Vertical integration has been happening in other industries, too (think agriculture & meat) and it’s given me pause for a long time. If large corporations control the seeds (meaning they are modified so they don’t produce seed and you have to repurchase every year), it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see where it could end. Hungry ppl are far more easily manipulated than well-nourished healthy folks. In the meat industry, it gets really easy to price fix and/or gouge.
Back to the tech. Having done tech for a living in the paleo era, I’ve been saying for a long time that our technological capabilities have far exceeded our ethical development as humans, meaning we have not stopped to think about implications and how to balance risk with privacy, monopoly, benefit, etc.
When I read within the last year or two just how far Musk has inserted himself into industries upon which our govt depends, my blood ran cold. As a foreign example, Ukraine’s dependence on StarLink for internet access to run their drones could be subject to the whims a man-child in love with ketamine that may or may not have a vested interest in a specific outcome.
I sure don’t know what the answer is since the horse is kind of out of the barn so to speak. I’m really glad to see this article! I’ve felt like Cassandra shouting into the wind and wondering if I was the only one seeing it.
Thanks for a great, if somewhat frightening and very sober, read!!
What you’re pointing to is the same pattern across sectors: vertical integration quietly turns dependence into leverage...whether it’s seeds...meat...or connectivity.
Once a system becomes indispensable...ethics and restraint are supposed to fill the gap...but as you said...our technical capability has wildly outpaced our ethical and governance maturity.
Your Ukraine example is exactly right...and...it’s chilling for the same reason: when public systems rely on private backstops...whims start to matter in places...they NEVER should.
And the Cassandra feeling? That’s a tell. It usually means you’re seeing a systems problem early...BEFORE there’s language...or permission...to talk about it.
I’m really glad you spoke up here. This is what orientation looks like...in real time.
It’s frightening to know Musk and the oligarchs are in their own world. Planning globally to own financials, land mass and implement their world order. Many are in the Epstein files. These data centers are springing up everywhere. Congress has not pulled the reigns.
Emma, you've stated it clearly. I think you've also highlighted exactly what the Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter is about: Working daily to prevent apathy and burnout.
Because those are the real killers of democracy and freedom...so I can't think of anything more important to address.
Now, this is food for deep thought! What boundaries do we want soften in order to lose autonomy? Please, reread this article and let it sit with you. New frontiers with new consequences.
James, thank you for flagging that...I genuinely wasn’t familiar with the Drey Dossier before you mentioned it...so I appreciate you putting it on my radar.
The aggregation angle is EXACTLY where these conversations get more concrete and more useful...and I’m glad you added that resource here for others to explore as well.
Hit post too soon. I’m trying to understand jack’s post in respect to what the actual deliverable of the starlink system is? How is the deliverable defined, measured and monitored?
Who has enough information to analyze the starlink system (inputs, outputs, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) in terms of the starlink deliverable. Who controls and uses this information and is the information public.
What makes me really uncomfortable is starlink is presented as a huge convenience and solution to the information access problem for rural areas.
Seems little attention is paid to how the starlink system can and will be misused and misused for what?
Good questions, Donna. Starlink’s deliverable isn’t satellites...it’s broadband service:
Coverage + uptime + speed + latency (a working internet pipe).
That’s measured by availability, throughput, latency/jitter, and capacity under load.
Outsiders can test performance and regulators see some filings...but the most important info (routing, prioritization, incident logs) is largely controlled by the operator.
The discomfort is valid: it’s sold as convenience for rural areas...but once it becomes the default backstop...misuse looks like leverage via dependency and disruption...not sci-fi vote flipping.
This was hard to understand, but definitely has helped me get a better picture of it all. We unfortunately, live out in the country in a location where we can only get reliable affordable internet via Starlink. Before Elon turned into the monster we see now, we were pleased to have it. We even considered getting a Tesla. So glad we didn’t! Next question: could a big solar flare take out Starlink? Should we hope for this? Yes it would take out a lot of other things we like and rely on, but maybe worth it?
Sara, you’re asking the right question...and I’m glad you did.
Could a big solar flare / geomagnetic storm disrupt Starlink?
Yes. Solar flares and coronal mass ejections CAN disturb Earth’s upper atmosphere...and the ionosphere...which can degrade satellite links...GPS...and radio...and in some cases increase atmospheric drag enough to shorten satellite lifetimes.
NASA (not my former client) notes these events can interfere with satellite radio signals and damage satellites/communications. Yes.
And...we’ve already seen a real-world Starlink example: the Feb 2022 geomagnetic storm that contributed to the loss of DOZENS of newly launched Starlink satellites due to increased drag.
Should we “hope for it”?
No. A truly big event doesn’t just “take out Starlink.”
It risks power grids...GPS...aviation...emergency communications...hospitals...and banking...it hits regular people first...and hardest. USGS is blunt about the broad disruption potential.
The sane move (especially since you need Starlink):
Have a backup plan that doesn’t require wishing for collapse:
*A secondary internet option if available (even slower DSL/cellular hotspot)
*A battery backup for the dish/router (short outages are the common case)
*And...at least one non-internet comms fallback for emergencies (FM/NOAA radio...printed contact list)
You’re not wrong to feel uneasy about dependency. But the answer isn’t “burn the network.” It’s resilience + options...so no single pipe can hold you hostage.
Most of what I wrote comes from research regarding a "The Reality of 'End Times'..." type article I wrote...and never published, well...because we have bigger fish to fry.
I subscribed to the SMART Elections Substack after the 2024 election. At the time I didn’t know what to make of it. I read several of their articles. Nobody was talking about it. I moved on. After reading your article, I went back and just reread a few things.
I miss the parts of our government which have been eliminated by the techie wonder guru and minions. I miss the science and technology reviewers of proposals such as the Starlink infrastructure. Reliance on one technological solution has always been a bad idea for government systems. Control of these systems outside of government is too risky. Allowing a corporate CEO power to deny the use of a system because of an ideology is defeating the purpose of having it in place. I guess I’m too skeptical of data centers in space, etc. because technology has a lifecycle and I don’t see AI replacing totally the human knowledge and skills to maintain such systems.
I'm not sure it's apathy as much as a combination of lack of information and understanding, and an overwhelming amount of information that we NEED to understand ti make reasonable decisions.
Most people, most of the voting public, are just middling smart. The people who read these columns frequently AND understand them are very smart and probably either wealthier or older and retired. (I'm both, not wealthy but well-off.)
The middle class is trying desperately to make a living, support a family, and doing it with FAR fewer resources than we did coming up. They're under terrible strain from that and trying to figure out the best people to vote for, and we're all PISSED, bc it's hard and scary. I spent most of my life broke, with no possibility (I thought) of ever getting out from under the financial burden we had. It left little time for politics, but thankfully, I'm pretty smart, so I coped. Lots of people just can't.
Not their fault that we have a (literally) terminally corrupt system (by which I mean, it will need to die before we can recreate it), and may never fix it; not their fault that the right keeps telling them to vote against their interests.
It's their fault for believing them, mostly. For letting their existential anger control their decision-making.
It's going to take a real, bottom-up re-working and I don't know if we can do that. It's ambitious, and if we don't do it when this regime falls, we may not be able to at all.
It's extremely complex, and an all-hands-on-deck kind of time now. We'll have to work together, argue things out, much like the Founders did in our own beginning. We'll see.
Since Trump has already indicated that he believes the Federal Government "should" run the elections--signaling his intent as usual--how does the satellite situation play into this? Or how does this play into the satellites?
Elizabeth, good question. The link isn’t “satellites run elections.” It’s centralization + dependency.
When Trump talks about the federal government “should” run elections...that’s a push to centralize authority.
Satellites don’t flip votes...but...they can become part of the connectivity backstop (communications, continuity during outages, rural infrastructure).
The more election administration is centralized and the more we rely on a few private networks for “continuity,” the more leverage exists in moments of stress...disruption...or contested results.
So it’s not a sci-fi hack risk. It’s a SYSTEMS leverage risk.
interesting point how the threats will start as conveniences. My family uses a free version of life360. It has ended the endless phone calls while driving of 'where are you', to which the reply is 'stuck at the light' or 'almost there'. It is convenient, but at the same time, there is no more privacy for anyone. Same with the Ring Cameras. Great for seeing who is at the door and ignoring the solicitors, but is it worth whatever else they are doing with that data?
Appreciate your work and insight and the warning. Do I feel better after reading your article? Yes. Do I feel worse? Yes. Grateful for you and your readers who have a head start understanding all of this…
What caught my attention is when you mentioned vertical integration. That is very significant. Keep in mind that the major thing that propelled Tesla above other car manufacturers was vertical integration. Musk is a master of this.
And you are so right that it is this vertical integration in the case of Starlink, XAI, and X that has the potential to be extremely dangerous.
What stands out to me yet doesn’t get much press is how many Starlink sats are presently in orbit, how many are planned, and how much trouble they’ve already caused merely by being there. 9600 so far with plans to double the number. I think almost 2k have failed and re-entered. This is a better summary via Firefox. Not my go-to or decisive, necessarily, but I have seen their numbers many times since this started, and it is fairly accurate.
“Starlink satellites are frequently involved in orbital near-misses, with estimates suggesting they are part of 1,600 close encounters per week. In the first half of 2025, Starlink performed 145,000 automated avoidance maneuvers. Due to a December 2025 near-miss with a Chinese satellite (within 200m), SpaceX is lowering over 4,000 satellites to 480km”
I feel the “near misses” and “close encounters” are a huge concern, especially since one of those things could take out a “real” satellite and cause some serious problems not easily remedied. Make losing the intenet for a few hours seem more like the minor inconvenience it is, but I’ll save that list for later.
I also read where Bezos plans to get in on the satellite systems in the very near future which I assume he wants to give muskrat a run for his money?? I am going to have to ponder all this new info on satellites as I was not totally up on up like you said Jack. I could do all the algebra in school as math was a strong point for me but this is new info that will make a bit to digest. I am translating what you have written to mean if you disrupt the system and it causes people to be distrustful off the system they will not vote...
Jack, yes!
Vertical integration has been happening in other industries, too (think agriculture & meat) and it’s given me pause for a long time. If large corporations control the seeds (meaning they are modified so they don’t produce seed and you have to repurchase every year), it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to see where it could end. Hungry ppl are far more easily manipulated than well-nourished healthy folks. In the meat industry, it gets really easy to price fix and/or gouge.
Back to the tech. Having done tech for a living in the paleo era, I’ve been saying for a long time that our technological capabilities have far exceeded our ethical development as humans, meaning we have not stopped to think about implications and how to balance risk with privacy, monopoly, benefit, etc.
When I read within the last year or two just how far Musk has inserted himself into industries upon which our govt depends, my blood ran cold. As a foreign example, Ukraine’s dependence on StarLink for internet access to run their drones could be subject to the whims a man-child in love with ketamine that may or may not have a vested interest in a specific outcome.
I sure don’t know what the answer is since the horse is kind of out of the barn so to speak. I’m really glad to see this article! I’ve felt like Cassandra shouting into the wind and wondering if I was the only one seeing it.
Thanks for a great, if somewhat frightening and very sober, read!!
Deb, thank you for this...seriously.
You’re not imagining it, and...you’re not alone.
What you’re pointing to is the same pattern across sectors: vertical integration quietly turns dependence into leverage...whether it’s seeds...meat...or connectivity.
Once a system becomes indispensable...ethics and restraint are supposed to fill the gap...but as you said...our technical capability has wildly outpaced our ethical and governance maturity.
Your Ukraine example is exactly right...and...it’s chilling for the same reason: when public systems rely on private backstops...whims start to matter in places...they NEVER should.
And the Cassandra feeling? That’s a tell. It usually means you’re seeing a systems problem early...BEFORE there’s language...or permission...to talk about it.
I’m really glad you spoke up here. This is what orientation looks like...in real time.
-Jack
It’s frightening to know Musk and the oligarchs are in their own world. Planning globally to own financials, land mass and implement their world order. Many are in the Epstein files. These data centers are springing up everywhere. Congress has not pulled the reigns.
Starlink happened before our eyes, sanitized by filling a niche on the ground. Apathy and burnout are killing us.
Emma, you've stated it clearly. I think you've also highlighted exactly what the Jack Hopkins Now Newsletter is about: Working daily to prevent apathy and burnout.
Because those are the real killers of democracy and freedom...so I can't think of anything more important to address.
-Jack
I can no longer trust that electronic election equipment is not able to be manipulated-
we all need to fight for written on paper and mailed in ballots
Now, this is food for deep thought! What boundaries do we want soften in order to lose autonomy? Please, reread this article and let it sit with you. New frontiers with new consequences.
Exactly, Coco. What you’re naming is the real trade: we don’t “lose autonomy” all at once… we soften boundaries...one convenience at a time.
The question isn’t technology good or bad...it’s which dependencies we’re willing to make irreversible before anyone can vote...regulate...or opt out.
-Jack
Another resource about the aggregation of data is the Drey Dossier right here on the stack...
James, thank you for flagging that...I genuinely wasn’t familiar with the Drey Dossier before you mentioned it...so I appreciate you putting it on my radar.
The aggregation angle is EXACTLY where these conversations get more concrete and more useful...and I’m glad you added that resource here for others to explore as well.
-Jack
What is the actual deliverable of starlink
Donna Sinn, Starlink’s deliverable isn’t “satellites.” Satellites are the hardware.
The deliverable is a working internet pipe...that doesn’t care if you’re rural...remote...or your local network just fell on its face.
It’s broadband on demand...a backstop connection that shows up when fiber and cell towers don’t.
And...that’s the part people miss: once enough towns...agencies...and businesses start leaning on that backstop… it stops being “a backup.”
It becomes the DEFAULT.
-Jack
Hit post too soon. I’m trying to understand jack’s post in respect to what the actual deliverable of the starlink system is? How is the deliverable defined, measured and monitored?
Who has enough information to analyze the starlink system (inputs, outputs, strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats) in terms of the starlink deliverable. Who controls and uses this information and is the information public.
What makes me really uncomfortable is starlink is presented as a huge convenience and solution to the information access problem for rural areas.
Seems little attention is paid to how the starlink system can and will be misused and misused for what?
Good questions, Donna. Starlink’s deliverable isn’t satellites...it’s broadband service:
Coverage + uptime + speed + latency (a working internet pipe).
That’s measured by availability, throughput, latency/jitter, and capacity under load.
Outsiders can test performance and regulators see some filings...but the most important info (routing, prioritization, incident logs) is largely controlled by the operator.
The discomfort is valid: it’s sold as convenience for rural areas...but once it becomes the default backstop...misuse looks like leverage via dependency and disruption...not sci-fi vote flipping.
-Jack
This was hard to understand, but definitely has helped me get a better picture of it all. We unfortunately, live out in the country in a location where we can only get reliable affordable internet via Starlink. Before Elon turned into the monster we see now, we were pleased to have it. We even considered getting a Tesla. So glad we didn’t! Next question: could a big solar flare take out Starlink? Should we hope for this? Yes it would take out a lot of other things we like and rely on, but maybe worth it?
Sara, you’re asking the right question...and I’m glad you did.
Could a big solar flare / geomagnetic storm disrupt Starlink?
Yes. Solar flares and coronal mass ejections CAN disturb Earth’s upper atmosphere...and the ionosphere...which can degrade satellite links...GPS...and radio...and in some cases increase atmospheric drag enough to shorten satellite lifetimes.
NASA (not my former client) notes these events can interfere with satellite radio signals and damage satellites/communications. Yes.
And...we’ve already seen a real-world Starlink example: the Feb 2022 geomagnetic storm that contributed to the loss of DOZENS of newly launched Starlink satellites due to increased drag.
Should we “hope for it”?
No. A truly big event doesn’t just “take out Starlink.”
It risks power grids...GPS...aviation...emergency communications...hospitals...and banking...it hits regular people first...and hardest. USGS is blunt about the broad disruption potential.
The sane move (especially since you need Starlink):
Have a backup plan that doesn’t require wishing for collapse:
*A secondary internet option if available (even slower DSL/cellular hotspot)
*A battery backup for the dish/router (short outages are the common case)
*And...at least one non-internet comms fallback for emergencies (FM/NOAA radio...printed contact list)
You’re not wrong to feel uneasy about dependency. But the answer isn’t “burn the network.” It’s resilience + options...so no single pipe can hold you hostage.
Most of what I wrote comes from research regarding a "The Reality of 'End Times'..." type article I wrote...and never published, well...because we have bigger fish to fry.
-Jack
Jack,
I subscribed to the SMART Elections Substack after the 2024 election. At the time I didn’t know what to make of it. I read several of their articles. Nobody was talking about it. I moved on. After reading your article, I went back and just reread a few things.
This one made my head spin. https://open.substack.com/pub/smartelections/p/so-clean?r=4bd6ih&utm_medium=ios&shareImageVariant=overlay
Note that I have zero affiliation with them and am not marketing them.
Aaron, thank you. Truly. When I get settled down for the evening...I will most definitely give it a look.
-Jack
The real leverage point no one talks about isn’t personalities or scandals — it’s accountability.
Power centralizes faster than oversight unless systems compel those in charge to justify their actions.
Weak accountability makes every reform superficial.
The question we’re “not supposed to ask” is simple:
When power operates in shadows with no accountability, it becomes unaccountable.
Democracy doesn’t just fail because of secrecy — it fails because we stop questioning it.
The real leverage point isn’t scandals — it’s who controls infrastructure, from finance to Starlink satellites.
Power centralizes faster than oversight. Without systems forcing accountability, concentration of power outpaces our ability to restrain it.
#HOLDFAST
Paramount of information Jack. Kudos on reporting!
I miss the parts of our government which have been eliminated by the techie wonder guru and minions. I miss the science and technology reviewers of proposals such as the Starlink infrastructure. Reliance on one technological solution has always been a bad idea for government systems. Control of these systems outside of government is too risky. Allowing a corporate CEO power to deny the use of a system because of an ideology is defeating the purpose of having it in place. I guess I’m too skeptical of data centers in space, etc. because technology has a lifecycle and I don’t see AI replacing totally the human knowledge and skills to maintain such systems.
I'm not sure it's apathy as much as a combination of lack of information and understanding, and an overwhelming amount of information that we NEED to understand ti make reasonable decisions.
Most people, most of the voting public, are just middling smart. The people who read these columns frequently AND understand them are very smart and probably either wealthier or older and retired. (I'm both, not wealthy but well-off.)
The middle class is trying desperately to make a living, support a family, and doing it with FAR fewer resources than we did coming up. They're under terrible strain from that and trying to figure out the best people to vote for, and we're all PISSED, bc it's hard and scary. I spent most of my life broke, with no possibility (I thought) of ever getting out from under the financial burden we had. It left little time for politics, but thankfully, I'm pretty smart, so I coped. Lots of people just can't.
Not their fault that we have a (literally) terminally corrupt system (by which I mean, it will need to die before we can recreate it), and may never fix it; not their fault that the right keeps telling them to vote against their interests.
It's their fault for believing them, mostly. For letting their existential anger control their decision-making.
It's going to take a real, bottom-up re-working and I don't know if we can do that. It's ambitious, and if we don't do it when this regime falls, we may not be able to at all.
It's extremely complex, and an all-hands-on-deck kind of time now. We'll have to work together, argue things out, much like the Founders did in our own beginning. We'll see.
Since Trump has already indicated that he believes the Federal Government "should" run the elections--signaling his intent as usual--how does the satellite situation play into this? Or how does this play into the satellites?
Elizabeth, good question. The link isn’t “satellites run elections.” It’s centralization + dependency.
When Trump talks about the federal government “should” run elections...that’s a push to centralize authority.
Satellites don’t flip votes...but...they can become part of the connectivity backstop (communications, continuity during outages, rural infrastructure).
The more election administration is centralized and the more we rely on a few private networks for “continuity,” the more leverage exists in moments of stress...disruption...or contested results.
So it’s not a sci-fi hack risk. It’s a SYSTEMS leverage risk.
-Jack
interesting point how the threats will start as conveniences. My family uses a free version of life360. It has ended the endless phone calls while driving of 'where are you', to which the reply is 'stuck at the light' or 'almost there'. It is convenient, but at the same time, there is no more privacy for anyone. Same with the Ring Cameras. Great for seeing who is at the door and ignoring the solicitors, but is it worth whatever else they are doing with that data?
Appreciate your work and insight and the warning. Do I feel better after reading your article? Yes. Do I feel worse? Yes. Grateful for you and your readers who have a head start understanding all of this…
Thank you, Julie...that reaction makes a lot of sense, and I’m glad you named it.
Feeling both better AND worse is usually the sign that orientation is doing its job.
The comfort doesn’t come from pretending the terrain is safe...it comes from knowing where you are...and that others see it too.
None of this is about panic...it’s about not being late to understanding.
I’m grateful you’re here...and thinking it through alongside the rest of us!
-Jack
What caught my attention is when you mentioned vertical integration. That is very significant. Keep in mind that the major thing that propelled Tesla above other car manufacturers was vertical integration. Musk is a master of this.
And you are so right that it is this vertical integration in the case of Starlink, XAI, and X that has the potential to be extremely dangerous.
What stands out to me yet doesn’t get much press is how many Starlink sats are presently in orbit, how many are planned, and how much trouble they’ve already caused merely by being there. 9600 so far with plans to double the number. I think almost 2k have failed and re-entered. This is a better summary via Firefox. Not my go-to or decisive, necessarily, but I have seen their numbers many times since this started, and it is fairly accurate.
“Starlink satellites are frequently involved in orbital near-misses, with estimates suggesting they are part of 1,600 close encounters per week. In the first half of 2025, Starlink performed 145,000 automated avoidance maneuvers. Due to a December 2025 near-miss with a Chinese satellite (within 200m), SpaceX is lowering over 4,000 satellites to 480km”
I feel the “near misses” and “close encounters” are a huge concern, especially since one of those things could take out a “real” satellite and cause some serious problems not easily remedied. Make losing the intenet for a few hours seem more like the minor inconvenience it is, but I’ll save that list for later.
I also read where Bezos plans to get in on the satellite systems in the very near future which I assume he wants to give muskrat a run for his money?? I am going to have to ponder all this new info on satellites as I was not totally up on up like you said Jack. I could do all the algebra in school as math was a strong point for me but this is new info that will make a bit to digest. I am translating what you have written to mean if you disrupt the system and it causes people to be distrustful off the system they will not vote...
#HOLDFAST
Teri