Elon Musk announces free Starlink services ‘in support of the people of Venezuela' after Maduro's capture

Tesla and SpaceX chief Elon Musk on Sunday announced that his Starlink network of satellites would provide free broadband services to the people of Venezuela for a month to ensure continued connectivity.

"In support of the people of Venezuela," Musk said on X, sharing a post by Starlink on the announcement.

Musk had earlier celebrated the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in a US military operation sanctioned by President Donald Trump, saying that Venezuela would finally prosper with Maduro gone.

"Venezuela ahora puede tener la prosperidad que merece," Musk had written in Spanish.

Musk's social media campaign against Maduro

Musk's celebration after the Venezuelan President's capture does not come as a surprise, given that the billionaire had been a vocal critic of Maduro.

Earlier, in 2024, when Venezuela saw its last elections, Musk had targeted the Maduro government, calling for a regime change in the South American country.

Throwing his entire weight behind opposition leader Maria Corina Machado, who won the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, Musk had said that Venezuela would benefit from a government that develops its rich natural resources.

“Venezuela has a great wealth of natural resources. If Chavez had not destroyed their economy by increasing the role of government to extreme socialism, the country would be very prosperous,” Musk had posted on X in April 2024.

A couple of months later, Musk reiterated his call for a regime change, saying, “It is time for the people of Venezuela to have the chance for a better future. Support Maria Corina!”

Over the course of 2024, Musk kept targeting the Maduro, who he described as a “clown”.

The billionaire also attacked the Venezuelan President then, saying, “Maduro is not a good guy. Venezuela deserves much better.”

“The US has plenty of domestic oil & gas production and nothing would happen fast in Venezuela, so it would certainly not affect this election. Several years would be needed to rebuild Venezuela’s oil production,” the Tesla and SpaceX CEO had said in late July 2024.

In 2025, shortly after Trump assumed office in his second term, Musk again targeted Venezuela, saying, “Maduro is hurting the people of Venezuela, just like his predecessor.”

While the billionaire had gone quiet on the topic for several months, he resumed his commentary following Maduro's capture on Saturday, 3 January 2026.