Microsoft will partner with SpaceX to expand global internet connectivity, despite SpaceX CEO Elon Musk’s legal feud with Microsoft.
SpaceX’s Starlink satellite connectivity service will assist Microsoft in bringing internet access to rural areas, Microsoft said. Musk sued Microsoft alongside OpenAI in January, claiming they had defrauded him when OpenAI became a for-profit company.
“Building on years of progress, Microsoft is evolving its approach to digital access to focus not only on coverage, but on adoption, enablement, and long-term participation in the AI economy. As part of this next chapter, we are announcing a new collaboration with Starlink,” wrote Microsoft chief sustainability officer Melanie Nakagawa.
“This collaboration expands the set of tools available to help deliver digital access in rural, agricultural, and hard-to-reach communities.”
Microsoft has not yet announced the partnership’s exact details. In Kenya, the two companies have collaborated with local internet provider Mawingu Networks to provide connectivity at 450 community hubs in underserved regions, it said.
According to Microsoft, it has extended internet access to more than 299 million people globally.
Musk has not publicly commented on the partnership. In his lawsuit, he alleged that OpenAI, which is backed by Microsoft, defrauded him of US$38 million in seed money once it became a for-profit enterprise.
Musk had co-founded OpenAI and supplied seed money in 2015, when the company was a nonprofit, but left its board in 2018. He has called for these companies to pay $79 billion to 134 billion in damages.
OpenAI and Microsoft have denied Musk’s allegations, with OpenAI calling the suit a “harassment campaign”.
