Does escalating spat with Trump pose regulatory threat for Musk businesses?

U.S. President Donald Trump and Elon Musk be a property league successful the Oval Office of the White House successful Washington, D.C., U.S. | Photo Credit: Reuters

The hazard U.S. transportation, environmental, communications and different regulators volition instrumentality purpose astatine Elon Musk's galore businesses became a existent menace aft the billionaire's deep governmental ties with President Donald Trump disintegrated connected Thursday (June 5, 2025).

Below is simply a database of U.S. regulators who oversee Mr. Musk's companies, including automaker Tesla, rocket and outer institution SpaceX, encephalon implant institution Neuralink, societal media level X and operation steadfast The Boring Company.

Federal Communications Commission

The Federal Communications Commission successful April voted to unfastened a reappraisal of the decades-old spectrum sharing authorities betwixt outer systems sought by SpaceX. SpaceX wants entree to caller spectrum from the FCC successful the coming years to velocity deployment of satellite-based net service.

The reappraisal by the U.S. telecom regulator aims to let a greater and much intensive usage of spectrum for abstraction activities. Existing reductions approved successful the 1990s bounds powerfulness usage that forestall amended sum from SpaceX's Starlink and different systems.

Food and Drug Administration

The FDA oversees the objective trials for Neuralink, Mr. Musk's encephalon implant company, deciding whether specified trials tin instrumentality spot and whether Neuralink tin yet merchantability its instrumentality to consumers. The bureau already approved specified trials successful the U.S. Neuralink has besides been pursuing objective trials extracurricular the U.S, including successful Canada. The FDA had initially rejected Neuralink's petition to commencement objective trials, citing information risks, Reuters reported successful 2023. The bureau has since fixed the startup support to bash objective trials, which are ongoing.

Environmental Protection Agency

SpaceX faces biology regulations from the EPA, which oversees the company's wastewater discharges astatine its operating tract successful Texas. The company's operations are besides taxable to biology reviews nether the National Environmental Policy Act, with respective agencies including the Fish and Wildlife Service required to analyse the interaction of the company's rocket launches and landings connected land, h2o and wildlife.

National Highway Traffic Safety Administration

Tesla faces ongoing oversight from U.S. car information investigators astir the information of its vehicles particularly erstwhile utilizing precocious operator assistance systems. Last month, the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration asked Tesla to reply questions connected its plans to motorboat a paid robotaxi work successful Austin, Texas, successful June, successful bid to measure however the electrical conveyance maker's cars with afloat self-driving exertion volition execute successful mediocre weather.

NHTSA has been investigating Tesla's afloat self-driving collisions successful reduced roadway visibility conditions since October. The bureau said it is seeking further accusation astir Tesla’s improvement of robotaxis "to measure the quality of Tesla’s strategy to respond appropriately to reduced roadway visibility conditions" arsenic good details connected robotaxi deployment plans and the exertion being used.

Federal Aviation Administration

In September, the FAA projected a $633,000 good against SpaceX for failing to travel licence requirements successful 2023 earlier 2 launches. That probe remains open. The FAA could besides enforce caller restrictions oregon further scrutiny aft a bid of explosions of SpaceX launches.

Securities and Exchange Commission

Mr. Musk is embroiled successful litigation with the SEC implicit his 2022 takeover of Twitter, with Mr. Musk present owed to respond to those allegations adjacent month. The regulator besides had opened an probe into his institution Neuralink according to a December missive from Mr. Musk's lawyer helium posted connected societal media level X.

Federal Trade Commission

The FTC is simply a user extortion bureau that ensures societal media companies similar Mr. Musk's level X support children's privateness and safeguard Americans' data. The FTC, which besides enforces antitrust law, precocious opened a probe into coordination betwixt media watchdog groups, immoderate of whom Mr. Musk has accused of orchestrating an amerciable radical advertiser boycott against his societal media site.

Published - June 06, 2025 06:43 americium IST