co-president
Senior Advisor to the President for Government Efficiency (2025–2025)
| Born | 1971-06-28 · Pretoria |
|---|---|
| Citizenship | South Africa (since 1971), Canada (since 1971), United States (since 2002) |
| Party | Independent |
| Offices |
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| Education | University of Pennsylvania (BA, BS) |
| Occupation | CEO and product architect of Tesla, Founder, CEO, and chief engineer of SpaceX, Founder and CEO of SpaceXAI, Founder and CTO of X Corp., Co-founder of Neuralink, The Boring Company, OpenAI, Zip2, X.com and PayPal, President of the Musk Foundation |
| Awards | Full list |
What this person said on the record, as reported, newest first.
Elon Musk accused Ukraine’s military of using Starlink for offensive drone strikes in breach of its terms, a claim Ukrainian officials denied, saying commercial Starlink could not technically be used for such missions. The dispute follows Ukrainian accusations that SpaceX restrictions disrupted military drone operations. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Starlink and Starshield services had been fully restored.
TThe Verge
Elon Musk said the risk of Russia destroying Starlink satellites is one of the main reasons the service should remain civilian and not support clearly offensive strikes. In mid-October, restrictions affected Ukraine’s military Starshield terminals, with connections dropping when drones exceeded 160 kilometers per hour. Ukraine’s armed forces denied using Starlink for offensive drone attacks, saying this was technically impossible because the service does not operate over Russian territory.
MMeduza
Elon Musk said Ukraine violated Starlink’s terms of service by using the commercial service for lethal offensive drone strikes. His remarks followed a SpaceX restriction on using the satellite technology aboard drones flying above certain speeds. A current and a former Ukrainian official rejected his claim, saying earlier limits already prevented the military from using Starlink as he described. Ukrainian officials have also accused Musk of restricting access to Starshield, the military version available to Ukraine through a US government deal.
A
Ars Technica
After Kyiv said Starlink access had been restored, SpaceX CEO Elon Musk accused Ukraine’s armed forces of breaking the service’s terms by using it for offensive drone strikes to kill people. President Volodymyr Zelensky’s adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov disputed the claim and referred to speed restrictions and the service’s unavailability.
C
CNN
Elon Musk accused Ukraine’s military of breaching Starlink’s terms of service, saying it used the satellite system for offensive strikes. Ukrainian officials denied the allegation and said restrictions were imposed without warning. Starlink and Starshield went offline earlier this month, leaving Ukraine vulnerable to Russian drone strikes.
G
Global News
Zelensky said Starlink and its militarized Starshield service had returned to full speed. Musk accused Ukraine’s military of violating Starlink’s terms of service and said a loophole had been closed; Ukrainian figures denied the claim. Separately, local authorities said Russian attacks killed eight and injured 51 across Ukraine over the past day, including a drone strike on a residential building in Vinnytsia.
TThe Kyiv Independent
Elon Musk said SpaceX restricted use of its Starlink satellite system in Ukraine last week, after the curbs disrupted Ukrainian military operations.
N
NBC News
Elon Musk said SpaceX had restricted Ukraine’s Starlink service, after Ukrainian officials reported connectivity had stabilized. He accused Ukraine of breaching the terms by using the civilian network for military activity, while denying responsibility for a simultaneous issue with the US-run Starshield system. Ukraine’s presidential adviser called Musk’s claim “very strange.”
B
BBC News
Elon Musk said Saturday that SpaceX had throttled Starlink satellite internet in Ukraine, disrupting a service the country relies on to defend itself against Russia.
CCBC News
The program examines the intersection of politics and global business. Evelyn Farkas, executive director of the McCain Institute and a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, says the slowdown in Starlink speeds was a moral problem for the US.
B
Bloomberg Television
Reports that mention this person, by story.
Since last week, Ukraine has reported restrictions on Starshield, a version of SpaceX’s Starlink, saying they are hampering its military operations against Russia.
C
CNBCOriginal★★★☆☆2026-10-23 17:04
Donald Trump said on Oct. 23 he would help resolve any remaining problems with Ukraine’s military-grade Starshield service and might contact Elon Musk if they continued. Ukrainian officials said the terminals were still experiencing severe problems, with one intelligence official saying Starshield still did not work.
TThe Kyiv IndependentOriginal★★★★☆2026-10-23 15:19
The Economist, citing sources, reported that Elon Musk may have restricted Starlink access for Ukrainian forces to punish Ukraine for strikes on Russian oil refineries. It said the decision appeared to come from a small circle around Donald Trump, Musk and Steve Witkoff. Trump said Ukraine’s access to Starshield had been restored on October 22.
T
TASSOriginal★★★★☆2026-10-23 13:01
Starlink has supported Ukraine’s resistance to Russia’s full-scale invasion for years, but political concerns around Elon Musk and recent unexpected outages have made the service less reliable. Ukraine and Europe face urgent questions about moving on without it. Starlink has supported civilian and military communications and helped Ukraine remotely operate drones.
AArs TechnicaOriginal★★★☆☆2026-10-23 11:30
President Donald Trump said Elon Musk had restored Ukraine’s Starlink access, but President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said speeds had yet to return to normal.
R
ReutersOriginal★★★☆☆2026-10-23 11:04
US President Donald Trump said Elon Musk had restored Starshield military communications in Ukraine. Reports said connection speeds for Ukrainian equipment had been capped, and that Trump asked Musk to reinstate the service. Kyiv has not confirmed whether the restrictions were lifted and has not received a clear explanation of who ordered them or why.
DDWOriginal★★★★☆2026-10-23 05:37
Trump says Elon Musk restored Ukraine’s access to Starlink, but he declined to explain how the service’s speed and access restrictions were lifted. Ukrainian officials had said sudden limits disrupted the military, and connectivity reportedly remains spotty despite the service’s return.
AAl JazeeraOriginal★★★★☆2026-10-23 01:46
President Donald Trump spoke with SpaceX CEO Elon Musk and asked him to remove restrictions on the company’s Starlink satellite system in Ukraine, the Wall Street Journal reported Thursday.
BBloomberg NewsOriginal★★★☆☆2026-10-23 00:00
The program examines the intersection of politics and global business. Evelyn Farkas, executive director of the McCain Institute and a former deputy assistant secretary of defense for Russia, Ukraine and Eurasia, says the slowdown in Starlink speeds was a moral problem for the US.
BBloomberg TelevisionOriginal★★★☆☆2026-10-22 23:05
Donald Trump says Elon Musk has restored Ukraine’s internet access through Starlink. Volodymyr Zelensky had said the military’s connection was not yet fully restored, while Musk has repeatedly denied imposing restrictions. Trump declined to address a report that he pressed Musk, saying only that Musk had put the service back.
BBBC NewsOriginal★★★★☆2026-10-22 21:42
