MARC ANDREESSEN ON WHY STARLINK MAY BE THE MOST MISUNDERSTOOD SUCCESS STORY IN TECH RIGHT NOW: “ELON’S NOT THE FIRST GUY WHO SAID WE’RE GOING TO DO SATELLITE-BASED INTERNET ACCESS. THERE WAS BILL GATES, CRAIG MCCAW. COMPLETE CATASTROPHE, TOTAL BANKRUPTCY, COMPLETE DISASTER. ELON’S LIKE, ‘I KNOW, I’M GOING TO DO ANOTHER THREE OF THOSE. WE’RE STARTING AS A SIDE PROJECT AT THE ROCKET SHIP COMPANY.’ IF THE ROCKETS ARE REUSABLE, WE’RE GOING TO BE LAUNCHING THEM ALL THE TIME. WHAT’S GOING TO GO IN THE ROCKETS? I COULD WAIT FOR THE CUSTOMERS TO COME TO ME, OR I COULD JUST PUT UP MY OWN SATELLITES. ANYBODY WHO KNEW ANYTHING ABOUT THE HISTORY OF SATELLITES KNEW THAT WAS THE CRAZIEST IDEA IN THE WORLD. AND OF COURSE IT’S LIKE THIS GIANT SUCCESS. IT’S THE SIDE PROJECT. IT’S CLEARLY THE LEAST STUDIED AND UNDERSTOOD THING I KNOW OF IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW.”