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Elon Musk addressed Mukesh Ambani as “Prime Minister Ambani” in a post on X on Friday. It was his sharpest attack yet on Asia’s richest man as Starlink’s launch in India stalls.
“Please accept my humble apologies for not realising that you are the real boss of India,” Musk wrote, according to Gulf News.
The post capped three days of escalating attacks. On Wednesday, Musk said Starlink was “being blocked by certain oligarchs” who wanted to “maintain their monopolistic chokehold on the Indian people.” He called it “a crime against the people of India.” He named no one and gave no evidence. On Thursday, he asked: “Is Ambani the real boss of India?”
Ambani controls Reliance Industries, whose Reliance Jio is India’s largest mobile operator. Jio and Bharti Airtel, controlled by billionaire Sunil Mittal, together hold about 80% of India’s telecom market, according to Semafor. Both companies are building satellite internet businesses that would compete directly with Starlink. Reliance did not respond to requests for comment from several outlets.
India rejects the claims
India’s government has pushed back. In a statement on Thursday, the Ministry of Communications said its rules for satellite services were “fair and non-discriminatory.” It did not name Musk or Starlink.
“The suggestion that the framework or its application is unfair or discriminatory is baseless and misconceived,” the ministry said. It said three licensed satellite operators were at “broadly the same regulatory stage” and were all going through security assessments before they could be assigned spectrum. The other two are Jio’s satellite unit and OneWeb India, in which Airtel is a major shareholder.
Telecom Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia said on Friday that the country “does not allow a monopoly in any sector.”
“There is a lot of conversation about one specific company, but three companies have got satcom licences,” he said.
The dispute has also pulled in Indian politics. Rahul Gandhi, the opposition leader, replied to Musk’s question about Ambani: “Wait till you discover the other guy.” Musk answered: “Thank you, Rahul. This is indeed troubling.” Gandhi, a longtime critic of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ties to big business, later wrote that he was “not anti-business” but “anti-monopoly.”
Years of waiting
SpaceX has been trying to launch Starlink in India since 2022. Last year it received a key licence from the communications ministry and approval from the country’s space regulator, but it still lacks final clearance to sell the service. The company says it has built 20 ground stations in the country.
Security has been the sticking point. Indian authorities raised concerns in 2024 after Starlink devices turned up in a drug seizure in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and during an army operation in Manipur. In June this year, security agencies held back clearances after Starlink was switched on in Iran, where it has no licence, TheNextWeb reported.
The two sides also fought over how spectrum would be handed out. Starlink wanted satellite airwaves allocated administratively, while Jio pushed for an auction. The government chose administrative allocation, a decision seen at the time as a win for Musk.
The relationship with India’s telecom giants has since soured. In 2025, both Jio and Airtel signed agreements to sell Starlink equipment once the service was approved. Jio has since formed a satellite joint venture with Luxembourg’s SES.
The stakes are high for Musk. India has more than a billion internet users, and large rural areas remain poorly connected. In his Friday post, Musk argued that Starlink could reach unserved areas, help children learn and help small businesses find customers. “Would you nonetheless consider allowing Starlink to compete?” he asked, according to TechCrunch.
His other big Indian venture has also struggled. Tesla started selling cars in India last year but registered only 699 vehicles in its first 12 months of deliveries, Electrek reported, after steep import duties pushed prices to nearly double their US level.
Ambani, 69, is worth about $100 billion, according to Forbes, and is the richest person in Asia.
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