It's actually not snark. I work in the industry and I legitametely believe Tesla's call to forgo traditional controls is defensible when viewed through this len

It's actually not snark. I work in the industry and I legitametely believe Tesla's call to forgo traditional controls is defensible when viewed through this lense. Tesla's current business model is, and has been, 100% dependent on getting the Model 3 to market at the famously touted price of $35,000. Bringing a car like the Model 3, with all the features promised over the years, into mass production (100k+ per year production rate) within a timeframe required to secure a position in the market where 100k example can be sold necessitates such wild thinking. Yes, it's a terrible design for the driver, but Tesla beat every other manufacturer to the punch by at least 4 years. The "everything is contained in one, basocally off the shelf touchscreen" idea makes part of the ownership experience worse bit it got the Model 3 in consumer's hands at least 1 year earlier than it would have been otherwise and likely shaved a grand or two off the final base price. I'd never buy a Model 3 because the touchscreen is so offensivley terrible. However, when a quarter million people are willing to put their money down to buy one simply due to the range, pricw point, and expected launch date, then any compromise that helps get the car into their hands as promised, without a revolt among depositors, is "smart" in its own right.