TNB Tech Minute: Musk and Putin Held Secret Conversations

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[00:00:27] [SPEAKER_01]: Here's your TNB Tech Minute for Friday, October 25. I'm Zoe Thomas for The Wall Street Journal.

[00:00:35] [SPEAKER_01]: We exclusively report that Elon Musk, the billionaire head of companies including Tesla and SpaceX,

[00:00:42] [SPEAKER_01]: has been in regular contact with Russian President Vladimir Putin since late 2022. The discussions

[00:00:49] [SPEAKER_01]: touch on personal topics, business and geopolitical tensions. They were confirmed by several current

[00:00:55] [SPEAKER_01]: and former U.S., European and Russian officials. Putin asked Musk at one point to avoid activating his

[00:01:03] [SPEAKER_01]: Starlink satellite internet service over Taiwan as a favor to Chinese leader Xi Jinping, two people

[00:01:09] [SPEAKER_01]: briefed on the request said. NASA Administrator Bill Nelson said at a semaphore conference today that the

[00:01:16] [SPEAKER_01]: revelations about the secret conversations were, quote, concerning and should be investigated.

[00:01:21] [SPEAKER_01]: Musk didn't respond to requests for comment, but responded derisively to the story on X without

[00:01:27] [SPEAKER_01]: denying it. A spokesman for SpaceX didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

[00:01:32] [SPEAKER_01]: A Kremlin spokesman said Putin and Musk had only one telephone call,

[00:01:36] [SPEAKER_01]: and neither Putin nor Kremlin officials had regular conversations with Musk.

[00:01:41] [SPEAKER_01]: Musk. The federal government is investigating cryptocurrency company Tether for possible

[00:01:46] [SPEAKER_01]: violations of sanctions and anti-money laundering rules. That's according to people familiar with the

[00:01:52] [SPEAKER_01]: matter. The company's digital currency, also called Tether, is the world's most traded cryptocurrency,

[00:01:58] [SPEAKER_01]: with as much as $190 billion changing hands each day. A criminal investigation from the U.S. Attorney's

[00:02:05] [SPEAKER_01]: office is looking at whether the cryptocurrency has been used by third parties to fund illegal activities,

[00:02:11] [SPEAKER_01]: like the drug trade, terrorism, hacking, or for laundering the proceeds generated by those activities.

[00:02:18] [SPEAKER_01]: Meanwhile, the Treasury Department has been considering sanctioning the company because of

[00:02:22] [SPEAKER_01]: the widespread use of its crypto by individuals and groups sanctioned by the U.S. Tether said it had no

[00:02:28] [SPEAKER_01]: indication the company is facing a broader investigation and that it works with U.S. and international law

[00:02:33] [SPEAKER_01]: enforcement to combat illicit activity. And Boeing is exploring the sale of its storied NASA business,

[00:02:41] [SPEAKER_01]: including the troubled Starliner space vehicle and operations that support the International Space

[00:02:46] [SPEAKER_01]: Station, people familiar with the matter say. The effort is still at an early stage and might not result in a

[00:02:53] [SPEAKER_01]: deal. The company is facing a deepening financial crisis. Its largest labor union remains on strike,

[00:02:59] [SPEAKER_01]: which has halted most of its airplane production, while delays and cost overruns have hobbled space

[00:03:05] [SPEAKER_01]: and defense projects. For a deeper dive into what's happening in tech, check out Monday's Tech News Briefing podcast.