6 ms·

So a guy as driven as Musk isn’t doing this for PR, just... because he likes it? I’m sure it’s also totally unrelated to firing 1% of a 30k workforce?

mikeash 9y ago
Are you proposing that this AMA about SpaceX’s Mars plans is intended as a distraction from some firings at Tesla? That seems rather far fetched and doesn’t really make sense anyway.
cromwellian 9y ago
Many companies used to regularly RIF their bottom 1-2%, but I'm not sure why Tesla's firings has anything to do with r/spacex. When an AMA is held on Tesla, then I might be interested in that, but I'm interested in more technical details of upcoming SpaceX rockets. If NASA had an AMA about the Space Shuttle, do you want the thread polluted with questions about NASA's opinion on the F-35? Or on Obamacare? Is NASA "advertising"? Musk frequently engages people on Twitter. He's obviously a tech-nerd, and loves talking about rockets and mars, it's an obsession. No one would bet their money on an uneconomical plan to colonize Mars. He literally cried on 60 minutes when confronted with Aldrin's support of ULA. It's a pretty cheap shop to chalk this up to some advertising campaign, rather than personal ego. Advertising what? Buying seats on a BFR rocket?
- QAPereo 9y ago
  No one would bet their money on an uneconomical plan to colonize Mars. He literally cried on 60 minutes when confronted with Aldrin's support of ULA. He hasnt, he’s betting money on rockets which are useful for highly lucrative activities, while talking aboutna currently far fetched vision of Martian colonization. Apparently though all it takes to disable the critical thinking of many is wanting to believe, and in your case, tears.
  - nickik 9y ago
    Yesm yes, you are so smart and all us sheep who don't understand anything. If you knew even the first thing about the Space industry you would know that these sorts of rockets are super high risk and even now the demand for such rockets is highly questioned even should they manage to build it. There are really not so many "highly lucrative activities" even if they manage to achieve technical breakthroughs on rocket designed. Also, the rocket and space ship very clearly are designed around Mars, every design choice is informed by that. If he had wanted to make the most possible profitable rocket to do 'highly lucrative activities' he would have build a different rocket.
    - QAPereo 9y ago
      Yesm yes, you are so smart and all us sheep who don't understand anything. ... if you knew even the first thing...
  - cromwellian 9y ago
    The Space industry isn't very profitable unless you get Cost+ government contracts. The margins are terrible. SpaceX's profit margins are either negative, zero, or razor thin. If Musk wanted high ROI, he wouldn't have bet on SpaceX. He's obviously doing it not because it's easy money, but because he's interested in space as a hobby. The first think he tried to do with his PayPal money was to buy an ICBM to fly a greenhouse to Mars. Does that sound like something that's a good investment? I don't think you're convincing very many people that Musk is doing this for advertising purposes. What's next, Musk gives a space talk to middle school students, and you accuse him of trying to recruit cheap future employees?
    - QAPereo 9y ago
      You can imagine him having the vision to bet on Mars colonies, but not asteroid mining?
wonder_bread 9y ago
Definitely a provocative comment that might not be correct but I don't think it deserved to be down-voted. Just because he's Elon doesn't mean he doesn't play his own manipulation games
- greglindahl 9y ago
  Hacker News: Your source for conspiracy theories
  - QAPereo 9y ago
    One man acting in his own best interest is a conspiracy now? Oooook...

mikeash 9y ago

Are you proposing that this AMA about SpaceX’s Mars plans is intended as a distraction from some firings at Tesla? That seems rather far fetched and doesn’t really make sense anyway.

cromwellian 9y ago

Many companies used to regularly RIF their bottom 1-2%, but I'm not sure why Tesla's firings has anything to do with r/spacex. When an AMA is held on Tesla, then I might be interested in that, but I'm interested in more technical details of upcoming SpaceX rockets. If NASA had an AMA about the Space Shuttle, do you want the thread polluted with questions about NASA's opinion on the F-35? Or on Obamacare? Is NASA "advertising"? Musk frequently engages people on Twitter. He's obviously a tech-nerd, and loves talking about rockets and mars, it's an obsession. No one would bet their money on an uneconomical plan to colonize Mars. He literally cried on 60 minutes when confronted with Aldrin's support of ULA. It's a pretty cheap shop to chalk this up to some advertising campaign, rather than personal ego. Advertising what? Buying seats on a BFR rocket?

QAPereo 9y ago
No one would bet their money on an uneconomical plan to colonize Mars. He literally cried on 60 minutes when confronted with Aldrin's support of ULA. He hasnt, he’s betting money on rockets which are useful for highly lucrative activities, while talking aboutna currently far fetched vision of Martian colonization. Apparently though all it takes to disable the critical thinking of many is wanting to believe, and in your case, tears.
- nickik 9y ago
  Yesm yes, you are so smart and all us sheep who don't understand anything. If you knew even the first thing about the Space industry you would know that these sorts of rockets are super high risk and even now the demand for such rockets is highly questioned even should they manage to build it. There are really not so many "highly lucrative activities" even if they manage to achieve technical breakthroughs on rocket designed. Also, the rocket and space ship very clearly are designed around Mars, every design choice is informed by that. If he had wanted to make the most possible profitable rocket to do 'highly lucrative activities' he would have build a different rocket.
  - QAPereo 9y ago
    Yesm yes, you are so smart and all us sheep who don't understand anything. ... if you knew even the first thing...
- cromwellian 9y ago
  The Space industry isn't very profitable unless you get Cost+ government contracts. The margins are terrible. SpaceX's profit margins are either negative, zero, or razor thin. If Musk wanted high ROI, he wouldn't have bet on SpaceX. He's obviously doing it not because it's easy money, but because he's interested in space as a hobby. The first think he tried to do with his PayPal money was to buy an ICBM to fly a greenhouse to Mars. Does that sound like something that's a good investment? I don't think you're convincing very many people that Musk is doing this for advertising purposes. What's next, Musk gives a space talk to middle school students, and you accuse him of trying to recruit cheap future employees?
  - QAPereo 9y ago
    You can imagine him having the vision to bet on Mars colonies, but not asteroid mining?

wonder_bread 9y ago

Definitely a provocative comment that might not be correct but I don't think it deserved to be down-voted. Just because he's Elon doesn't mean he doesn't play his own manipulation games

greglindahl 9y ago
Hacker News: Your source for conspiracy theories
- QAPereo 9y ago
  One man acting in his own best interest is a conspiracy now? Oooook...