7 ms·

Tesla's Musk sells $10M in flamethrowers in four days

28 points by rwx------ 9y ago

wklauss 9y ago
Shouldn't it read "Boring Company's Musk"?
- deleted 9y ago
  [deleted]
rwx------ 9y ago
People will buy any thing if it is endorsed/sold by celebrities.
kome 9y ago
I had to check, it's the 2 of February and not the 1st of April.
hulahoof 9y ago
To the surprise of everyone involved, I'm sure.
grinsekatze 9y ago
This is so weird.
Strubo 9y ago
Ah, the good ol' Spaceballs Merchandising technique. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgRFQJCHcPw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgRFQJCHcPw
- icc97 9y ago
  Musk tweeted about that [0]. edit: I'd forgotten that there's a flamethrower at the end of the clip. That YouTube clip you posted is broken for me. [0]: https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/937447589460426752 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/937447589460426752
fredley 9y ago
This is probably a controversial opinion, but there's are similar forces at play here with Musk's flamethrowers and Trump's MAGA hats.
- craftyguy 9y ago
  'Celebrities' sell crap when they endorse it. What's new?
WillReplyfFood 9y ago
Musk! He'll sting you with his dreams of power and wealth. Beware of Musk! His twisted twin obsessions are his plot to rule the world And his employees' health. He'll welcome you into his lair Like the nobleman welcomes his guest With free dental care and a stock plan that helps you invest! But beware of his generous pensions Plus three weeks paid vacation each year And on Fridays, the lunchroom serves hot dogs and burgers and beer! He loves German beer!
deleted 9y ago
[deleted]
ftoo 9y ago
And Kylie Jenner sold over $250 million worth of makeup last year. Celebrity sells, what’s new about this?
onion2k 9y ago
I realise that this is a marketing stunt, but potentially this could have a serious impact on the Boring Company. A flamethrower is a weapon, even if it's a 'toy' like Elon's flamethrower. This means the Boring Company is probably in violation of any open source license that prohibits use in evil applications - for example, the JSON license (http://www.json.org/license.html http://www.json.org/license.html). I'm pretty sure that there's a bunch of other OSS licenses that prohibit their use in military applications too. I don't seriously imagine for a second that anything will actually happen as a result of this. It's just fun to think about.
- askvictor 9y ago
  Interesting, though presumably as long as the flamethrower itself doesn't use the json library, they're clear. Though I now imagine a licence that blocks use by any company that manufactures or distribute weapons, for example. Or is in the coal industry. Is 'licence activism' a thing? Could it be?
  - rcxdude 9y ago
    It is a thing (most memorably a piece of software which is freeware normally, but you must make a donation if you air travel over a certain amount year), but it's rare. Most definitions of Open Source and Free Software do not include licenses with such restrictions (a core freedom being being able to do whatever you want with the software).
- CodesInChaos 9y ago
  No OSI of FSF approved license will contain such a clause: * The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose (freedom 0). (https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html.en https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html.en) * 6. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor (https://opensource.org/osd https://opensource.org/osd) Most popular licenses do not contain such a clause. The Json license is a rare exception and quite controversial.
flexie 9y ago
That Elon Musk can sell $10M worth of something as silly as flamethrowers, should be a sign of worry for car manufacturers. The cult surrounding Elon Musk is second to none in the auto world. Which car manufacturer could sell useless merchandise branded with the name of what is really just an experimental side project run by a sister company, not even the brand of the auto company itself?
- e_b 9y ago
  Tesla investors should worry about stunts like these. Each time Musk sells nonsense products like these he trades brand equity for money. To be explicit, these flamethrowers diminish the value of Tesla.
  - hunterxg 9y ago
    This isn't even Tesla. It's the Boring Company. Tesla investors shouldn't care about other companies. Maybe do some research before posting.
    - dogma1138 9y ago
      There is another way to look at it. How much of the Tesla valuation is due to Musk? 20, 30, 50, 90%? Each stunt like this makes which ever percentage that is a bit bigger. What happens if or more like when Musk retires from Tesla to focus on SpaceX or another company? He’s running effectively 4 companies atm Tesla, SolarCity, SpaceX and the Boring Company eventually he could want or will have to focus on fewer ventures. Tesla is effectively the only public traded company if he leaves the stock can tank and tank to the point where it would put them in serious trouble.
  - JauntTrooper 9y ago
    It would never have occurred to me to buy a flamethrower, but I would have thought they’d be much more expensive than $500. I don’t think it reduces Musk’s brand. It’s tech, they’re fun (no one is buying these for a practical purpose) and they look like they’re from a video game. It’s a luxury hardware gadget. As long as they work, that is. He needs to be careful he doesn’t develop a persona of overpromising and being unable to meet commitments.
squarefoot 9y ago
The real news is at 1:15. I don't know if he planned this, but if I was in Musk's shoes I'd create a fake flamethrower-rights movement just to ridicule those who would like to ban them so fast even before they could be accounted for a single fire or injured person, while doing nothing about guns.
M_Bakhtiari 9y ago
I think in the name of decency the headline should reflect that this is about butane-powered novelty toy, not a defence contract.

28 points by rwx------ 9y ago

wklauss 9y ago

Shouldn't it read "Boring Company's Musk"?

deleted 9y ago
[deleted]

rwx------ 9y ago

People will buy any thing if it is endorsed/sold by celebrities.

kome 9y ago

I had to check, it's the 2 of February and not the 1st of April.

hulahoof 9y ago

To the surprise of everyone involved, I'm sure.

grinsekatze 9y ago

This is so weird.

Strubo 9y ago

Ah, the good ol' Spaceballs Merchandising technique. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgRFQJCHcPw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgRFQJCHcPw

icc97 9y ago
Musk tweeted about that [0]. edit: I'd forgotten that there's a flamethrower at the end of the clip. That YouTube clip you posted is broken for me. [0]: https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/937447589460426752 https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/937447589460426752

fredley 9y ago

This is probably a controversial opinion, but there's are similar forces at play here with Musk's flamethrowers and Trump's MAGA hats.

craftyguy 9y ago
'Celebrities' sell crap when they endorse it. What's new?

WillReplyfFood 9y ago

Musk! He'll sting you with his dreams of power and wealth. Beware of Musk! His twisted twin obsessions are his plot to rule the world And his employees' health. He'll welcome you into his lair Like the nobleman welcomes his guest With free dental care and a stock plan that helps you invest! But beware of his generous pensions Plus three weeks paid vacation each year And on Fridays, the lunchroom serves hot dogs and burgers and beer! He loves German beer!

deleted 9y ago

[deleted]

ftoo 9y ago

And Kylie Jenner sold over $250 million worth of makeup last year. Celebrity sells, what’s new about this?

onion2k 9y ago

I realise that this is a marketing stunt, but potentially this could have a serious impact on the Boring Company. A flamethrower is a weapon, even if it's a 'toy' like Elon's flamethrower. This means the Boring Company is probably in violation of any open source license that prohibits use in evil applications - for example, the JSON license (http://www.json.org/license.html http://www.json.org/license.html). I'm pretty sure that there's a bunch of other OSS licenses that prohibit their use in military applications too. I don't seriously imagine for a second that anything will actually happen as a result of this. It's just fun to think about.

askvictor 9y ago
Interesting, though presumably as long as the flamethrower itself doesn't use the json library, they're clear. Though I now imagine a licence that blocks use by any company that manufactures or distribute weapons, for example. Or is in the coal industry. Is 'licence activism' a thing? Could it be?
- rcxdude 9y ago
  It is a thing (most memorably a piece of software which is freeware normally, but you must make a donation if you air travel over a certain amount year), but it's rare. Most definitions of Open Source and Free Software do not include licenses with such restrictions (a core freedom being being able to do whatever you want with the software).
CodesInChaos 9y ago
No OSI of FSF approved license will contain such a clause: * The freedom to run the program as you wish, for any purpose (freedom 0). (https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html.en https://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html.en) * 6. No Discrimination Against Fields of Endeavor (https://opensource.org/osd https://opensource.org/osd) Most popular licenses do not contain such a clause. The Json license is a rare exception and quite controversial.

flexie 9y ago

That Elon Musk can sell $10M worth of something as silly as flamethrowers, should be a sign of worry for car manufacturers. The cult surrounding Elon Musk is second to none in the auto world. Which car manufacturer could sell useless merchandise branded with the name of what is really just an experimental side project run by a sister company, not even the brand of the auto company itself?

e_b 9y ago
Tesla investors should worry about stunts like these. Each time Musk sells nonsense products like these he trades brand equity for money. To be explicit, these flamethrowers diminish the value of Tesla.
- hunterxg 9y ago
  This isn't even Tesla. It's the Boring Company. Tesla investors shouldn't care about other companies. Maybe do some research before posting.
  - dogma1138 9y ago
    There is another way to look at it. How much of the Tesla valuation is due to Musk? 20, 30, 50, 90%? Each stunt like this makes which ever percentage that is a bit bigger. What happens if or more like when Musk retires from Tesla to focus on SpaceX or another company? He’s running effectively 4 companies atm Tesla, SolarCity, SpaceX and the Boring Company eventually he could want or will have to focus on fewer ventures. Tesla is effectively the only public traded company if he leaves the stock can tank and tank to the point where it would put them in serious trouble.
- JauntTrooper 9y ago
  It would never have occurred to me to buy a flamethrower, but I would have thought they’d be much more expensive than $500. I don’t think it reduces Musk’s brand. It’s tech, they’re fun (no one is buying these for a practical purpose) and they look like they’re from a video game. It’s a luxury hardware gadget. As long as they work, that is. He needs to be careful he doesn’t develop a persona of overpromising and being unable to meet commitments.

squarefoot 9y ago

The real news is at 1:15. I don't know if he planned this, but if I was in Musk's shoes I'd create a fake flamethrower-rights movement just to ridicule those who would like to ban them so fast even before they could be accounted for a single fire or injured person, while doing nothing about guns.

M_Bakhtiari 9y ago

I think in the name of decency the headline should reflect that this is about butane-powered novelty toy, not a defence contract.