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0 pointsrohit24127y ago0 comments

> If you wouldn't, then all the factors you mentioned above are really unimportant compared to the results produced by Elon, and you know it.

Actually I don't. I used to, but ever since he started spouting self driving bullshit in 2016, I have given close thought to what is really revolutionary and what is not.

Everything about Tesla is non revolutionary. It is just a lot of batteries with costly motors and shitty barebones interior sold at a loss (net, not gross). If anybody else was similarly hyped they would achieve the same. The only thing Elon musk has done in Tesla is formed a cult.

SpaceX has definitely broken new ground, but it is despite musk not because of it. Even then, they have only reused rockets once, with refurbishments. Their first double reuse is happening in December. I don't think anybody thought what they have achieved impossible, it is impressive nonetheless.

I truly think Elon musk is a net negative for both car and space industry. Commercializing space endeavour would have led to successful space startups, cheaper batteries by lg and Panasonic would make Bev lucrative anyway, maybe a few years later. But the damage done by this incessant lying about self driving would ruin public opinion. And I am not going to be surprised to know that SpaceX cutting corners led to an accident. I think the worst for Elon musk is yet to come.

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dpq7y ago

Everything you just said is true. So basically in order to help some technology proliferate, somebody had to create a cult around it. Good. If the problem was social as opposed to technical, and someone correctly identified it as such and fixed it, this person does not deserve our ire or contempt for solving a social problem with social engineering. He did the right thing, in that case.

As for SpaceX: everybody has accidents, and they'll have their share, too. Space is hard. Still, since everyone has been saying that SpaceX is going to fail, and that they won't be able to pull off the next important step, and every time they did it afterwards, it sounds like the story about the boy who cried wolf now.

And yet I have no kind words for Tesla's fully self-driving project. I fully agree with you here.

rohit2412OP7y ago

> this person does not deserve our ire or contempt for solving a social problem with social engineering. He did the right thing, in that case.

One of my issues is them claiming that it was a technical problem and other manufacturers do not want to manufacture BEV because there is some conspiracy. No, chevy bolt barely sells because it is not hyped as revolutionary and futuristic. If you think the solution staring a new cult for GM instead of addressing such FUD that is actually hurting BEV adoption. If these masses who worship Musk turned up for Chevy bolt or nissan leaf, we would have a ton more BEVs.

> everyone has been saying that SpaceX is going to fail, and that they won't be able to pull off the next important step, and every time they did it afterwards, it sounds like the story about the boy who cried wolf now.

I am not knowledgable about rockets but spacex can only use rockets twice till now with refurbishments, and nobody else seems to be pushing new rockets.

I can only wonder if Spacex is doing what tesla did to self driving, take existing technology (like driver assistance/VTVL and costly refurbishment which people could do), use them irresponsibly (call lane keeping assist autosteer and let it steer itself/cut costs using dangerous methods), and then make unsubstantiated claims about the future (self driving taxi networks with cross country summon/biggest rocket ever with thousand times reusability with minimal refurbishments).

I would only believe what they have achieved, which is impressive but nobody seems to have deemed that impossible.

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