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And the evidence that SpaceX is in the interest of American citizens is...? Neuralink existed for years before Musk. If it weren't him, the researchers would h

And the evidence that SpaceX is in the interest of American citizens is...? Neuralink existed for years before Musk. If it weren't him, the researchers would have continued with other investors or govt grants (Trump gutting the NIH recently notwithstanding). Compare this paltry evidence of benefit with the massive damage being done by the Musk-directed DOGE group, and it's clear billionaires being able to use their money to buy influence over govt is a net negative for US citizens.

WalterBright 1y ago
> And the evidence that SpaceX is in the interest of American citizens is...? Starlink. The one that connected the N Carolina hurricane victims when FEMA failed, and then again in Los Angeles. NASA can now launch missions at 10% of the cost, due to SpaceX. > Neuralink existed for years before Musk. According to Google: "Neuralink, an invasive BCI company with a short-term goal of treating various neurological disorders such as quadriplegia, was founded by Elon Musk in 2016 with the intention of creating another “layer” to the brain to complement the functions of existing layers like the limbic system and the cortex." It's now working on restoring sight to the blind. What a monster Musk is! BTW, the value of his companies is what investors value it at. Surely they think they are worth it.
- mlrtime 1y ago
  There is nothing to be gained of defending Musks's positive contributions. These people are so locked into their mindset.
  - camel_Snake 1y ago
    I think many people find cheaper launches for NASA very cool, but things like handing over restricted government data to Russia or throwing out vital medication in areas where its already been deployed vastly outweighs saving the federal government some bucks.
    - WalterBright 1y ago
      When $200b in spending is cut, it's inevitable there will be things like that. In every organization that needs to cut. The US will shortly be in a doom loop of spending, which will have far worse effects.
- wglb 1y ago
  Another internet provider was also instrumental as described in this post https://qrper.com/2024/09/aftermath/ https://qrper.com/2024/09/aftermath/, one of my favorite posts by Thomas.
- KingMob 1y ago
  You know all those things would happen without Musk, right? A funny thing about SpaceX: I used to work around the space coast in Florida, and the scuttlebutt there was how often the employees had to work around Musk. Apparently he would breeze in, make uninformed suggestions, and the employees developed processes to limit his damage. Go outside, touch some grass, and contemplate that Musk is just a dude with a lot of money, not some singular genius or the savior of humanity. Once you do that, you can ask yourself if he's even the best billionaire to be running these companies.

WalterBright 1y ago

> And the evidence that SpaceX is in the interest of American citizens is...? Starlink. The one that connected the N Carolina hurricane victims when FEMA failed, and then again in Los Angeles. NASA can now launch missions at 10% of the cost, due to SpaceX. > Neuralink existed for years before Musk. According to Google: "Neuralink, an invasive BCI company with a short-term goal of treating various neurological disorders such as quadriplegia, was founded by Elon Musk in 2016 with the intention of creating another “layer” to the brain to complement the functions of existing layers like the limbic system and the cortex." It's now working on restoring sight to the blind. What a monster Musk is! BTW, the value of his companies is what investors value it at. Surely they think they are worth it.

mlrtime 1y ago
There is nothing to be gained of defending Musks's positive contributions. These people are so locked into their mindset.
- camel_Snake 1y ago
  I think many people find cheaper launches for NASA very cool, but things like handing over restricted government data to Russia or throwing out vital medication in areas where its already been deployed vastly outweighs saving the federal government some bucks.
  - WalterBright 1y ago
    When $200b in spending is cut, it's inevitable there will be things like that. In every organization that needs to cut. The US will shortly be in a doom loop of spending, which will have far worse effects.
wglb 1y ago
Another internet provider was also instrumental as described in this post https://qrper.com/2024/09/aftermath/ https://qrper.com/2024/09/aftermath/, one of my favorite posts by Thomas.
KingMob 1y ago
You know all those things would happen without Musk, right? A funny thing about SpaceX: I used to work around the space coast in Florida, and the scuttlebutt there was how often the employees had to work around Musk. Apparently he would breeze in, make uninformed suggestions, and the employees developed processes to limit his damage. Go outside, touch some grass, and contemplate that Musk is just a dude with a lot of money, not some singular genius or the savior of humanity. Once you do that, you can ask yourself if he's even the best billionaire to be running these companies.