Elon Musk has commented on a prediction by his former friend Larry Page, the Google co-founder. In a post, Musk said Page has made many accurate predictions and that this is one of them. The Tesla CEO was remarking on an X video, which showed Patrick O’Shaughnessy of Invest Like the Best retelling a story in which Page answered a question on how much compute will be in orbit. Martin Casado, America investor, links the possible shift to regulation. He points to hundreds of proposed US bills that would restrict the construction of data centres, including in Texas. According to Casado, that pressure could make space a viable alternative.
What the post says
The post reports Page’s prediction that 99.999% of computing will eventually move to orbital locations.“I heard the story recently that someone asked Larry Page how much of compute will be orbital, and he said five nines and and the reason was, it’s just physics. Like, eventually, it’s just like all going to be in space,” O’Shaughnessy said.
Musk and Page: a friendship that ended over AI
The exchange stands out because of how far apart the two men have drifted. Musk said previously that their friendship soured in June 2015 at his 44th birthday party. The two were discussing the terrifying potential of artificial intelligence (AI). Page reportedly called Musk a “speciesist” for saying he favoured humans over future digital life forms.The rift may never be repaired, yet their companies are more closely tied than ever. Google invested $900 million in SpaceX in 2015, the year of the birthday party. As a result, the search giant owns roughly 4.9% of Musk’s reusable rocket maker, which is now trying to become a major player in AI.Just ahead of its IPO, SpaceX announced that it would lease AI infrastructure to Google for $920 million a month over 32 months.
When Page wanted to give his fortune to Musk
Things were very different when the two were close. Larry Page once said he would consider leaving his entire fortune to Musk instead of giving it to a traditional charity. The two billionaires shared a vision of changing humanity’s future. The idea came into the spotlight during a 2014 TED interview with Charlie Rose. Rose reminded Page of an earlier statement.He said Page had once suggested that, instead of giving his money to a cause, he might simply give it to Musk, because he had confidence Musk would change the future.Page agreed. He explained that Musk’s ambition to make humanity a multiplanetary species was itself a form of philanthropy. “He wants to go to Mars — to back up humanity,” Page said, adding that this is a company and that it is philanthropic. He said the two of them aim to do similar things.
How AI changed the friendship
While the plans for a future beyond Earth appeared to match for both, both men held strong views over AI and on the long-term risks. Musk has repeatedly warned about the dangers of advanced AI and the need for safeguards. Page has been associated with a more optimistic view of technological progress.