Inside Elon Musk's Government Contracts
builtin.com

... In many ways, Elon Musk's tech empire is built on government money.

An analysis by The Washington Post estimates Musk and his businesses have received at least $38 billion in state and federal contracts, loans, subsidies and tax credits since 2003 " not including classified deals. And The Post estimates another $11.8 billion is coming in the next few years thanks to 52 active contracts.

SpaceX alone holds $22 billion in government contracts as of 2024, according to CEO Gwynne Shotwell. Federal agencies like NASA, the Department of Defense and the National Reconnaissance Office rely on the aerospace giant to launch satellites, travel to the International Space Station and deliver broadband connectivity, among other critical services.

At the same time, Musk -- who donated $288 million to President Donald Trump and other Republicans in the 2024 election -- recently stepped down from a short-lived role leading the Trump administration's Department of Government Efficiency, which was tasked with cutting government spending. After Musk's departure, his seemingly chummy relationship with the president devolved into an all-out beef after Musk criticized Trump's Big Beautiful Bill for increasing the national deficit. In the days that followed, Trump threatened to terminate Musk's subsidies and contracts.

The exchange highlighted just how reliant SpaceX, Tesla and other Musk companies are on government funding. ...