Musk Is Seeking Confrontation with Europe. It’s Time To Set Limits for Him
When it serves his own and Trump’s interests, Elon Musk uses his tech empire to put pressure on Ukraine and the EU. Will Europe finally free itself from him?
Did he do it or not? There has been speculation for days as to whether Elon Musk ordered the throttling of the military version of Starlink for Ukraine. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, he did. Musk reportedly coordinated the action with U.S. President Donald Trump.
This action should alarm the European public and serve as a wake-up call. The EU must make reducing dependence on American tech companies one of its highest priorities. This must not apply only to Starlink, even if the companies with a close relationship to the U.S. government represent the biggest problem. The example of Ukraine clearly shows that these American corporations are not reliable partners.
After all, there is calculated self-interest behind this action: Trump wants the attacks on Russian oil refineries to stop. He can’t afford for them to continue during the midterm elections in light of higher gas prices. And Musk is demonstrating his power to Europe at the exact moment that the EU is considering limiting Starlink’s monopoly over satellite communications.
These shutdowns are not just fatal for Ukraine, which uses Starlink for communication and drone operations. Europe’s democratic governments have decided to support Ukraine. An independent Ukraine was declared a cornerstone of Europe’s security strategy — Musk and Trump are showing what they think of that.
The EU as an Enemy
This adds to the list of attacks on Europe by Republicans and the tech bros. The current political landscape in the EU is portrayed in the White House’s national security strategy as a threat to American interests. Trump and Musk are working hand in hand to weaken the union, recently by portraying the unrest and protests in Paris as a consequence of immigration and talking about an “invasion.” The algorithms on X deliver images that reinforce this narrative.
There are in fact European initiatives for more independence. In the summer, the European Commission presented a package to strengthen European sovereignty. Some countries such as Austria are simultaneously pushing a “buy European” policy. All of this is overdue.
The problem is that initiatives like this are often half-hearted. While independence is talked about in Europe, dependence grows: an increasing number of airlines are using Starlink for their in-flight internet connection. Recently, KLM closed a deal; Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and others did so previously. European banks almost exclusively rely on artificial intelligence infrastructure from the United States because nobody has set any requirements for them to do otherwise. Contracts like these reinforce the technological advantage and thus the dominance of American corporations.
Danger to Freedom and Prosperity
Europe is also investing too little. Former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi has just recently called for public investment of over 100 billion euros in AI capacity. Europe currently controls 5% of global AI computing capacity. There just doesn’t seem to be anyone willing to put that much money on the table.
What can be done? EU politicians should consider technological dependence on the United States a threat to freedom and prosperity. In addition to investment, counterpressure is needed. Musk needs to know that it will be costly for him if he turns off Starlink again.
It is risky for Europe to seek confrontation. Capitulation would be a worse alternative.
Did he do it or not? There has been speculation for days as to whether Elon Musk ordered the throttling of the military version of Starlink for Ukraine. According to a report by The Wall Street Journal, he did. Musk reportedly coordinated the action with U.S. President Donald Trump.
This action should alarm the European public and serve as a wake-up call. The EU must make reducing dependence on American tech companies one of its highest priorities. This must not apply only to Starlink, even if the companies with a close relationship to the U.S. government represent the biggest problem. The example of Ukraine clearly shows that these American corporations are not reliable partners.
After all, there is calculated self-interest behind this action: Trump wants the attacks on Russian oil refineries to stop. He can’t afford for them to continue during the midterm elections in light of higher gas prices. And Musk is demonstrating his power to Europe at the exact moment that the EU is considering limiting Starlink’s monopoly over satellite communications.
These shutdowns are not just fatal for Ukraine, which uses Starlink for communication and drone operations. Europe’s democratic governments have decided to support Ukraine. An independent Ukraine was declared a cornerstone of Europe’s security strategy — Musk and Trump are showing what they think of that.
The EU as an Enemy
This adds to the list of attacks on Europe by Republicans and the tech bros. The current political landscape in the EU is portrayed in the White House’s national security strategy as a threat to American interests. Trump and Musk are working hand in hand to weaken the union, recently by portraying the unrest and protests in Paris as a consequence of immigration and talking about an “invasion.” The algorithms on X deliver images that reinforce this narrative.
There are in fact European initiatives for more independence. In the summer, the European Commission presented a package to strengthen European sovereignty. Some countries such as Austria are simultaneously pushing a “buy European” policy. All of this is overdue.
The problem is that initiatives like this are often half-hearted. While independence is talked about in Europe, dependence grows: an increasing number of airlines are using Starlink for their in-flight internet connection. Recently, KLM closed a deal; Lufthansa, Austrian Airlines and others did so previously. European banks almost exclusively rely on artificial intelligence infrastructure from the United States because nobody has set any requirements for them to do otherwise. Contracts like these reinforce the technological advantage and thus the dominance of American corporations.
Danger to Freedom and Prosperity
Europe is also investing too little. Former European Central Bank President Mario Draghi has just recently called for public investment of over 100 billion euros in AI capacity. Europe currently controls 5% of global AI computing capacity. There just doesn’t seem to be anyone willing to put that much money on the table.
What can be done? EU politicians should consider technological dependence on the United States a threat to freedom and prosperity. In addition to investment, counterpressure is needed. Musk needs to know that it will be costly for him if he turns off Starlink again.
It is risky for Europe to seek confrontation. Capitulation would be a worse alternative.
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