SpaceX owner Elon Musk has never shied away from starting a social media spat, be it with his own family members or U.S. President Donald Trump.
Mr. Musk claimed that Starlink would help close internet connectivity gaps across the country and could help save lives during natural disasters. On October 9, Mr. In March 2025, SpaceX announced that it had partnered with Jio Platforms to offer Starlink broadband internet service to customers in India, subject to SpaceX receiving separate authorisations to offer Starlink in India. (A similar agreement was also signed with Bharti Airtel.)
Musk posted on X a mockingly subservient tweet addressed to “Prime Minister Ambani,” apologising for “not realising that you are the real boss of India,” and accused him of wanting to maintain his “monopolistic exploitation of the great people of India,” before asking him for permission to allow Starlink to compete in the market.
Critics of Mr. Musk were infuriated by what they felt was the undermining of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, as well as the accusation that India’s government is under Mr. Ambani’s influence. Others flagged that the price of Starlink’s service, both hardware and subscriptions, was many times more than the services offered by India-based internet service providers. Mr. Musk claimed that Starlink has not been licensed in India, in spite of spending five years complying with the government laws and requirements. It is unclear whether that agreement will hold after Mr. Musk’s gibe against Mr. Ambani and the Indian government. By contrast, Starlink has been used to access the internet during times of war and civil unrest, such as (legally) during Ukraine’s defence against Russian invasion, and Iran’s anti-government protests (illegally). For the Indian government, ensuring that all telecom companies comply with its internet blackouts is a serious priority.
