Tristan Redman

I'm Tristan Redman, and we're here with a bonus episode for you from the Global Story podcast. The world order is shifting. Old alliances are fraying and new ones are emerging. Some of this turbulence can be traced to decisions made in the United States. But the US isn't just a cause of the upheaval. Its politics are also a symptom of it. Every day we focus on one story, looking at how America and the world shape each other.

So we hope you enjoy this episode and to find more of our show, just search for The Global Story wherever you get your BBC podcasts. So I'm going to ask if it's possible to have Elon get up first and talk about Doge because it seems to be of great interest to everyone. That's President Trump speaking at the very first cabinet meeting of his second term back in February of 2025. So Elon, if you could get up and explain where you are, how you're doing and...

Kiitos, puheenjohtaja. Kiitos, puheenjohtaja. Kiitos, puheenjohtaja.

At the time, you probably recall that Musk was designated a special government employee, leading this Trump initiative called the Department of Government Efficiency, or DOJ. And Musk had grand plans to slash government spending, promising to reduce the federal deficit.

But we can do it, and we will do it. And sure, it was odd to hear from someone at a cabinet meeting who was technically not an official member of the cabinet. But that wasn't what really struck me about this moment. No, what struck me was the respect and deference that Musk commanded in that room. It's hard to remember now, but at the time, there was chatter in Washington about who was really running the show. And then, somewhat unceremoniously, Elon Musk was gone.

Tarkoitan, että olen ystävä ja avustaja. Ja toivottavasti, jos presidentti haluaa minulle jotain tehdä, olen presidenttisjärjestössä. Viimeisen vuoden jälkeen Musk lähti Dogeen, jolloin hän on jälkeen ollut erittäin suurta profiilia. Hän on jäänyt hieman vähemmän, kun viime viikkoja, kun hänen lainsäädäntöönsä oma kollegansa, OpenAI-järjestö Sam Altman, jäi hänet takaisin.

But just because we didn't see him doesn't mean he went away. In fact, in the years since his departure from the White House, while the public's attention was elsewhere, the world's richest man was quietly shoring up his control of space and the world's internet.

From the BBC, I'm Asma Khalid in Washington, D.C. And today on The Global Story, even though he's no longer in the heart of power in Washington, is Elon Musk now more powerful than ever?

Lily, in our episode today, we want to take the long view on what exactly Elon Musk has been up to since he left the White House about a year ago. And I don't think that we can have this conversation in this moment about Elon Musk without mentioning that he is currently suing the CEO of OpenAI, Sam Altman. That trial of those two tech titans is underway as we tape, and I know you have been in the courtroom in California covering it all. So let me just start there. What is this lawsuit actually about?

for profit entities that have become a really key part of the company's ability to fund itself. So those are the three main things he's pushing for. I saw that Musk took the stand the other day. He was wearing a suit and tie, which really, I will just say, is a wardrobe choice that stood out to me. Elon Musk was a man I remember seeing as a White House correspondent in this casual attire in a cabinet meeting with a baseball cap on his head. So that stood out to me.

Lily, when I heard that Elon Musk was going to go to court in this lawsuit with OpenAI, I was actually in Europe and there was a story circulating there that caught my attention. And that is that in late April, Musk was actually summoned to appear before prosecutors in France, but he did not show up.

Eli Lily, vaikka legaalia dramaa on tietenkin tehty, ehkä isompi tarina, joka ei ole puhuttu niin paljon, on Elon Muskin satelliittipalvelun Starlink. Ja mielestäni on oikea sanoa, että paljon ihmisiä täällä Yhdysvalloissa ei todennäköisesti tunne, että he ovat itse asiassa olleet kuuluneet Starlinkin ympäri, sanotaanko, Wi-Fi-palveluiden ympäri. Joten voitko sinun alussa kertoa, mitä Starlinkin on?

Nyt se on maailman suurin satelliittinen internet-palvelu, jossa on yli 10 miljoonaa aktiivista käyttäjää. 10 miljoonaa aktiivista? Yli 150 maailmaa. Yli 150 maailmaa, wow. Minun mielestäni, Lilly, se on se, mitä minusta Starlinkin on niin haastavaa. Minun mielestäni, vaikka se ei ole edelleen erittäin populari Yhdysvalloissa tai Euroopassa,

Ymmärrän, Lily, että muskien kritiikit kysyvät power-koncentraatiota, jota muskilla on, ja mahdollisuutta laittaa asiaa ja laittaa asiaa.

I would also imagine, though, that Musk sees himself as someone who is also providing this altruistic service to people in times of need. I mean, you mentioned Iran. Iran has had an internet blackout now for more than two months. And I know it's been extraordinarily difficult for Iranians to connect with people in the outside world. I mean, you could argue that we here at the BBC...

Lily, earlier this year, Musk asked the U.S. government for permission to launch one million satellites into space. And on the surface, I thought, OK, it seems like he wants to expand access even further, right, to allow people to connect to the Internet.

Can we just talk about the sheer number of satellites that Musk is proposing putting into space? One million. That's one of those astronomically large numbers that's just hard to quantify. What would it mean to have one million little satellites all floating in space around the Earth? Seems like a lot. So can you just give us a sense of the scale here? How large is this project? Yeah, well, I think the way to frame this is that you've heard of land grabs on Earth.

about the power that Musk had. And now, listening to you, it seems like after leaving that informal position in the Trump administration, after he largely faded to the background of some of the political discourse, that Musk has nonetheless...

actually accrued more power. You've described this unprecedented space grab, and it makes me wonder what exactly his endgame is here. It is absolutely arguable that he is more powerful than some heads of state in certain contexts.

Well, Lily, thanks so much for joining us on The Global Story. Really appreciate it. Thanks for having me. That was Lily Jamali, the BBC's North America technology correspondent. And just a reminder, if you all have any questions or story ideas for us, we love hearing from listeners. You can send us a note at our email address, theglobalstoryatbbc.com.