From social media to mind-controlled tech,
Musk is locking in recurring revenue.
𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤:
4 MILLION subscribers.
Trajectory:
→ Launch: Oct 2020
→ 1M subs: Dec 2022
→ 2M subs: Sep 2023
→ 3M subs: May 2024
→ 4M subs: Sep 2024
Stats:
→ 118 countries
→ 2.8 billion people covered
→ $8.2 BILLION in revenue
→ Expanding into maritime, aviation, and enterprise
At this pace, Starlink will hit 100 MILLION subs by 2032.
𝐓𝐞𝐬𝐥𝐚:
Full Self-Driving (FSD) is recurring revenue on wheels.
→ $8,000 purchase or a monthly subscription
→ “Ballistic” growth by 2026, fueled by robotaxis
→ A projected $20 TRILLION market
𝐗:
Turning social media into a subscription.
→ Subscription tiers: $1, $8, or $22/month
→ Ad model “shrinkage”
→ Attempted acquisition of Substack
The endgame: a direct-pay social network that rewards creators and locks in users.
𝐍𝐞𝐮𝐫𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐤:
Another Subscription Play?
Brain-computer interfaces—with recurring revenue built in.
→ Neural implants with continuous software updates
→ Potential for cognitive enhancement subscriptions
→ The first two human patients already implanted
The Musk Model:
Stable revenue > One-time purchases
Monthly cash flow > Transactional sales
Recurring income funds innovation, growth
Starlink. Tesla. X. Neuralink.
Different industries.
Same business model.
