On July 24, 2025, a sudden global internet outage thrust Elon Musk and his Starlink system into the spotlight. Starting at 3 PM Eastern Time, more than 61,000 Starlink terminals simultaneously went dark, from North America to Eurasia, from the Pacific battleground to the frontlines in Ukraine. This 150-minute technical failure unexpectedly revealed the fiercest power struggle in the American political and business circles.

1. Battlefield crisis caused by network disconnection

2. The Political Undercurrents Behind the Official Explanation
SpaceX Vice President Michael Nichols' "software failure theory" has failed to quell the storm of public opinion. The widely circulated "Musk unplugged the internet" edited images on social media coincided with a sensitive moment when the tech mogul's conflicts with the Trump administration were escalating. Insiders revealed that just 48 hours before the internet outage, Musk had exposed new evidence linking Trump to the Epstein case on the X platform, while the White House threatened to cancel SpaceX's government contracts.
Three, From Allies to Archenemies: The Turning Point of Power Games
This contest began in May 2025 when Musk was ousted from the White House technology advisory team. Within just two months, both sides were at odds over electric vehicle subsidies and the formation of the "American Party".