This week United Airlines and Air France, announced that it will offer free Wi-Fi on every plane, joining Qatar and Hawaiian Airlines. Very soon, Wi-Fi will be a staple in every major airline in the world. This is in addition to many cruise ship companies and hundreds of private yacht and commercial boats already using the technology of Starlink.
Elon Musk, through SpaceX and Starlink, is set to dominate global internet communication.
When I think of Elon Musk, I picture superhero characters like Bruce Wayne (Batman) and Tony Stark (Iron Man). But even these fictional heroes pale in comparison to Elon Musk’s real-world achievements.
Currently, Elon Musk is the richest and most influential man on the planet, and his wealth and influence are poised to grow even more.
Elon Musk has turned science fiction into reality with groundbreaking innovations. Take Tesla, for example, which began as a prototype and has since become the most valuable automaker in the world. He changed the whole auto industry from gas engines to electric vehicles. Now, most car companies are building electric vehicles to catch up with the success of Tesla.
Then he created SpaceX, which became the most advanced rocket company in the world, surpassing the technologies of NASA, the U.S., China, and Russia. He created the technology of reusable rockets, significantly reducing the cost of each rocket launch. Nowadays, SpaceX is launching a rocket every three days, or about 120 per year, as opposed to NASA which launches about 20 rockets annually.
Now, Elon Musk is reshaping global communication through Starlink, providing internet service across the globe, even in the most remote locations—whether it’s the Amazon jungle, the Sahara Desert, or your cabin in the woods.
Internet connectivity is crucial for the nation security of many countries, economic growth, education, knowledge sharing, and entertainment. At present, around 6,400 Starlink satellites orbit the Earth, connecting 3 million customers across 100 countries.
This vast network gives Elon Musk immense power, connecting millions to the internet. Internet access has the potential to transform lives. A farmer in South Africa or India can check crop prices and determine the best time to sell, people around the world connect to Starlink even in countries where the service is banned.
Many countries have banned Starlink because they fear the power of information in the hands of regular citizens, while other countries that want to leapfrog the communication of their citizens into the internet era are doing whatever they can to bring this technology to them.
Starlink has the potential to impact billions of people, and yet it’s astonishing to realize that this technology is controlled by a single man in Boca Chica, Texas.
There are 2.7 billion people worldwide without internet access, many of them in developing countries in Africa and Asia, but some of them in remote areas within the U.S. and Canada. Starlink has the potential to bridge this digital divide, reducing inequalities between the haves and the have-nots.
Elon Musk is known for creating huge amount of value for shareholders. Since Tesla went public in June 2010, its stock has grown by an average of 44% annually. Over 14 years, Tesla’s stock has soared by an incredible 18,400%.
While SpaceX and Starlink remain private companies for now, if Elon Musk decides to take them public, don’t hesitate to buy some shares. Many were skeptical when Tesla first went public, only to regret not seizing the opportunity to invest in a great company with groundbreaking products.
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