2y ago
        Personal attacks will get you banned here, and your account has unfortunately been doing this repeatedly, so please stop. Also, please don't use HN primarily for political or ideological battle. It's not what this site is for, and destroys what it is for—regardless of which politics you're for or against. Also, please don't post flamewar comments generally. If you'd please review https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html https://news.ycombinator.com/newsguidelines.html and stick to the rules when posting here, we'd appreciate it.