4 ms·

I love Tesla the company and respect the hell out of Elon. But his presentation style is hard to watch - he is literally stammering through what feels like a d

by aresant 11y ago

I love Tesla the company and respect the hell out of Elon. But his presentation style is hard to watch - he is literally stammering through what feels like a dry script. I've never seen him live before is this par for the course or nerves? Edit - wow that is a better looking car than I expected. You can be as awkward serving as you like if that's the main course!

usaphp 11y ago
It looks like he always talks like that, at least from other videos I've seen with him
darylteo 11y ago
I think the crowd is more unnerving than Elon's presentation style... really cringy whoops and whistles and "YES!".
- tempestn 11y ago
  They must've had an open bar while people were waiting for the presentation to start or something. The crowd is ridiculous.
  - agildehaus 11y ago
    Those people are drunk on themselves, no need for an open bar.
manav 11y ago
He's usually like that. It kind of of makes you appreciate the Steve Jobs product unveils a bit more. Can't remember the last "product" that was hyped this much.
DarkTree 11y ago
That's actually just the way he talks according to every interview/presentation/video I've seen of him, albeit maybe with some added nerves.
cthulhujr 11y ago
He does seem like a pretty genuine guy. Just a big kid living out his childhood fantasies.
savrajsingh 11y ago
He's a good reminder that it's not necessary to be the best speaker to be an amazing and inspiring leader. You could imagine another universe where Elon interviews at a tech company and doesn't get hired, just based on his presentation style.
- pinouchon 11y ago
  When he was younger he actually went to IBM, didn't have the balls to hand in his CV, and left.
  - Denzel 11y ago
    Netscape, actually: http://shitelonsays.com/transcript/foundation-20-elon-musk-2012-09-07 http://shitelonsays.com/transcript/foundation-20-elon-musk-2... (few paragraphs in)
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rickdale 11y ago
Edit - wow that is a better looking car than I expected. You can be as awkward serving as you like if that's the main course! I mean, I'll reserve judgement until I see some more photos, but when he revealed the car it felt like a huge let down in the room. And I think we all know the car will be a success, but I got the impression that the people in the room were let down a bit by the design. I was surprised Elon didn't showcase the design at all.
- giarc 11y ago
  The people in the audience were also viewing the car from below stage level. They really had to rely on the video and pictures to see it.
- apapli 11y ago
  I actually thought they seemed more bummed with the range. 210 miles is pretty vanilla, for a Tesla. It would have been nice to see it in the low 300s as a starting point. Not that this stopped me from putting down my deposit.
  - illumin8 11y ago
    215 miles is the starting range, and its likely that they will have battery upgrades available that increase this.
    - apapli 11y ago
      I know. I was hoping they would have had the entry level range higher to really stretch consumer expectations when the established luxury brands start competing properly with Tesla in the next few years.
valine 11y ago
I rather like his presentation style. For some reason it strikes me as genuine, like he's someone I can relate with and look up to. He doesn't need to be a flashy salesman because his projects will sell themselves.
- aerovistae 11y ago
  Same.
- Animats 11y ago
  "For some reason it strikes me as genuine, like he's someone I can relate with and look up to." That's typical of salespeople at the higher levels. The smooth-talking types are down at the midmarket dealerships. For the other extreme, see Shai Agassi, who ran an electric car company, Better Place. This is his 2009 TED talk.[1] I heard him speak once. He's really good looking, he sounds very convincing, and his business plan was total bullshit. ("E-miles follow Moore's Law.") But he convinced people to invest $900 million, met with many national leaders, and got massive press coverage. Better Place delivered a only a few hundred cars, built by Renault, before it went bust. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcoJt2KLC9k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcoJt2KLC9k
  - iamcreasy 11y ago
    "That's typical of salespeople at the higher levels." Similar isn't Same. And on top of that we are talking about different kind of resemblance.
  - MrBuddyCasino 11y ago
    Incredible. To me, everything about that guy screams snake oil salesman.
    - Denzel 11y ago
      Does he appear a snake oil salesman in light of the facts you know now? Or you're saying you would have thought the same thing back in 2009? Do you have any specifics on why you feel that way? Genuinely curious, as a person who likes to analyze public speaking events.
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shirro 11y ago
He is always like this. I think his words are generally quite precise and economical even if his delivery seems all over the place. I like it. It seems genuine. And I tend to drift off when things are too smooth and scripted. He might have some sort of speech impediment and it would be a shit of a world if he were judged on that instead of his achievements.
BobTheCoder 11y ago
He is just like you and me (nerds) doing the best he can at a role he isn't very suited for (public speaking). When you consider this and he still doesn't try and palm this stuff off I think he is doing great.
- tokipin 11y ago
  I think it's because he knows the presentation in and of itself is unimportant vs the takeaways delivered, so he doesn't bother wasting time on it specifically since it has low ROI given his speaking capabilities. And I suspect he dislikes acting/faking, so he wouldn't use precise scripts anyway.
- gutnor 11y ago
  He sounds genuine, and he probably is, but he chose to keep it that way, he is not a poor nerd crumbling under pressure. Think of it: he has over 20 year experience as an entrepreneur. Actually his whole career after school was being a business man, with the majority of it in high level position and with considerable success. During his career he had and still has to talk and negotiate with Heads of States, Nasa Scientists and Astronauts, Banks, other CEO of the most important companies in the world ( his peers ), ... He chose to do the unveiling, he has the confidence to do that. If he thought he was not up to it or that his style was letting him down, he could have chosen any other unveiling strategy.
stevep98 11y ago
I think they could improve things by controlling the audience more. The presentation wasn't helped by people yelling and interrupting (yes, they were enthusiastic). Apple handles this a lot better, they get applause and cheers, but it always seems to be at the right time. Is it because their audience is apple employees highly trained to give feedback on cue?
- Coincoin 11y ago
  The most cringe worthy moment for me was: "...and it can sit 5." CHEERS "YEAH!" WOOOOOOO I think a lot of people in the audience had just spent 1000$ on a reservation and they needed to rationalise.
  - mikeash 11y ago
    The cheering makes sense to me. There was a pretty reasonable fear that the 3 might be too compromised to be good. See the first generation Volt for example: reasonable sized car, supposedly well built and pretty cool, but only seats four. I strongly considered buying one until I discovered that tidbit. Considering that the $1,000 is fully refundable with no fuss, I don't think there's much need for rationalization.
- canistr 11y ago
  It likely has more to do with the alcohol being served at the event.
  - ZenoArrow 11y ago
    It's even more likely that the people cheering the earliest and loudest were employees that were asked to do so, it's an easy way to hype up the crowd. It doesn't matter though, the Model 3 would still be just as promising with or without the audience participation.
- joshvm 11y ago
  The difference is that Apple events are strictly invitation only, so the audience tends to be full of journalists and other press people. It's serious to the point where people who make Apple unhappy won't be extended an invite (like the iPhone prototype scandal a few years back). This audience seems to be anyone who'd pre-ordered the model 3, so the general (Bay Area?) public. As a result it sounds like a terrible mix between an American stand-up show, a rock concert and a cheesy sitcom where everyone applauds when the main character coughs. Hence also everyone videoing the event on their phones - it's not even like a gig where you'd have to pay for the video... (They also do this at Apple, but people seem to be a lot more covert about recording.)

by aresant 11y ago

usaphp 11y ago

It looks like he always talks like that, at least from other videos I've seen with him

darylteo 11y ago

I think the crowd is more unnerving than Elon's presentation style... really cringy whoops and whistles and "YES!".

tempestn 11y ago
They must've had an open bar while people were waiting for the presentation to start or something. The crowd is ridiculous.
- agildehaus 11y ago
  Those people are drunk on themselves, no need for an open bar.

manav 11y ago

He's usually like that. It kind of of makes you appreciate the Steve Jobs product unveils a bit more. Can't remember the last "product" that was hyped this much.

DarkTree 11y ago

That's actually just the way he talks according to every interview/presentation/video I've seen of him, albeit maybe with some added nerves.

cthulhujr 11y ago

He does seem like a pretty genuine guy. Just a big kid living out his childhood fantasies.

savrajsingh 11y ago

He's a good reminder that it's not necessary to be the best speaker to be an amazing and inspiring leader. You could imagine another universe where Elon interviews at a tech company and doesn't get hired, just based on his presentation style.

pinouchon 11y ago
When he was younger he actually went to IBM, didn't have the balls to hand in his CV, and left.
- Denzel 11y ago
  Netscape, actually: http://shitelonsays.com/transcript/foundation-20-elon-musk-2012-09-07 http://shitelonsays.com/transcript/foundation-20-elon-musk-2... (few paragraphs in)

deleted 11y ago

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rickdale 11y ago

Edit - wow that is a better looking car than I expected. You can be as awkward serving as you like if that's the main course! I mean, I'll reserve judgement until I see some more photos, but when he revealed the car it felt like a huge let down in the room. And I think we all know the car will be a success, but I got the impression that the people in the room were let down a bit by the design. I was surprised Elon didn't showcase the design at all.

giarc 11y ago
The people in the audience were also viewing the car from below stage level. They really had to rely on the video and pictures to see it.
apapli 11y ago
I actually thought they seemed more bummed with the range. 210 miles is pretty vanilla, for a Tesla. It would have been nice to see it in the low 300s as a starting point. Not that this stopped me from putting down my deposit.
- illumin8 11y ago
  215 miles is the starting range, and its likely that they will have battery upgrades available that increase this.
  - apapli 11y ago
    I know. I was hoping they would have had the entry level range higher to really stretch consumer expectations when the established luxury brands start competing properly with Tesla in the next few years.

valine 11y ago

I rather like his presentation style. For some reason it strikes me as genuine, like he's someone I can relate with and look up to. He doesn't need to be a flashy salesman because his projects will sell themselves.

aerovistae 11y ago
Same.
Animats 11y ago
"For some reason it strikes me as genuine, like he's someone I can relate with and look up to." That's typical of salespeople at the higher levels. The smooth-talking types are down at the midmarket dealerships. For the other extreme, see Shai Agassi, who ran an electric car company, Better Place. This is his 2009 TED talk.[1] I heard him speak once. He's really good looking, he sounds very convincing, and his business plan was total bullshit. ("E-miles follow Moore's Law.") But he convinced people to invest $900 million, met with many national leaders, and got massive press coverage. Better Place delivered a only a few hundred cars, built by Renault, before it went bust. [1] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcoJt2KLC9k https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FcoJt2KLC9k
- iamcreasy 11y ago
  "That's typical of salespeople at the higher levels." Similar isn't Same. And on top of that we are talking about different kind of resemblance.
- MrBuddyCasino 11y ago
  Incredible. To me, everything about that guy screams snake oil salesman.
  - Denzel 11y ago
    Does he appear a snake oil salesman in light of the facts you know now? Or you're saying you would have thought the same thing back in 2009? Do you have any specifics on why you feel that way? Genuinely curious, as a person who likes to analyze public speaking events.

deleted 11y ago

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deleted 11y ago

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shirro 11y ago

He is always like this. I think his words are generally quite precise and economical even if his delivery seems all over the place. I like it. It seems genuine. And I tend to drift off when things are too smooth and scripted. He might have some sort of speech impediment and it would be a shit of a world if he were judged on that instead of his achievements.

BobTheCoder 11y ago

He is just like you and me (nerds) doing the best he can at a role he isn't very suited for (public speaking). When you consider this and he still doesn't try and palm this stuff off I think he is doing great.

tokipin 11y ago
I think it's because he knows the presentation in and of itself is unimportant vs the takeaways delivered, so he doesn't bother wasting time on it specifically since it has low ROI given his speaking capabilities. And I suspect he dislikes acting/faking, so he wouldn't use precise scripts anyway.
gutnor 11y ago
He sounds genuine, and he probably is, but he chose to keep it that way, he is not a poor nerd crumbling under pressure. Think of it: he has over 20 year experience as an entrepreneur. Actually his whole career after school was being a business man, with the majority of it in high level position and with considerable success. During his career he had and still has to talk and negotiate with Heads of States, Nasa Scientists and Astronauts, Banks, other CEO of the most important companies in the world ( his peers ), ... He chose to do the unveiling, he has the confidence to do that. If he thought he was not up to it or that his style was letting him down, he could have chosen any other unveiling strategy.

stevep98 11y ago

I think they could improve things by controlling the audience more. The presentation wasn't helped by people yelling and interrupting (yes, they were enthusiastic). Apple handles this a lot better, they get applause and cheers, but it always seems to be at the right time. Is it because their audience is apple employees highly trained to give feedback on cue?

Coincoin 11y ago
The most cringe worthy moment for me was: "...and it can sit 5." CHEERS "YEAH!" WOOOOOOO I think a lot of people in the audience had just spent 1000$ on a reservation and they needed to rationalise.
- mikeash 11y ago
  The cheering makes sense to me. There was a pretty reasonable fear that the 3 might be too compromised to be good. See the first generation Volt for example: reasonable sized car, supposedly well built and pretty cool, but only seats four. I strongly considered buying one until I discovered that tidbit. Considering that the $1,000 is fully refundable with no fuss, I don't think there's much need for rationalization.
canistr 11y ago
It likely has more to do with the alcohol being served at the event.
- ZenoArrow 11y ago
  It's even more likely that the people cheering the earliest and loudest were employees that were asked to do so, it's an easy way to hype up the crowd. It doesn't matter though, the Model 3 would still be just as promising with or without the audience participation.
joshvm 11y ago
The difference is that Apple events are strictly invitation only, so the audience tends to be full of journalists and other press people. It's serious to the point where people who make Apple unhappy won't be extended an invite (like the iPhone prototype scandal a few years back). This audience seems to be anyone who'd pre-ordered the model 3, so the general (Bay Area?) public. As a result it sounds like a terrible mix between an American stand-up show, a rock concert and a cheesy sitcom where everyone applauds when the main character coughs. Hence also everyone videoing the event on their phones - it's not even like a gig where you'd have to pay for the video... (They also do this at Apple, but people seem to be a lot more covert about recording.)