Charlie StrossFeb 1

Because a LOT of people are missing the point:

No, Elon Musk is NOT serious about putting a million data centres into orbit. It can't work: laws of physics say "nope".

But SpaceX is expected to go public this year.

Elon is talking up his company's future prospects in front of gullible investors because he needs a growth narrative beyond Starlink, which is already priced in. Something to justify the Starship proram beyond NASA's lunar ambitions.

So it's salesman's bullshit, lies for fools.

Show threadDubious Blur
@cstross it’s interesting how he keeps talking about solar energy, still, while the rest of the right wing mysteriously seem not to. How far off the predictions in your essay about him & space & solar energy collection are we, I wonder. (Did he get lapped by the cost of batteries dropping as they have? It seems likely.)
Feb 1 at 11:44amWeb
Show threadCharlie StrossFeb 1
@dubiousblur Remember he owns massive battery factories. However, China more or less has a monopoly on PV panel manufacturing.
Show threadNicovel0 🍉Feb 1
@cstross @dubiousblur I remember reading somewhere that in China BYD makes batteries for Tesla, so they may well be losing their edge there as well.
Show threadfedops 💙💛Feb 1

@cstross with outdated technology because they failed on the 4680 cells, and with now canceled supply contracts:

https://electrek.co/2025/12/29/tesla-4680-battery-supply-chain-collapses-partner-writes-down-dea/

Apparently they are using up surplus 4680s in model ys now:

https://www.autoevolution.com/news/tesla-quietly-starts-building-model-y-with-its-controversial-4680-cells-again-264844.html

@dubiousblur

Tesla’s 4680 battery supply chain collapses as partner writes down deal by 99%

A major link in Tesla’s 4680 battery supply chain has just snapped. South Korean battery material supplier L&F Co. announced...

Electrek
Show threadBashStKidFeb 1
@fedops @cstross @dubiousblur That is interesting.