News
SpaceX Starlink internet approved in Canada, beta invites imminent
SpaceX’s Starlink satellite internet has officially won regulatory approval in Canada and CEO Elon Musk says that the first beta invites will begin to be sent out a matter of days from now.
Known as Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED), the decision was made well before most – including Musk himself – expected it, suggesting that the Canadian agency may have been responding to growing consumer enthusiasm and interest in Starlink internet. Since SpaceX began shipping Starlink user terminals to US beta testers less than two weeks ago, rural Americans have quickly come to heap praise on the new technology – warts and all.
Transparently deemed the “Better Than Nothing Beta” by SpaceX itself, the user-side hardware is still in its infancy and the satellite constellation is far smaller than optimal, resulting in the occasional dropped connection and inconsistent speeds and latency. Nevertheless, the service SpaceX has managed to deliver before anyone else appears to be extremely promising and is now poised to expand beyond the United States for the first time.
In the Northern US, particularly Montana, new Starlink beta users have already begun to demonstrate that the cutting-edge technology is impressively resilient in the face of extreme weather. Thus far, users have already shown their Starlink antennas happily chugging along in blizzard conditions – covered in snow, icicles hanging off – without significantly disrupting the quality of the internet they are delivering.
Canada will likely serve as an additional torture test for the Starlink antennas and services sent that way, although the far north will have to wait for the time being. At the moment, according to email correspondence between SpaceQ and Elon Musk, Starlink’s Canadian foray will be significantly limited at first. To understand why, one must first understand how Starlink works.
At the moment, each orbiting Starlink satellite services as a separate node in the network, only capable of communicating with user terminals (antennas) on the ground or more substantial SpaceX-operated hubs known as ground stations. Those ground stations are the backbone of the internet service, linking the orbiting network to the rest of the Earth-based internet. To connect end-users, a satellite orbiting over head will connect to their user terminal, receive uplink requests (clicking on a link, watching a video), route those requests through a separate beam to a ground station, which then beams that content back to the Starlink satellite before being beamed down to the end-user.
Without those ground stations, Starlink is (somewhat) akin to a home network WiFi router without a cable modem. Unfortunately for SpaceX, radiocommunication hardware installation is often strictly regulated and the process is almost always unique and non-transferable in every country on Earth. As such, even with approval to serve Starlink internet in Canada, SpaceX still has to wait for individual approvals for each ground station, of which one or several dozen are necessary. Until those ground stations are approved, Starlink will only be available to Canadians below the 55th parallel, give or take.
On top of ground stations, SpaceX will also need to launch many, many more batches of Starlink satellites to be able to offer reliable and uninterrupted internet in most of the northern hemisphere (and the rest of the world). Nevertheless, with nearly 900 operational Starlink satellites launched less than a year after the first operational mission, it’s difficult to doubt that SpaceX will make it happen – and far sooner than most would reasonably expect.
Elon Musk
Elon Musk’s net worth is nearing $800 billion, and it’s no small part due to xAI
A newly confirmed $20 billion xAI funding round valued the business at $250 billion, adding an estimated $62 billion to Musk’s fortune.
Elon Musk moved within reach of an unprecedented $800 billion net worth after private investors sharply increased the valuation of xAI Holdings, his artificial intelligence and social media company.
A newly confirmed $20 billion funding round valued the business at $250 billion, adding an estimated $62 billion to Musk’s fortune and widening his lead as the world’s wealthiest individual.
xAI’s valuation jump
Forbes confirmed that xAI Holdings was valued at $250 billion following its $20 billion funding round. That’s more than double the $113 billion valuation Musk cited when he merged his AI startup xAI with social media platform X last year. Musk owned roughly 49% of the combined company, which Forbes estimated was worth about $122 billion after the deal closed.
xAI’s recent valuation increase pushed Musk’s total net worth to approximately $780 billion, as per Forbes’ Real-Time Billionaires List. The jump represented one of the single largest wealth gains ever recorded in a private funding round.
Interestingly enough, xAI’s funding round also boosted the AI startup’s other billionaire investors. Saudi investor Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud held an estimated 1.6% stake in xAI worth about $4 billion, so the recent funding round boosted his net worth to $19.4 billion. Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey and Oracle co-founder Larry Ellison each owned roughly 0.8% stakes that are now valued at about $2.1 billion, increasing their net worths to $6 billion and $241 billion, respectively.
The backbone of Musk’s net worth
Despite xAI’s rapid rise, Musk’s net worth is still primarily anchored by SpaceX and Tesla. SpaceX represents Musk’s single most valuable asset, with his 42% stake in the private space company estimated at roughly $336 billion.
Tesla ranks second among Musk’s holdings, as he owns about 12% of the EV maker’s common stock, which is worth approximately $307 billion.
Over the past year, Musk crossed a series of historic milestones, becoming the first person ever worth $500 billion, $600 billion, and $700 billion. He also widened his lead over the world’s second-richest individual, Larry Page, by more than $500 billion.
News
Tesla Cybercab sighting confirms one highly requested feature
The feature will likely allow the Cybercab to continue operating even in conditions when its cameras could be covered with dust, mud, or road grime.
A recent sighting of Tesla’s Cybercab prototype in Chicago appears to confirm a long-requested feature for the autonomous two-seater.
The feature will likely allow the Cybercab to continue operating even in conditions when its cameras could be covered with dust, mud, or road grime.
The Cybercab’s camera washer
The Cybercab prototype in question was sighted in Chicago, and its image was shared widely on social media. While the autonomous two-seater itself was visibly dirty, its rear camera area stood out as noticeably cleaner than the rest of the car. Traces of water were also visible on the trunk. This suggested that the Cybercab is equipped with a rear camera washer.
As noted by Model Y owner and industry watcher Sawyer Merritt, a rear camera washer is a feature many Tesla owners have requested for years, particularly in snowy or wet regions where camera obstruction can affect visibility and the performance of systems like Full Self-Driving (FSD).
While only the rear camera washer was clearly visible, the sighting raises the possibility that Tesla may equip the Cybercab’s other external cameras with similar cleaning systems. Given the vehicle’s fully autonomous design, redundant visibility safeguards would be a logical inclusion.
The Cybercab in Tesla’s autonomous world
The Cybercab is Tesla’s first purpose-built autonomous ride-hailing vehicle, and it is expected to enter production later this year. The vehicle was unveiled in October 2024 at the “We, Robot” event in Los Angeles, and it is expected to be a major growth driver for Tesla as it continues its transition toward an AI- and robotics-focused company. The Cybercab will not include a steering wheel or pedals and is intended to carry one or two passengers per trip, a decision Tesla says reflects real-world ride-hailing usage data.
The Cybercab is also expected to feature in-vehicle entertainment through its center touchscreen, wireless charging, and other rider-focused amenities. Musk has also hinted that the vehicle includes far more innovation than is immediately apparent, stating on X that “there is so much to this car that is not obvious on the surface.”
News
Tesla seen as early winner as Canada reopens door to China-made EVs
Tesla had already prepared for Chinese exports to Canada in 2023 by equipping its Shanghai Gigafactory to produce a Canada-specific version of the Model Y.
Tesla seems poised to be an early beneficiary of Canada’s decision to reopen imports of Chinese-made electric vehicles, following the removal of a 100% tariff that halted shipments last year.
Thanks to Giga Shanghai’s capability to produce Canadian-spec vehicles, it might only be a matter of time before Tesla is able to export vehicles to Canada from China once more.
Under the new U.S.–Canada trade agreement, Canada will allow up to 49,000 vehicles per year to be imported from China at a 6.1% tariff, with the quota potentially rising to 70,000 units within five years, according to Prime Minister Mark Carney.
Half of the initial quota is reserved for vehicles priced under CAD 35,000, a threshold above current Tesla models, though the electric vehicle maker could still benefit from the rule change, as noted in a Reuters report.
Tesla had already prepared for Chinese exports to Canada in 2023 by equipping its Shanghai Gigafactory to produce a Canada-specific version of the Model Y. That year, Tesla began shipping vehicles from Shanghai to Canada, contributing to a sharp 460% year-over-year increase in China-built vehicle imports through Vancouver.
When Ottawa imposed a 100% tariff in 2024, however, Tesla halted those shipments and shifted Canadian supply to its U.S. and Berlin factories. With tariffs now reduced, Tesla could quickly resume China-to-Canada exports.
Beyond manufacturing flexibility, Tesla could also benefit from its established retail presence in Canada. The automaker operates 39 stores across Canada, while Chinese brands like BYD and Nio have yet to enter the Canadian market directly. Tesla’s relatively small lineup, which is comprised of four core models plus the Cybertruck, allows it to move faster on marketing and logistics than competitors with broader portfolios.
Elon Musk’s net worth is nearing $800 billion, and it’s no small part due to xAI
Tesla Cybercab sighting confirms one highly requested feature
