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I want you to run with this thought wherever it takes you: 1. Tesla is heavily shorted. 2. Tesla and SpaceX are disrupting heavily entrenched industries (and w

I want you to run with this thought wherever it takes you: 1. Tesla is heavily shorted. 2. Tesla and SpaceX are disrupting heavily entrenched industries (and we could argue a lot about how much or how effectively, but let's not). 3. It's become apparently easy to mobilize armies of artificial opinion on the internet, who in turn mobilize real people due to groupthink and the human love for picking sides and shouting about it. I am not suggesting in any way that there isn't anything valid to criticize or that anyone who does so is a sockpuppet, but if there aren't any such campaigns by moneyed interests to tarnish those brands online I would be extremely shocked.

rootusrootus 8y ago
The interesting thing is ... I have had similar thoughts but exactly the other way around. Sometimes the fanboyism is so strong I figure it must be subsidized. I feel ambivalent myself, I have no vested interest in Tesla succeeding or failing. Objectively, the numbers paint a pretty sober picture of their future and I wouldn't consider investing any of my money there. But ... I think it would be cool if they succeeded. I've never been particularly interested in any electric car, Tesla or not, but anybody willing to push the technology forward is appreciated.
- notabee 8y ago
  Even if Tesla was engaging in similar games, there's a lot more money and resources on the opposing sides, because he's created a lot of opposition. I'm not a fan in general of one person having ridiculous amounts of money or power because the human psyche never deals with that well, but I would rather such a person attempt to push progress forward rather than hide from the world with other rich folks and idly hoard. Elon Musk has become the bike shed of rich people because he's doing flashy, obvious things.
opencl 8y ago
Tesla is heavily shorted but there is still way more long position stock. Shorters hiring astroturfers seems vaguely plausible but no more likely than people with long positions doing the same thing. I very highly doubt that Honda is hiring people to make negative forum posts about Tesla.
rohit2412 8y ago
Trust me, I was never stayed by groupthink. Infact the groupthink has almost always been Tesla fanboyism. I personally was set off by Elon musk's claims about autonomy, every since he started claiming them in 2015. I still don't think a line following robot should be allowed control of a car, and good forbid not have a human driver behind it.

rootusrootus 8y ago

The interesting thing is ... I have had similar thoughts but exactly the other way around. Sometimes the fanboyism is so strong I figure it must be subsidized. I feel ambivalent myself, I have no vested interest in Tesla succeeding or failing. Objectively, the numbers paint a pretty sober picture of their future and I wouldn't consider investing any of my money there. But ... I think it would be cool if they succeeded. I've never been particularly interested in any electric car, Tesla or not, but anybody willing to push the technology forward is appreciated.

notabee 8y ago
Even if Tesla was engaging in similar games, there's a lot more money and resources on the opposing sides, because he's created a lot of opposition. I'm not a fan in general of one person having ridiculous amounts of money or power because the human psyche never deals with that well, but I would rather such a person attempt to push progress forward rather than hide from the world with other rich folks and idly hoard. Elon Musk has become the bike shed of rich people because he's doing flashy, obvious things.

opencl 8y ago

Tesla is heavily shorted but there is still way more long position stock. Shorters hiring astroturfers seems vaguely plausible but no more likely than people with long positions doing the same thing. I very highly doubt that Honda is hiring people to make negative forum posts about Tesla.

rohit2412 8y ago

Trust me, I was never stayed by groupthink. Infact the groupthink has almost always been Tesla fanboyism. I personally was set off by Elon musk's claims about autonomy, every since he started claiming them in 2015. I still don't think a line following robot should be allowed control of a car, and good forbid not have a human driver behind it.