Looks like I was outdated on the subsidy side.

https://arstechnica.com/tech-policy/2026/01/starlink-demands-grant-money-from-states-even-when-residents-dont-buy-service/

While that almost 1 billion grant did get cancelled, it looks like they actually did get another grant, but haven't received the money yet. That's for $733.5 million to provide subsidized services to 472,000 locations.

It sounds like SpaceX is trying to put requirements on the states though if they accept it, so we'll see if this goes through or not.

If it does though, this would be the government giving them a lot of money.

Every business gets tax credits, and tax credits are not government money being paid to SpaceX. It just means they pay less taxes. You as a individual get them too. That's money the government never had. For businesses its also usually somethings like if you build your business here you don't pay property taxes for X years. It wasn't anything like the EV rebate which was designed to prop up an industry.

They have received very little money that isn't for services delivered. It's not 0, but it's very little.

One could have argued they almost got a billion dollars for the rural broadband grant but that was revoked and they never got it. That would have been a we'll give you money to help launch rockets and lower your prices for our residents, had it happened.

Edit: there's very little reason to be upset with SpaceX in something like this. They've saved the government billions and billions of dollars by existing now. Tesla sure, they were given a lot of money for nothing in return, or programs were designed that forced other companies to give them money, but you're barking up the wrong tree with SpaceX.

Edit: This website says they received 6 grants, some training reimbursements, and some loans which probably had good repayment terms. https://subsidytracker.goodjobsfirst.org/parent/space-exploration-technologies-spacex And while some of those are undisclosed, it's not like McLennan County is giving them a billion dollars.