> That is to say that the hallmark of a feudal society is one with very, very weak central authority and powerful local authorities, mediated by the personal interrelationships within and across different levels of authority

This is precisely the state of affairs in the United States today. Where people get confused is that the idea of property being specific hectares of land rather than what property is at maximum is capitalism which is simply paper contracts and debt, per graeber

> In your analysis, SpaceX is an entity that is utterly dependent on the government for its existence, and need to invest a large amount of energy in acquiring the beneficence of said government. That's not the behavior associated with a feudal society

It is the behavior of a Lord.

The United States is not an absolute monarchy and it has a rotating set of governors

What doesn’t rotate are the capitalist leaders (investors) for the top 100 corporations and they are the actual governors of this society

Because they determine where capital flows they are the ones who you have to pay homage to in order to get property so that you can then become a Lord