SpaceX's negative cost of capital gives it an advantage over AT&T and Verizon as it enters mobile telecom; neither incumbent has that funding position. x.com
chatSBC
Equity & Macro Commentary, Technology Investing
SpaceX's extreme moats in two of AI, communications and space, plus sub-20x forward EBITDA at hypergrowth, make upside look asymmetric after the rally. Elon Musk is the greatest technologist leader of this generation. A cult investor base, short-term and event funds short, and a possible Tesla merger add to the case; it looks cheap if the numbers work out. Despite substantial near-term risk and uncertainty, there is a case for 5-10x today's value while still reasonably valued. x.com x.com x.com
Starlink Mobile threatens US carriers' pricing economics even if it takes little market share. AT&T's lack of investment for the future makes its exposure worse. In Peter Adderton's scenario, a $5 monthly price cut on 250 million remaining connections would cost carriers $15 billion a year. x.com x.com
AT&T's leadership appears to underestimate the SpaceX threat. In a clip circulated by another account, its CEO reportedly called rocket reusability a dream; dismissing SpaceX this way looks like sleepwalking into the incumbent carrier's demise. x.com
SpaceX remains unattractive: its reported $8 billion spectrum deal covers only a tiny fraction of what a nationwide wireless network would require, even with expensive satellites that last just five years. x.com
SpaceX's Q3 profitability lets it fund much more of its buildout, significantly reducing the need for outside financing. Revenue of $14.6B and adjusted EBITDA of $8.8B beat even the high cases; free cash flow was still -$10B after $19.6B of capex. SpaceX said new compute deals price a bit above $30-$50 per watt with payback under a year, though Q4 capex is guided to $35-$40B. Starlink subscribers fell just short of the low case but beat the Street, and consumer revenue grew 26%. x.com x.com … Show more
Verizon and AT&T face pressure as Starlink enters mobile service: Musk's entry into their market should make it harder for incumbents to retain share. x.com
SpaceX's heavy spending and risk of further borrowing make its sharp stock rally hard to square with weakening debt and a huge lock-up expiration ahead. Bloomberg reports its bonds weakened and credit spreads widened despite earnings above estimates. Talk of a potential Tesla acquisition is also in the air. x.com
SpaceX's push to become a major mobile carrier makes a carrier-backed direct-to-cell oligopoly around AST SpaceMobile increasingly likely. Verizon, AT&T, T-Mobile and dozens of foreign operators have every incentive to preserve competition rather than hand a vertically integrated rival that much influence, and AST's wholesale model lets them extend networks, keep subscribers and share the economics. Execution and launch cadence remain critical, but the reward is massive. x.com x.com x.com x.com … Show more
SpaceX's competitive threat makes AST SpaceMobile less attractive at these levels than SpaceX and Rocket Lab. AST SpaceMobile's weekly chart shows a downtrend and strong outflows, though the stock is near marked support. x.com
SpaceX's growing connectivity profit improves its business case, but spending still leaves self-funded growth unproven. Starlink users rose from 12m to 13.6m and ARPU from $66 to $69; connectivity earned $2.4B of $2.8B operating profit. The $4.4B net profit includes non-operating and tax gains, while AI's operating margin is about 5.7%. Quarterly capex exceeded revenue at $19.6B, with $35-40B planned for Q4. Valuation still requires evidence of cash returns. x.com
Brazil's new S-band authorization adds valuable rights to AST SpaceMobile's carrier-led broadband. Anatel assigned 15+15 MHz for investment and deployment, alongside secondary use of up to 10+10 MHz of partners' 700 MHz in licensed areas, with 200M-plus potential subscribers. SpaceX paid $22B for EchoStar's global S-band rights. In Europe, a carrier venture is expected to win 10+10 MHz using AST, but awards are pending and SpaceX is likelier to win the open block. x.com x.com x.com x.com x.com