What would the ancient founders of a city think if they saw Starbase? Settlements once arose around a river, a fortress or a temple. Today, however, they arise around a space dream and a visionary and controversial billionaire.
97,7% of voters approved yesterday the transformation of Starbase into an autonomous city in Texas. A huge percentage, sure, but considering that the vast majority of the 283 voters are SpaceX employees or have ties to the company, the result was practically a foregone conclusion. Elon Musk he thus obtained what we could define the first company town of the 21st century: a city essentially governed by his company, with a mayor who is also vice president of SpaceX.
The company towns of the future
We talked about it some time ago, remember? What seemed like a bold prediction is materializing before our eyes: the return of company towns. No longer just commercial and industrial centers built around a factory like in the 800th century, but real municipalities with legislative and fiscal autonomy. Techno-governments in all respects.
Starbase is the first concrete example of this new phenomenon. With this overwhelming vote, the inhabitants of the Boca Chica Bay area in Texas have decided to constitute themselves as an independent city. Be careful, however, this is not an isolated case: already other big tech companies are considering similar projects. The difference is that here we are not faced with an urban experiment, but with a real administrative entity recognized by the state of Texas, with all the prerogatives that entails.
Starbase: autonomy, advantages and risks
The city status will allow Starbase to independently manage building permits, collect taxes and write local laws. A godsend for SpaceX, which will be able to accelerate its ambitious space projects while avoiding bureaucratic obstacles.
The new city will be able to control construction and permits and avoid other regulatory hurdles, collect taxes and write local laws.
For Musk, this represents a fundamental step toward his vision of a human presence on Mars. The Texas base has in fact been a key site for the company's rocket tests and launches since 2019, and the administrative autonomy could significantly streamline operations.
Of course, not everyone is thrilled. Bekah Hinojosa, co-founder of the South Texas Environmental Justice Network, expressed concern about the environmental impact, fearing that this independence could lead to “more destruction” of the region’s natural habitat, with illegal dumping and an increase in rocket activity that already causes tremors in nearby homes.
Corporate democracy or modern feudalism?
The electoral process itself makes me smile. The elected mayor, Bobby Peden, is vice president of testing and launches of SpaceX. He was the only candidate on the ballot and got 100% of the vote. Formally flawless democracy. And basically?
But the concerns aren’t just environmental. The Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas, descendants of an indigenous tribe in the area, have complained about access issues at Boca Chica Beach, which local families have frequented for generations. Not surprisingly, a Texas House committee this week rejected a bill that would have given coastal cities with spaceports control over beach access.
In 2024, The Environmental Protection Agency and Texas authorities have determined that SpaceX was responsible for repeated spills and releases of pollutants into Texas waters. Musk’s response to reports that his rockets had damaged wild bird nests? A sarcastic tweet: “To make up for this heinous crime, I will abstain from eating omelets for a week.”
Starbase, a precedent that changes everything
The birth of Starbase creates a significant precedent. If today it is a space base that becomes a city, tomorrow it could be the campuses of Google, Disney, Apple o Amazon. Imagine autonomous communities with their own laws, taxes, and services, effectively governed by corporate boards of directors.
We are faced with a new form of social organization, halfway between local democracy and the corporate neofeudalism. Corporations no longer simply influence politics through lobbies, but become political entities themselves.
For Musk, currently struggling with his unofficial role as head of DOGE, President Trump's “Department of Government Efficiency” (and with the problems of his Tesla) this victory represents a major personal success. “Starbase, Texas,” he wrote on his social network X, “is now a real city!”
It remains to be seen whether it will also be a just, sustainable and democratic city. Or simply the territorial extension of a company, with all the conflicts of interest that this entails.
The long journey to Mars now passes through Texas, and leaves a precedent on Earth that, for better or worse, will make history.
