Elon Musk’s ‘Full-Time Job’ Tweet Was Funny, But It Revealed a Brutal Truth Most People Don’t Admit – Inc.

This is a story about Elon Musk, SpaceX, Twitter,and adifficult truth. If you like it, I think you'll also enjoy my ebook, Elon Musk Has Very Big Plans, which you can download here for free.

Our story begins with something Musktweeted in responsetoa journalist's report on thelegal battle between SpaceX and Amazonover efforts to build and launch satellites providing broadband Internet connectivity.

All of which brings us to the threemost recent FCC filings in this ongoing battle, which in turn prompted Musk's tweet:

"Amazon's recent missive is unfortunately only the latest in its continuing efforts to slow down competition ...while neglecting to resolve the Commission's concerns about Amazon's own non-geostationary orbit ('NGSO') satellite system.

...

While Amazon has waited 15 months to explain how its system works, it has lodged objections to SpaceX on average about every 16 days this year."

With that, we reach Musk's tweet, which came in response to a reportby Michael Sheetz,who covers space forCNBC:

"Filing legal actions against SpaceX is *actually* his full-time job."

I laughed out loud for a secondwhen I read this. Even though Jeff Bezos is only referred to once in the FCC legal documents that I can find (and not even by name), we all knowwho Musk has to bereferring to here. Right? At least I think so.

And it's amusing to watch sometimes as Musk trolls Bezos on Twitter. He really seems to enjoy it. However,I think there's also abrutal, messy, ugly truth contained within thetweet.

Assuming this is a very thinly-veileddig at Bezos,weallknow that Bezos's full-time job is not really to use the legal system toadvocate for Kuiper, and often against SpaceX. (He's busy these days riding rockets, and executive-chairmaning.)

But, it issomebody's job.

Whose job? Well, within its recentfiling,SpaceX says Amazon "routinely brings as many as six lobbyists and lawyers to its many meetings with the Commission about SpaceX."

Meanwhile, SpaceX'sdirector of satellite policy, who signed the latest filing, is an accomplished lawyer who previously worked as a senior advisor to the former FCC chairman and in Congress.

And that, I venture to say --even though most people don't like to admit it -- that this is exactlyhowour system is designed to work. I'd even go so far as to say it's a good thing, all things considered.

Because,we're talking about the launching of many thousands of commercial satellites -- an unprecedented scale -- along with the groundbreaking use of frequency spectrum.It's difficult even to think through the second and third-order effects, along with the size of the opportunity.

So, even people who want less government overall mightagree that in this case, it probably makes sense to have a strong regulatory framework in place.

Granted, it can be messy, delaying, annoying, and frustrating. But what's the alternative?

At the extreme,it would bea complete free-for-all, in which any company couldinterfere with any other company, and which paradoxically might discourage the best companies from competing in the first place.

Long-time readers will know that I am eager for SpaceX, or OneWeb, or Amazon, or some other company--I'm truly agnostic as to which one--to achieve the goal of bringing high-speed broadband Internet access to the mostremote places.

I've seen first-hand how a lack of broadband access can hold rural areas back in the 21st century.So,Ithink Iunderstand the urgency.

Now,I don't necessarily think Musk was trying to make all these points about the regulatory state and the legal system and innovation. I think he'smore likely just taking the opportunity to roast Bezos again.

But he's nevertheless revealed something important.

Since the time of Shakespeare, people have complained about lawyers. Heck, I complain about them, and I'm a non-practicing lawyer myself.

Still, when it comes to complicated business endeavors, there's an advantage to having a robust, complicated legal system.To paraphrase another great and bold thinker of an earlier time,it might just be the worst possible system,except for all those others that have everbeen tried.

Regardless, it's the system we live under.And when you're caught up in it, no matter what kind of business you're running, you'll be gladthat somebody's "actual full-time job"isto be your zealous advocate.

(Don't forget the free ebook: Elon Musk Has Very Big Plans, which you can download here.)

The opinions expressed here by Inc.com columnists are their own, not those of Inc.com.

Originally posted here:

Elon Musk's 'Full-Time Job' Tweet Was Funny, But It Revealed a Brutal Truth Most People Don't Admit - Inc.