Written by: Techub News Compilation
Introduction
Elon Musk, who left the White House in May 2025, did not step away from the public and power stage; instead, over the past year, he has frequently acted in the realms of courts, space, and satellite networks, quietly expanding his personal influence. Whether it's the lawsuit with former OpenAI partner Sam Altman, or using Starlink as a "switch" for the global internet, Musk is transforming private technological capabilities into a transnational, cross-domain form of actual power. This article is compiled based on an interview from BBC's "The Global Story" special,梳理 Musk's main actions in recent years, underlying motivations, controversies sparked, and possible future directions.
I. Legal Storm: Musk's Courtroom Battle with OpenAI
In early 2026, Musk filed a lawsuit against OpenAI and its CEO Sam Altman in the U.S. Federal Court in California, accusing them of violating the original agreement as a non-profit organization, privatizing the originally non-profit structure for profit. The core of Musk's claims includes: demanding that OpenAI pay approximately $150 billion (reported externally as a demand of $150 billion; described as a $150 billion demand in the video) to the non-profit organization he founded, requiring Altman to step down, and pushing for a "reversal" of OpenAI's for-profit mechanism.
The courtroom presented a highly dramatic trial. Judge Ivón Gonzalez Rogers sternly warned both parties to stop publicly debating the case on social media, as Musk frequently posted about the case on the X platform (formerly Twitter), attempting to exert pressure outside the "court of public opinion." The jury consisted of citizens from Northern California, responsible for issuing an advisory verdict, but the final decision rested with the judge.
OpenAI countered that Musk left OpenAI in 2018, and the company's subsequent shift to for-profit was to attract substantial capital to meet the high costs of AI research and development; additionally, the OpenAI team pointed out that Musk himself is running an AI company, xAI, that competes with OpenAI, suggesting the lawsuit may have competitive motives. During the trial, evidence showed that Musk used OpenAI's models as training data when developing his own products, a point that was unfavorable to Musk in court and was used by the opposing lawyers to question the morality and consistency of his stance.
Commentary: This lawsuit is not just a battle over interests, but also revolves around the broader themes of "AI ownership, governance, and ethics." If Musk's claims are partially upheld, it could lead to significant changes in the governance structure of the AI industry; if he loses, it is more a contest of law and discourse power, but it cannot fully alleviate public concerns about private capital dominating core AI resources.
II. Grok and xAI: From Chatbot to Regulatory Storm
Musk's xAI and its chatbot Grok have recently become the focus of regulatory and public attention due to various issues. Reports indicate that Grok generated inappropriate content, including non-consensual "sexualized deepfake images" and extreme or false information in specific contexts (e.g., denying historical facts). These incidents have triggered investigations by regulatory bodies in France, the UK, the EU, and elsewhere, as well as actions by several U.S. state attorneys general.
In France, prosecutors issued a subpoena regarding whether X's algorithms were used to interfere with political expression. Musk was summoned but did not appear, later explaining his behavior as a counterattack against political motives. The EU and UK are also simultaneously reviewing Grok and related systems' capabilities in filtering and preventing harmful content, focusing on algorithm settings, content safety mechanisms, and remedies for victims.
Commentary: The "out-of-control" cases of AI chatbots have rapidly become testing grounds for transnational regulation. The Grok incident reveals that when private companies deploy powerful generative models without adequate safety constraints, it can easily trigger a chain reaction of legal and ethical issues globally. The company founder's public stance and discourse also influence regulators' attitudes and public trust.
III. Starlink: Not Just "Satellite Broadband," but a Global Switch
The video emphasizes that Musk's Starlink satellite internet service may be the most strategically significant part of his empire. Starlink, a subsidiary of SpaceX, provides satellite internet access to users worldwide by launching a large number of satellites into low Earth orbit (LEO). To date, Starlink has over 10 million active users in 150 countries, with coverage increasingly widespread, from Wi-Fi services on airplanes to emergency communications in remote areas.
More critically, Starlink has played a significant role in multiple geopolitical conflicts and domestic political events. Typical cases include the war in Ukraine, where Musk repeatedly intervened in the use and allocation of Starlink—as early as 2023, U.S. journalists and analysts revealed that he refused a Ukrainian request to use Starlink for a certain unexpected attack, citing concerns that Russia might retaliate very dangerously (including the extreme risk of nuclear conflict). Similarly, in other conflicts or internet blackout scenarios, Musk influenced information flow and battlefield communications by "temporarily opening or restricting" Starlink services.
Furthermore, Starlink was used to provide access to local citizens during a prolonged internet blackout in Iran, but the usage risk is high because possessing or distributing Starlink equipment in Iran may violate local laws and lead to detention.
Commentary: Unlike traditional infrastructure, Starlink concentrates the "right of access" in the hands of a single private entrepreneur, giving Musk the actual power to decide who can and cannot access the internet at critical moments. In some countries or regions, this capability can be seen as a lifeline; in other scenarios, it may be interpreted as a means of information control through "private hegemony."
IV. The Concept of Space Data Centers: The Ambition of 1 Million Satellites
In 2026, Musk applied to the U.S. government for a large-scale satellite launch permit, aiming to expand the number of satellites to 1 million and gradually build so-called "space data centers" (solar AI data centres) in orbit, which plan to use continuous solar power in space to provide computing resources for AI.
This plan raises many technical and safety questions: On one hand, it remains unknown whether space data centers are feasible in terms of cost, thermal management, maintenance, and data transmission latency; space is a vacuum, and the heat generated by high-performance chips for AI training is difficult to dissipate using traditional methods, and the maturity of robotic or other automated maintenance systems is also unknown. On the other hand, launching a massive number of satellites into low Earth orbit also brings increasing orbital congestion and collision risks, potentially exacerbating the space debris problem and affecting the entire orbital ecosystem.
At the ground regulatory level, competitors like Amazon (Bezos) have already raised objections to Musk's expansion, filing formal opposition with the FCC (Federal Communications Commission), citing concerns about orbital congestion and spectrum resource competition.
Commentary: If this vision is realized, space data centers would redefine the geographical and sovereign boundaries of computing resources, transferring more critical computing power beyond Earth. This could both become a path to bypass ground-based regulations and energy constraints, and trigger new international governance and security challenges.
V. A New Form of Power: The Interweaving of Private Entrepreneurs and Traditional States
The video repeatedly emphasizes a viewpoint: Musk's influence in certain contexts is already comparable to that of heads of state, even surpassing the capabilities of some governments—because the power to provide or revoke internet access effectively impacts a country or region's information flow, emergency response, and social mobilization capacity.
Unlike heads of state, Musk has no term limits and is not bound by conventional democratic accountability mechanisms. He can leverage his massive capital, technological deployment capabilities, and global infrastructure layout to act with different strategies in different regions. This "private global governance" is becoming a new reality: control over certain transnational infrastructures is no longer entirely in the hands of states but has fallen into the hands of an entrepreneur who can vertically integrate rocket launches, satellite manufacturing, and internet services.
Assessment: This concentration of power brings advantages in efficiency and rapid deployment, such as providing communication support quickly during disasters. However, it also challenges existing international rules: Who has the right to decide network access? How should conflicts between private interests and national security, freedom of speech, or human rights be adjudicated? These are core issues in contemporary international politics and technology governance.
VI. Several Possible Future Directions
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Strengthened Laws and Regulations: Disputes triggered by Grok and Starlink may prompt regulatory agencies in various countries to accelerate the formulation of stricter algorithm reviews, data governance, and satellite launch permit systems. If regulation prevails, some of Musk's actions may be restricted, but this could also foster transnational regulatory cooperation and new agreements.
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Relocation of Private Computing Power: If space data centers prove feasible and economical, the geographical location of AI training and data storage will shift, thereby affecting national control over data sovereignty. Countries may introduce new clauses to restrict the relocation of critical computing power or impose stricter requirements on foreign capital deployment.
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Intensified Competition and Market Restructuring: Companies like Amazon will not sit idly by. The satellite internet market is likely to enter a new round of competition and cooperation, bringing more mergers and acquisitions, spectrum battles, and technological innovation, but also potentially more lawsuits and regulatory friction.
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Normalization of Social and Ethical Conflicts: The privatization of information access will spark more public debate: Who should hold the power to influence public opinion and communication? How can vulnerable groups be ensured protection under such infrastructure? These issues will deepen public participation and policy discussions.
VII. Conclusion
What Musk represents is not just the success story of an individual or a company, but an example of how technology, capital, and power intertwine to shape the new rules of the world. Regardless of the court's ruling or whether the space plans are ultimately realized, projects like Starlink and xAI have already brought many key discussions of this era to the table: the governance of transnational infrastructures such as AI and satellite internet is becoming one of the core issues of 21st-century international politics.
