The Editor's Desk - Fri 9 Jan 2026: Musk’s Starlink battle, the Michael Burry interview, and a $260bn Mining merger

In today’s Editor's Desk, Alec Hogg explores the controversy surrounding Elon Musk’s Starlink being "banned" in South Africa and the rare insights of "The Big Short" legend Michael Burry. We also dive into a scathing Economist critique of Donald Trump’s recent moves in Venezuela and the massive potential merger between Rio Tinto and Glencore that is shaking the global mining industry..PS. You can book tickets for the post BNC#8 golf day sponsored by Shyft, by clicking here..Don't miss out on future episodes of The Editor's Desk. Subscribe to BizNews Premium and get the podcast delivered to your inbox daily..Listen here.Read the full transcript of The Editor's Desk podcast below.If you head over to the BizNews website, you’ll see a new tab under the "Broadcast" section called Members Only. I know this is going to be very popular among many members of the tribe. The reason for this is that, up until now, if you went onto the BizNews channel on YouTube, you would see a "Members Only" section, but you could only access it if you paid an additional fee—around 20 dollars or so—to be a YouTube member. We have a huge audience on YouTube—280,000 subscribers—and we wanted to build something special there: a premium option, but nothing terribly serious. While you can subscribe to the full package via YouTube, it was frustrating for our existing Business Premium members. You would go to YouTube, click on "Members Only," and find you couldn't get in without paying again. To fix this, we have added that content to our website. If you want to see any "Members Only" video or audio, simply go to the website, go to the "Broadcast" tab, and click Members Only at the bottom. Michael Lewis and Michael BurryToday we have a brand-new podcast for you featuring Michael Lewis, arguably the greatest financial writer in the world today, and Michael Burry, whom some consider the greatest hedge fund manager. Burry was made famous by Lewis’s book, The Big Short (and the subsequent movie), for accurately predicting and betting heavily on the 2008 global financial crisis. This is a rare interview, conducted to commemorate the ten-year anniversary of the movie The Big Short. Burry rarely gives interviews; he mentions several times that he is autistic and doesn't particularly like being around people, but his insights are fascinating. Among those insights, he argues that the massive shift toward passive investing is incredibly dangerous for stock markets. He also shares his thoughts on Palantir. Some commentators have falsely claimed Burry has bet $200 million on a market collapse, but that isn't the case; it is actually a $2 million bet on very "far out-of-the-money" put options. I won't get into confusing detail, but I highly recommend you listen to or watch that interview. Elon Musk and Starlink in South AfricaAlso on Premium today, Elon Musk has been giving South Africa a lot of attention on X (formerly Twitter). We have a piece by MyBroadband that collates his recent tweets. Musk claims that if he were Black, Starlink would already be in South Africa, but because he is White, he and Starlink are effectively banned from operating in the country. Musk tweeted that there are 140 laws in South Africa that give strong preference to Black South Africans, which he claims is more than the laws that favoured Whites during Apartheid. He argues Starlink is blocked because he isn't Black. However, I think there is more to it. The incumbents—Vodacom, MTN, and Cell C—are likely lobbying aggressively because Starlink’s entrance would force them to slash their current rates. Many South Africans desperately want Starlink, especially those looking to provide free Wi-Fi and international competitiveness to rural areas. Starlink has even offered to invest R500 million to provide free high-speed internet to 5,000 rural schools. Currently, regulations require Starlink to give 30% equity to "politically connected" BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) partners. Musk wants to provide the equivalent value of that 30% in other ways, such as the R500 million investment in schools. According to a survey, 90% of South Africans support this idea over making the elites richer. At BizNews, we support a level playing field and the opportunities that high-speed internet could bring to those in remote areas like Newcastle. The situation in VenezuelaWe also have a piece from The Economist regarding Donald Trump and his handling of Nicolás Maduro. For over a decade, Maduro terrorised Venezuela—stealing elections, managing the economy so poorly that GDP fell by 69%, and causing a quarter of the population to flee. While Trump succeeded in extricating Maduro and placing him in a New York jail on drug-running charges, The Economist argues that his subsequent actions have been "damn dumb". Trump appears to be backing Maduro’s underlings while ignoring the popular opposition leader and Nobel Prize contender, Maria Corina Machado, claiming she lacks support. The Mining Giant MergerFinally, an exclusive story from the Financial Times has shaken the mining world: Rio Tinto is looking to propose a merger with Glencore. This would create a $260 billion giant, the largest mining company in the world. This follows an attempt by Glencore to engineer a deal with Rio Tinto back in 2024; now, it appears Rio is the one making the move. Keep an eye on your Premium newsletter for links to these stories, as well as features on Manchester United, South Africa’s naval drills, and the latest satire from Simon Lincoln Reader. Thank you for trusting us with your time. I’m Alec Hogg. Until Monday, cheerio.

The Editor's Desk - Fri 9 Jan 2026: Musk’s Starlink battle, the Michael Burry interview, and a $260bn Mining merger

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