Philanthropic endeavors are a noble ambition. Most are performed in anonymity. Other times, that’s difficult. One of the wealthiest men in the world is Elon Musk. He is dedicated to helping humanity.
Unlike many of his self-absorbed wealthy colleagues, Musk tries to do things that help right now. He’s never looking for a pat on the back. However, what Elon Musk did recently may rank as one of the most gracious acts of human kindness in recent memory.
Russia launched an invasion against neighboring Ukraine. There has been bloodshed. The Ukrainians are fighting to defend their freedom. Since technology is so vital, a destruction attack on Ukraine’s internet capabilities would have been crippling.
Russia is home to some of the most notorious hackers and, likewise, potentially destructive forces in cyberspace. Most felt it was a foregone conclusion that Russia would sever Ukraine’s internet capabilities.
Unlike the Joe Biden administration, which has been behind on every Ukraine policy decision, Elon Musk jumped at an opportunity to help. What Musk did may have altered the course of history. To thwart Russia’s attempts to disrupt Ukraine’s internet capabilities, Musk opened up Starlink.
Starlink is satellite internet technology. Satellite internet is virtually impossible to disrupt because it replaces cell towers and fiber optic cables. Internet connectivity options like Starlink can be invaluable during natural disasters. However, it’s still rather costly to provide.
That did not stop Elon Musk. Through his SpaceX project, Musk has roughly 1,400 active Starlink satellites. Other operational orbits are planned for the near future. Musk was able to avert a potential calamity for Ukraine by offering these active Starlink satellites.
The Vice Prime Minister of Ukraine and Minister of Digital Transformation of Ukraine, Mykhailo Fedorov, thanked Musk for his speedy response. Dozens of Ukrainian officials and citizens took to social media to thank him as well.
Starlink has been primarily a project to bring internet connectivity to places that have either unreliable connections or no connections at all. However, with Musk opening up Starlink to Ukrainians, it accomplished a lot more. It may have changed the course of history.
