If SpaceX is that critical to national defense & foreign policy, it should be nationalized.
this post was submitted on 21 Aug 2023
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I mean, we didn't nationalize Lockheed-Martin or Boeing or Northrop-Grumman or Raytheon or General Dynamics, etc. I think we can survive without nationalizing the company as we've done throughout our defense history.
Those companies had boards of directors and people at the top who were known to be reliable partners. SpaceX has an idiotic juvenile at the helm. The situations are barely even comparable.
Those companies had boards of directors and people at the top who were known to be reliable partners. SpaceX has an idiotic juvenile at the helm. The situations are barely even comparable.
Not a student of history I take it? I give you Howard Hughes.
SpaceX and Tesla now have effective senior management that insulate their divisions from Musk. His impact there is increasingly minimal, if at all present.
Where Musk is allowed to be Musk is Twitter, an emblem of his wonderful management style.
None of those companies had the ability to stop their equipment in the field from working if they decided one day they'd rather support our enemies. And they didn't have a history of being influenced by our enemies.
The article makes it clear that Musk has already gotten Ukrainian soldiers killed with his shenanigans. We should not allow him the chance to do it again.
Its unclear that we are surviving them, or at least not paying them blood money too.
Nationalizing SpaceX would turn it into nowadays NASA’s system which is risk zero and the expense of pushing the envelope and fast changes. SpaceX doesn’t mind blowing up 10 rockets while nasa will spend years to design one and launch it once.
It doesn't behoove us to have one man be capable of derailing entire segments of our national policy at his whim, especially when that man was never elected to anything.
SpaceX doesn’t mind blowing up 10 rockets
SpaceX doesn’t mind blowing up living people, too.
What makes you say that?
I mean, Elon, sure, but did the company overall do something I missed...?
Their way of working. It is like a software shop, for example the "fail fast" principle.
This seems disruptive in the world of engineering, and it has caused many people wonder. But it is not the best way if you suddenly have living people sitting in the rockets.
What makes you say that?
Conversations with employees of that company
If SpaceX is that critical to national defense & foreign policy, it should be nationalized.
Remove the SpaceX name from that statement and the statement is just as crazy.
Examples:
- If Verizon is that critical to national defense & foreign policy, it should be nationalized.
- If Raytheon is that critical to national defense & foreign policy, it should be nationalized.
- If Northrup Grumman is that critical to national defense & foreign policy, it should be nationalized.
- If General Dynamics Electric Boat is that critical to national defense & foreign policy, it should be nationalized.
- If Honeywell International is that critical to national defense & foreign policy, it should be nationalized.
- If Boeing is that critical to national defense & foreign policy, it should be nationalized.
- If Norfolk Southern Railway is that critical to national defense & foreign policy, it should be nationalized.
It just isn't our country's way to steal a company from its owners or shareholders. Its a bit frightening you think it should be.
Most or all of your examples have meaningfully valid competitors in the space. SpaceX does not, at least not yet.
So your rationale for seizing a private company is that it is better than its competitors?
No, it’s that as an effective monopoly, it has unreasonable power over the government.
You're 17 years too late to use that argument in good faith. Not only is SpaceX not a monopoly (because there are many other companies you can buy launch services from in the USA) but because that wasn't the case in 2006 when Boeing and Lockheed (with USA government consent!) created a TRUE launch monopoly by merging to create ULA (United Launch Alliance).
So... In your opinion, it should be allowed to operate like any normal company without restrictions? What would happen if, say, a powerful Chinese investor attempted to buy it outright?
So… In your opinion, it should be allowed to operate like any normal company without restrictions?
I can't tell what you're trying to say with your first sentence. Most companies DO have specific restrictions based upon their industry, environmental impact, and various forms of regulatory compliance. SpaceX isn't an exception.
What would happen if, say, a powerful Chinese investor attempted to buy it outright?
It likely wouldn't be allowed just like other national strategic companies. What is your point with that?
And what if a nation bought the guy in charge? You know, like has potentially already happened with the PIF
Meh. Fuck all those corporate assholes.
There's a caveat. Most countries will heavily regulate access to limited resources, for example radio frequency bands. SpaceX is occupying defined orbit which means it's perfectly reasonable to ensure society benefits from this privilege.
Musk told Kahl that the vivid illustration of how technology he had designed for peaceful ends was being used to wage war gave him pause.
Well you see, there's you're problem right there... You're completely full of shit. Musk has never designed anything.