Thomas Black
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Articles by Thomas Black
SpaceX’s AI Surprise Is More Fragile Than It Looks
Photo by Vincent Feuray / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Elon Musk has had a long, torrid relationship with artificial intelligence, dating back at least a decade to his ill-fated co-founding of OpenAI with Sam Altman.
A bruising battle awaits Musk and SpaceX in mobile services
By Thomas Black / Bloomberg Opinion Add TT as Preferred Source Elon Musk’s decision to wade into US mobile-phone services sets up a challenge distinct from anything he has previously pursued. This is not a new market or an added twist that fills an industry gap such as his innovations with electric vehicles, low Earth orbit broadband or an online payment system — the areas where Musk made his riches. This is a dogfight with three entrenched players.
A Bruising Battle Awaits Musk and SpaceX in Mobile Services
Elon Musk’s decision to wade into US mobile-phone services sets up a challenge distinct from anything he’s previously pursued. This is not a new market or an added twist that fills an industry gap such as his innovations with electric vehicles, broadband from low-earth orbit or an online payment system — the areas where Musk made his riches. This is a dogfight with three entrenched players.
A Bruising Battle Awaits Musk and SpaceX in Mobile Services
Photographer: Imen Ben Youssef / Hans Lucas / AFP via Getty Images (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Elon Musk’s decision to wade into US mobile-phone services sets up a challenge distinct from anything he’s previously pursued.
America’s Submarine Production Is Stuck in the Past
Photographer: Pool/Getty Images AsiaPac (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Nuclear-powered submarines are one of the main reasons the US Navy can claim maritime superiority over China. But it’s a slim advantage, and it’s slipping because of subpar production.
Boeing’s Stealth-Fighter Coup Is a Turning Point
Yuri Gripas/Abaca/Bloomberg (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Boeing Co.’s Chief Executive Officer Kelly Ortberg must be pinching himself.
Musk Is Trying to Bully Delta Into Starlink. He Has a Point
Photographer: Finn Gomez/Getty Images North America (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Elon Musk added to his annals of antics on Thursday, warning Delta Air Lines Inc.
One Last Big US Airline Merger Is Waiting in the Wings
Photographer: Mario Tama/Getty Images North America (Bloomberg Opinion) -- As a tumultuous era of airline consolidation — kicked off by deregulation in 1978 — reaches its end game, Alaska Air Group Inc.
Driverless Trucks Show How to Prevent Killer AI: Thomas Black
The most bothersome aspect of the warning that artificial intelligence could wipe out humanity is that there are few details about how a rogue computer model could actually accomplish it. The top scenarios, and it’s by no means an exhaustive list, involve nuclear missiles, biological weapons and killer robots. We have long been familiar with the first one. A maverick AI takes over the nuclear-launch codes and sends the world down the path to doomsday.
Driverless Trucks Show How to Keep AI Robots From Killing Us
Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The most bothersome aspect of the warning that artificial intelligence could wipe out humanity is that there are few details about how a rogue computer model could actually accomplish it.
SpaceX’s Starship Ushers In an Era of More Junk in Orbit
Photographer: Brandon Bell/Getty Images (Bloomberg Opinion) -- As early as next week, the world will leave behind 69 years of space exploration and commerce and enter the age of Starship, an era that will be defined by drastically lower launch...
A Texas Plant Shows US Manufacturing Can Return — at a Cost
Photographer: Joe Buglewicz/Bloomberg (Bloomberg Opinion) -- On former farmland on the outskirts of Fort Worth, Texas, a brand-new 250,000-square-foot factory stands as a symbol that the US can return to its roots of making things.
US Drone Makers Need to Make the Most of Protectionism
Photographer: Scott Olson/Getty Images (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The federal government’s clampdown on the sale of Chinese drones in the US is nearly complete after a flurry of regulatory activity since December.
Freight Brokers Need Safety Net After Court Ruling: Thomas Black
US freight brokers are still a bit dazed and confused from a bombshell Supreme Court ruling in May that clarified whether these cargo matchmakers should be held liable for truck accidents. The 9-0 decision overturned a legal defense that had been based on a federal law designed to keep states from making a patchwork of trucking regulations for brokers that would impede interstate commerce. The court ruled that the statute doesn’t pertain to truck safety.
Freight Brokers Need Safety Net After Court Ruling: Thomas Black
US freight brokers are still a bit dazed and confused from a bombshell Supreme Court ruling in May that clarified whether these cargo matchmakers should be held liable for truck accidents. The 9-0 decision overturned a legal defense that had been based on a federal law designed to keep states from making a patchwork of trucking regulations for brokers that would impede interstate commerce. The court ruled that the statute doesn’t pertain to truck safety.
Freight Brokers Need a Safety Net After Supreme Court Ruling
Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images (Bloomberg Opinion) -- US freight brokers are still a bit dazed and confused from a bombshell Supreme Court ruling in May that clarified whether these cargo matchmakers should be held liable for truck...
Thomas Black: The quantum computer revolution is tantalizingly close
When the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, or Eniac, was first built by the University of Pennsylvania for the U.S. Army in 1946, it weighed about 30 tons and had 18,000 vacuum tubes that filled an expansive room. The speed of that first programmable, general-purpose digital computer was about 5,000 hertz, which means it could perform 5,000 additions per second. It cost about $9 million to build in today’s dollars.
The quantum computer revolution is tantalizingly close
When the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, or Eniac, was first built by the University of Pennsylvania for the U.S. Army in 1946, it weighed about 30 tons and had 18,000 vacuum tubes that filled an expansive room. The speed of that first programmable, general-purpose digital computer was about 5,000 hertz, which means it could perform 5,000 additions per second. It cost about $9 million to build in today’s dollars. kAm}@H[ 2 EJA:42= =2AE@A 42? 5@ >@C6 E92? b 3:==:@?
Thomas Black: The quantum computer revolution is tantalizingly close
When the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, or Eniac, was first built by the University of Pennsylvania for the U.S. Army in 1946, it weighed about 30 tons and had 18,000 vacuum tubes that filled an expansive room. The speed of that first programmable, general-purpose digital computer was about 5,000 hertz, which means it could perform 5,000 additions per second. It cost about $9 million to build in today's dollars.
Thomas Black: The quantum computer revolution is tantalizingly close
When the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, or Eniac, was first built by the University of Pennsylvania for the U.S. Army in 1946, it weighed about 30 tons and had 18,000 vacuum tubes that filled an expansive room. The speed of that first programmable, general-purpose digital computer was about 5,000 hertz, which means it could perform 5,000 additions per second. It cost about $9 million to build in today’s dollars.
United Taps the Southwest Model for International Expansion
Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Got your bags packed for Ljubljana? Plan to spend some vacation days in Olbia? United Airlines Holdings Inc. will whisk you there nonstop from Newark starting next summer.
The Quantum Computer Revolution Is Tantalizingly Close
Photographer: Michael Nagle/Bloomberg (Bloomberg Opinion) -- When the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, or Eniac, was first built by the University of Pennsylvania for the US Army in 1946, it weighed about 30 tons and had 18,000 vacuum...
The Quantum Computer Revolution Is Tantalizingly Close
Now The purchase was worth up to $50,000, and the White House says the portfolio is managed by third parties tracking an index. Donald Trump bought up to $50,000 of SpaceX stock on 23 June, roughly a fortnight after the company completed the largest initial public offering in history, according to a …
Humanoid Robots Need a Supply Chain in North America
More than a decade ago, hundreds of US garage entrepreneurs were working on shoestring budgets to develop drones with dreams of scaling the new technology. Then China’s DJI introduced a small, inexpensive drone with a stable built-in camera. The US drone industry was killed in the cradle. DJI, Autel and other Chinese drone makers went on to dominate the market in the US and around the world.
Humanoid Robots Need a Supply Chain in North America
Photographer: Hector Retamal/AFP/Getty Images (Bloomberg Opinion) -- More than a decade ago, hundreds of US garage entrepreneurs were working on shoestring budgets to develop drones with dreams of scaling the new technology.
Boeing’s Archer deal should be a model to shed space assets | Commentary
The outlook for Boeing to earn copious cash flow is bright. It just turned free-cash-flow positive in the second quarter after years of losses, and the company already has its sights on cash earnings of $10 billion a year. This is driven almost entirely by a rebound of commercial aircraft production. In two years as Boeing’s CEO, Kelly Ortberg has righted the ship on the manufacturing chaos that had caused the plane-maker to run shadow factories and struggle with quality.
NIMBYism Could Save AI From a Bust Like the Dot-Com Era
A robust industrial rebound is underpinning the economy, and it has powered through an energy shock from the US-Iran war; elevated inflation that’s kept interest rates high and homebuilding low; and a bout of new, perhaps more permanent tariffs. The rebound has deepened its roots beyond the artificial-intelligence boom to lift demand for construction, transportation and energy production.
NIMBYism Could Save AI From a Bust Like the Dot-Com Era
Photographer: Natalie Behring/Getty Images (Bloomberg Opinion) -- A robust industrial rebound is underpinning the economy, and it has powered through an energy shock from the US-Iran war; elevated inflation that’s kept interest rates high and...
Boeing’s Archer Deal Should Be a Model to Shed Space Assets
Photographer: Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo/Getty Images (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The outlook for Boeing Co. to earn copious cash flow is bright.
SpaceX Shouldn’t Risk Its Credibility on Mobile Phone Service
Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images (Bloomberg Opinion) -- SpaceX has earned credibility with its shake-up of the launch industry after introducing Falcon 9’s reusable rocket.
SpaceX Investors Should Focus on Starship, Not Earnings
Photographer: Sergio Flores/AFP/Getty Images (Bloomberg Opinion) -- SpaceX sorely needs a catalyst to turn around its sinking stock price since its historic June 12 share sale, which raised $86 billion.
Southwest Is Defying the Odds in Elliott’s Activist Overhaul
Photographer: Charly Triballeau/AFP/Getty Images (Bloomberg Opinion) -- In a tale of two activist airline deals, one is treading water while the other is outperforming the broader market solidly.The names involved — Icahn Enterprises and Elliott...
Travelers, Brace for Permanently Higher US Airfares
The big U.S. carriers have finally learned that price discipline is their friend. By Thomas Black Bloomberg Opinion The days of the $14 plane ticket from Los Angeles to Los Cabos are over, according to United Airlines Holding Inc.’s top executives. Passengers ought to believe them. After five decades of deregulation and a trail of setbacks including terrorist attacks, a global pandemic and a surprise war in Iran, the big U.S. carriers have finally learned that price discipline is their friend.
UPS Investors Are Worried About a Labor Deal Two Years Away
Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg (Bloomberg Opinion) -- United Parcel Service Inc.
As Boeing Recovers, Engine Makers Inflict Some Pain
Photographer: Toby Shepheard/AFP/Getty Images (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The world’s premier air show wrapped up last week and notched another lackluster haul of commercial aircraft orders.
The Factory Rebound Is Fragile Without More Power and Workers
Photographer: Jeff Schear/Getty Images (Bloomberg Opinion) -- Evidence is mounting that a US industrial rebound is taking hold and broadening to sectors beyond the data-center boom.
Travelers, Brace For Permanently Higher US Airfares
Photographer: Justin Sullivan/Getty Images North America (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The days of the $14 plane ticket from Los Angeles to Los Cabos are over, according to United Airlines Holding Inc.’s top executives. Passengers ought to believe them.
SpaceX’s blow-it-up testing won’t fly on starship
SpaceX’s willingness to blow stuff up and learn from the failures has propelled it from a cash-strapped startup to one of the world’s most valuable companies (and kick-started a commercial space revolution along the way). The development of the Falcon 9 rocket was achieved over a relatively short period in space-industry time. That success was built on SpaceX’s willingness to test, fail and repeat rapidly.
SpaceX’s Blow-It-Up Testing Won’t Fly on Starship
Photo by Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP/Getty Images (Bloomberg Opinion) -- SpaceX’s willingness to blow stuff up and learn from the failures has propelled it from a cash-strapped startup to one of the world’s most valuable companies (and kick-started a...
The return to flying faster than sound will start small
Aviation 5 min read The FAA's proposal to lift the decades-old ban on supersonic flights over land could revive civilian faster-than-sound travel. Thomas Black Bloomberg Published On Jul 11, 2026 at 08:06 AM IST The X-59 flies as fast as Mach 1.4 and reduces the boom to a muted thud that shouldn’t disturb people on the ground too much.
The Return to Flying Faster Than Sound Will Start Small
The Federal Aviation Administration is resurrecting the dream of passengers flying faster than the speed of sound after it recently proposed lifting a ban on supersonic flights over land, which has been in place for more than five decades. The catalyst for the proposed rule change, which is now open for public comment, comes from data collected on flights of NASA’s X-59 aircraft, an experimental supersonic plane built by Lockheed Martin Corp.
The Return to Flying Faster Than Sound Will Start Small
Photographer: Eduardo Munoz Alvarez/Getty Images (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The Federal Aviation Administration is resurrecting the dream of passengers flying faster than the speed of sound after it recently proposed lifting a ban on supersonic...
AI Promises to Transform Robotics, Just Not Yet
Photographer: Pedro Pardo/AFP/Getty Images (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The US industrial robot industry is characterized by low growth and highly customized projects.
The Iran Deal Gives Little Relief to the Freight Industry
World News 4 hours ago US-Iran talks postponed as Vance pulls out of Switzerland trip BBC News - Jessica Rawnsley, Lyse Doucet, • 4h A new round of direct talks between the US and Iran have been postponed after Vice-President JD Vance delayed a planned trip to Switzerland. The White House announced late on Thursday that Vance would not be travelling to the talks and said the logistics had not been "simple or predictable".
The Iran Deal Gives Little Relief to the Freight Industry
Photographer: Amirhossein Khorgooei/ISNA/AFP/Getty Images (Bloomberg Opinion) -- The global freight market has been navigating turbulent waters for more than six years — a pandemic boom and bust, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Houthi rockets that...
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