Musk has uncharacteristically pessimistic take on SpaceX

[kj]

I didn't get pessimism at all from that. He is saying that starlink is dependent on a functioning starship, so success of the starship is crucial to all of SpaceX. Their projects are interdependent, and it helps for people to know that.
He's a risk taker. Huge risk, huge payoff. It's not a gamble, because he can affect the outcome.