I noticed an interesting news story - Elon Musk recently met with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Washington, and it was not just a business meeting. Musk arrived with his girlfriend Shivon Zilis and his three children - twins Azure and Strider, as well as a boy named X. The meeting took place at Blair House, the official residence for state guests, on February 13.

What was discussed there? Mainly space, technology, and innovation. Both talked about opportunities for cooperation in new technologies and startups. Prime Minister Modi even gifted Musk’s children three classic Indian books - Tagore’s “Half Moon” and other works.

By the way, Shivon Zilis, CEO of Neuralink (Musk’s company), has Indian roots - her mother is from India, her father is Canadian. They have three children with Musk, including twins born in 2021. Interestingly, Musk himself has only 12 children from different partners - besides Azure and Strider, he has triplets Saxon, Damian, and Kai from previous relationships, plus children with musician Grimes.

But behind the scenes, it’s clearly about Starlink. SpaceX has long been trying to enter the Indian satellite internet market but faces obstacles from local conglomerates. The Indian government seems to be receptive to this - discussions are underway on how to allocate spectrum for satellite services. Such meetings often precede major strategic decisions. In 2023, after Modi’s visit to the U.S., India joined the American Artemis Agreements on space cooperation.

Critics in the U.S. say Musk is too influential in the Trump administration and uses it to his advantage. Senator Chris Murphy explicitly stated that Musk acts as a Secretary of State, but for his own enrichment, not for the country’s interests. Nevertheless, his companies - SpaceX with Falcon 9 and Starlink - truly dominate the space industry and control key infrastructure for launches.