An interesting story happened in February—Elon Musk traveled to Washington for a meeting with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi right in Blair House, the official residence for presidential guests. But he didn’t come alone; he came with his family—with his girlfriend Shivon Zilis and three children. The twins Azur and Strider, plus the youngest son. Quite an unusual move for a meeting at this level.

During the negotiations, they discussed space technologies, innovation, and transportation. India’s Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that it was about cooperation in new technologies and startups. Prime Minister Modi even gifted the children three Indian books—works by Rabindranath Tagore, a collection of novels, and the classic children’s book Panchatantra. A nice gesture.

By the way, Shivon Zilis is the CEO of Neuralink, Musk’s company. She has Indian roots on her mother’s side, so the meeting had an additional personal context. Together they have three children, including twins born in 2021. It’s interesting to note that Elon Musk is, in general, the father of twelve children—besides these three, he has children from his ex-wife, from musician Grimes, and from other relationships. Among them are the twins Griffin and Vivian, and the triplets Saxon, Damian, and Kai. Damian Musk is part of this group of triplets born to his first wife. Overall, Musk has a large family.

But the main thing about this meeting isn’t the family details, but what it could mean for SpaceX and Starlink in India. The company has long been trying to enter the Indian market, but it faces resistance from the local billionaire Mukesh Ambani regarding spectrum allocation. The Indian government, it seems, is leaning more toward SpaceX, but Starlink’s application is still under review. A decision on this issue could seriously shake up India’s satellite industry.

Elon Musk is currently being positioned as a special public servant in the administration, and his companies control a significant share of the space industry. Falcon 9 remains the primary means of delivering cargo to space for many countries, while Starlink is a powerful network infrastructure. No wonder prime ministers meet with him at the highest level.

That said, the meeting drew criticism from some Democrats in the U.S., who believe Musk’s influence in the Trump administration is too great and creates a conflict of interest. Senator Chris Murphy even criticized him for acting like a secretary of state, but allegedly in his own interests. It’s a political moment, of course, but the main takeaway is clear: decisions in the space and technology sphere are increasingly being made at such high-level meetings.