Elon Musk’s Starlink might be the leading satellite internet service in the world, but Delta CEO Ed Bastian thinks Amazon Leo has it beat. “Amazon brings a lot more than just satellite technology,” Bastian told Bloomberg this week. “They bring great retailing capability and Amazon Prime and video gaming technologies, which Starlink does not have.” Bastian’s comments come at a time when the rivalry between the two companies is accelerating, and it’s a particularly dangerous moment for SpaceX. The company, which is the newly merged amalgamation of Musk’s space business, his AI startup xAI, and his social media albatross X, filed for a highly consequential IPO, said to hit the Nasdaq in June, and the IPO prospectus was just made public on Wednesday. The Starlink business is its crown jewel. According to a recent Reuters report, Starlink doubled its operating income last year to $4.42 billion, while the AI division of the new company accounted for 61% of the combined $20.74 billion capital spending in 2025. Those expenses are bound to skyrocket further as Musk forges ahead with his dream to build space-based data centers.
With over 10,000 satellites in orbit and more than 10 million active customers across 160 markets globally, no other satellite internet provider really comes close to SpaceX’s Starlink. Starlink is also the number one provider of in-flight internet connectivity, having signed deals with major airlines like Lufthansa, United, Air France, Southwest, British Airways, and Emirates.
