In the days leading up to Donald Trump’s inauguration in January, Blue Origin, the space company owned by billionaire Jeff Bezos, launched its New Glenn rocket, named after John Glenn, the first American to orbit the Earth. Despite a failure to recover the booster rocket for reuse, the successful launch and orbit marked a significant moment for Blue Origin in its competition with Elon Musk’s SpaceX for dominance in American spy satellite operations. This could mean the U.S. intelligence community will rely on both Bezos and Musk for the most complex and expensive endeavor in modern espionage. Both Bezos and Musk hold significant influence over the Central Intelligence Agency, National Security Agency, and other national security apparatus of the U.S. due to the massive contracts awarded to them by the U.S. intelligence community.
Musk and other pro-Trump Silicon Valley figures, such as Peter Thiel and Palmer Luckey, are working together to gain larger contracts and control in the defense and intelligence business. They argue that the industry has become so consolidated around a few large players that outsiders cannot compete, leading to a lack of innovation. However, critics argue that tech entrepreneurs present a simplistic view of the industry and may be seeking personal gain rather than creativity.
Musk has emerged as a powerful and polarizing figure in the Trump administration and has gained an influential role in the U.S. intelligence community despite having no prior experience in the field. SpaceX, his company, has become a primary contractor for launching American spy satellites and plays a significant role in U.S. foreign policy. Bezos, for his part, seeks to expand his role in the spy satellite business and has a significant stake in other aspects of intelligence through Amazon Web Services. Other billionaires, including Thiel and Luckey, are also seeking to increase their influence in Washington, with contracts and partnerships expanding into AI and battlefield technology.
Silicon Valley’s efforts to gain a larger role in defense and intelligence represent a return to the industry’s roots, as the region grew due to its connections to the military and defense industrial base.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025/apr/06/trump-musk-billionaires-influence-national-security
