NHacker Next on Rails
  • top
  • new
  • best
  • ask
  • show
  • jobs
login
GuidelinesFAQListsAPISecurityLegalApply to YCContact

Hacker News on Rails, powered by React on Rails Pro. Open the source on GitHub by ShakaCode.

Commit 06fc0df

Rendered at 10:35:14 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time) with Rails + React on Rails RSC.

Musk Ordered Starlink Slowdown That Blindsided Ukraine (wsj.com)

89 points by jaredwiener 14h ago | 43 comments

flowerlad 13h ago
This is hugely relevant in India because Musk is trying to force his way into the Indian market [1]. You don't want Musk owning critical infrastructure in any country.

[1] https://www.nytimes.com/2026/10/14/business/india-elon-musk-...

petetnt 4h ago
It’s also no mistake that a certain ”flying” car was shown recently, it’s like jangling shiny keys in front of people and the general public, including HN, ate it wholesale.
roryirvine 1h ago
Try jingling your keys too often, and your cat will start acting with disdain rather than excitement.

Ever more of us have reached that point with Musk, and he'll soon be reduced to dancing a jig with his underpants on his head in a desperate attempt to forestall yawns from his audience.

What happens at that point? Will he calm down and start acting a bit more sensibly, or will he react against the ingrates? Will he want to send us all away to, er, live on a farm?

afavour 13h ago
So, Starlink is a national security risk. Worth noting.

Be glad you saw this thread before it is inevitably flagged from the site, despite clearly being relevant.

yoyohello13 5h ago
Funny how this is barely visible while the roadster that will never see the light of day has >2000 comments.
jacquesm 12h ago
It only gets flagged when it reaches the homepage. Elon has godlike status amongst some HN'ers so it is kind of predictable that whatever criticizes Elon will get flagged.
afavour 12h ago
Flagging downranks the entry so it disappears quickly off the homepage. As indeed happened in this case.
tmpz22 11h ago
I was unable to access this post without logging in. I kept receiving a page whose only text was “sorry.”
jacquesm 10h ago
That happens, it's a bug in HN. The title will show but the page comes up blank with 'Sorry.'.
jacquesm 13h ago
I wonder in what other country a private individual would be given the power over foreign policy to this extent.
worik 10h ago
I think the USA has laws against private citizens involving themselves in foreign policy

Edit: The Logan Act

jacquesm 10h ago
You can have all the laws you want but if you don't enforce them they might as well not exist. And then there is the abuse of power. I'm not under the illusion that any of these people will ever answer for their deeds. But the world is watching and learning.
cdrnsf 11h ago
This is easy: issue crippling fines and criminal penalties, nationalize SpaceX and allow Ukraine to go on using it.
Jtsummers 11h ago
That won't happen with this administration. It's backing out of sanctions on Russia, and starting to slow down (working towards eliminating, it appears) support for Ukraine.
jacquesm 11h ago
I wished I was religious so I could pray for a house+senate victory in two weeks time. This charade has gone on far too long, the United States is much too important a player on the international stage to be run by characters of this caliber.
Jtsummers 11h ago
Even my district has a chance to flip and it has always (since its creation over 50 years ago) been held by Republicans.
jacquesm 11h ago
Here's to hoping.

You'd think that with this much evidence getting rid of these characters would be a shoe-in, more than half the world can't believe what trump & co are getting away with here.

I trace this particular thing back to two specific items (1) 9/11 and (2) Barack Obama. The first made Muslims a never ending gift in terms of pushing the fear button and the second gave rise to overt racism by that contingent of the country that could not comprehend how a person-of-color managed to get into the most powerful spot in the country when they were still struggling. Between those two and some very nasty behind the scenes work by the Heritage Foundation and a bunch of fat cats suddenly we find ourselves with the world hanging in the balance. World War I started over much less.

davidw 11h ago
Get out there and walk doors if you can. Even an introvert like me can do it. It doesn't really require any special training. Find your candidate and look up how to help.
henriquenunez 4h ago
No archive link? ;-;
hnburnsy 12h ago
So which reporting do I believe:

  Reuters reported the order came from inside the White House
  The Telegraph reported Musk proposed it to Trump
  WSJ says Musk ordered it
Jtsummers 12h ago
Musk gave the order. The debate is to what extent, if any, this was coordinated with or directed from the WH. But it either started with Musk, passed through Musk from the WH, or was decided in the WH with Musk involved in the discussion. Regardless, he's the one who actually gave the order since this is not a "the buck stops here" kind of administration.
jacquesm 12h ago
They're swapping the hot potato so fast you could probably get some good energy out of that. Someone is going to get into a lot of trouble over that, the image of people dying on video within 24 hours of drone strikes that could have been prevented is a lot easier to relate to than a school with 130 girls in it (though that was at least if not more reprehensible, and they can throw Hegseth under the bus when it comes to it). This one is on them and they know it.
SmirkingRevenge 12h ago
I guess we just have to blame them all
rectang 13h ago
Note to anyone considering buying defense product from Musk's companies: your security may be shut off at Elon Musk's whim.
goatlover 12h ago
When will Elon be held accountable?
rstuart4133 6h ago
Within a decade. Starlink had little competition, and the world had little reason to build one - it's a good service and the price isn't bad.

Now Russia, China, Japan and the EU are all building competitors. Most of SpaceX's revenue comes from Starlink launches.

jacquesm 12h ago
probably never, but if he ever spends a day in jail because of this I'll be happy to eat a soft head covering of your choosing[1].

[1] conditions (condiments) may apply.

JumpCrisscross 13h ago
Elon Musk is a national security threat to free Europe.

I don’t for a second believe anyone in leadership will make the necessary hard choices, e.g. tariffs or even bans on purchasing or financing Tesla and Starlink. And Musk knows this. He wouldn’t dare pull this sort of nonsense with anyone in China’s sphere of influence.

throw310822 12h ago
Is this saying that Musk ordered by himself a restriction in the service of Starshield, a US defense infrastructure? Is it just me or this doesn't make any sense?
Jtsummers 12h ago
> Is this saying that Musk ordered by himself a restriction in the service of Starshield

No, the title and article are about Starlink, Starshield isn't even mentioned.

jacquesm 11h ago
No, it is not, this is the first line of the article:

"ordered the slowdown of a military-grade version of Starlink relied on by Ukraine"

The 'military-grade version of Starlink' = StarShield, the reason they refer to Starlink is because that's what the public knows.

Jtsummers 11h ago
Ah, fair point. I wish the authors would have called it by its actual name.
jacquesm 11h ago
NP, Yes, they should have and they should have added that to that line ("called StarShield"). That would have saved a lot of people the confusion.

Either way, what Musk did was disgusting, it's indirect murder. Not that that's new for him but still, this time the link is a very short one.

throw310822 11h ago
But how can you believe that Musk limited a US military service of his own initiative?
insane_dreamer 10h ago
> by himself

the reporting doesn't indicate he did this "on his own"; but rather it appears it was initiated by the WH. Musk of course giving the order since the WH wasn't going to call up the Starlink engineers directly

verdverm 13h ago
From another comment of mine on a HN Musk submission today

---

Musk has earned the vitriol, largely due to his political stunts. When the world's richest person starts dumping his money into elections and interfering in politics across the globe, why are we surprised people are angry and critical? When he takes a golden chainsaw to USAID, how many preventable deaths are directly attributable to these changes? How is it fair that an unelected, private citizen can contribute so much money to one person's political campaign, and then receive carte blanche to change our public services as a reward? How is it that this same person can unilaterally change how our military assets are used by an ally?

Something is deeply wrong with this. This is the heart of people's anger.

tastyface 13h ago
Musk adds Ukrainian blood to his already sopping-wet hands.
jacquesm 13h ago
I watched a video of a group of mothers and kids in a playground when a Russian drone arrived. One of the kids was a 1 year old in a stroller.

Elon Musk has a lot to answer for.

verdverm 13h ago
This is what happens when you mix ketamine with grok and too much money.
worik 10h ago
Yes. There should be a law against it....