Musk-O’Leary Feud Over Starlink Wi-Fi Escalates With $250M Cost Dispute
Elon Musk and Ryanair CEO Michael O'Leary clashed publicly over Starlink satellite internet installations for commercial aircraft. The dispute turned personal when Musk called O'Leary an "utter idiot" on X and demanded his firing, while O'Leary dismissed Musk's aviation expertise.
Ryanair rejected Starlink due to projected $250M annual costs from antenna drag and fuel inefficiencies. Musk countered that O'Leary was "misinformed" about the technology's impact. The spat highlights the operational calculus airlines face when adopting new tech.
Notably absent from the debate: cryptocurrency payments. Neither executive addressed whether blockchain-based solutions could offset the costs—a missed opportunity given Musk's history with Dogecoin and Bitcoin adoption at Tesla.