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I really don't understand some people on HN's desire to shield Musk from any criticism. When I started in tech as a career nearly 20 years ago I was really ex

I really don't understand some people on HN's desire to shield Musk from any criticism. When I started in tech as a career nearly 20 years ago I was really excited because I wanted to make the world a better place through technology. In some ways Musk embodies the kind of person a younger me would have considered a hero. Now increasingly I question his propensity to make outlandish claims on all sorts of topics and then get defensive when he can't substantiate them. The worst outcome of this kind of behaviour is Theranos. Musk and his companies have achieved a lot. He should focus more on that (and improving ethics in the manner in which they get their results), and less on his appearance.

pbarnes_1 8y ago
Yup. It's just a cult though.
- kitsunesoba 8y ago
  That’s absolutely a factor but I believe there’s more to the issue than that. For a certain segment of people, Musk represents one of precious few glimmers of hope in several high impact fields. These people are sick of mega industry, boundless bureaucracy, and financially incentivized shortsightedness stymying progress and actively fighting to preserve the status quo. In their view, Musk possesses the qualities, resources, and initiative necessary to succeed in spite of these problems. There aren’t many who fit that description or the or even give the appearance of such. It’s exceptionally rare, no matter how you slice it. With this in mind, it’s easy to imagine how some might feel inclined to defend Musk from perceived threats, even if it’s criticism rooted in truth. More than Musk himself, these peoples’ hopes are at stake, which naturally motivates strong reactions. Personally, I feel conflicted. I do wish he’d tone down his tweeting and provide concrete proof of things like adequate factory safety, but I also feel that SpaceX, Tesla, and the Boring Company are all important for moving humanity forward (especially the first) and would hate to see them unduly impeded.
TickTock309 8y ago
It's not that people are shielding Musk, it's that they are pointing out inaccurate reportings. It just so happens that the ones most informed are...the fans. Oops. Journalists should be more careful, they're starting to look pretty stupid.
AtlasBarfed 8y ago
The Elon hate brigade is way more out of control. It's a festering pile of clickbait, anti-intellectualism / nerd discrimination, misapplied social justice warriorism, financial speculators / incumbent economic cartel misinformation, and an out of control fourth estate with no ethics or conduct.
- dang 8y ago
  Maybe, but please don't rant like this here. It just lowers the signal/noise ratio even further.
kamaal 8y ago
>>Musk and his companies have achieved a lot. That is generally possible for an immigrant, college dropout with $100K in student loans only if they aim crazy and fail upwards. Try that for a change. It works.

pbarnes_1 8y ago

Yup. It's just a cult though.

kitsunesoba 8y ago
That’s absolutely a factor but I believe there’s more to the issue than that. For a certain segment of people, Musk represents one of precious few glimmers of hope in several high impact fields. These people are sick of mega industry, boundless bureaucracy, and financially incentivized shortsightedness stymying progress and actively fighting to preserve the status quo. In their view, Musk possesses the qualities, resources, and initiative necessary to succeed in spite of these problems. There aren’t many who fit that description or the or even give the appearance of such. It’s exceptionally rare, no matter how you slice it. With this in mind, it’s easy to imagine how some might feel inclined to defend Musk from perceived threats, even if it’s criticism rooted in truth. More than Musk himself, these peoples’ hopes are at stake, which naturally motivates strong reactions. Personally, I feel conflicted. I do wish he’d tone down his tweeting and provide concrete proof of things like adequate factory safety, but I also feel that SpaceX, Tesla, and the Boring Company are all important for moving humanity forward (especially the first) and would hate to see them unduly impeded.

TickTock309 8y ago

It's not that people are shielding Musk, it's that they are pointing out inaccurate reportings. It just so happens that the ones most informed are...the fans. Oops. Journalists should be more careful, they're starting to look pretty stupid.

AtlasBarfed 8y ago

The Elon hate brigade is way more out of control. It's a festering pile of clickbait, anti-intellectualism / nerd discrimination, misapplied social justice warriorism, financial speculators / incumbent economic cartel misinformation, and an out of control fourth estate with no ethics or conduct.

dang 8y ago
Maybe, but please don't rant like this here. It just lowers the signal/noise ratio even further.

kamaal 8y ago

>>Musk and his companies have achieved a lot. That is generally possible for an immigrant, college dropout with $100K in student loans only if they aim crazy and fail upwards. Try that for a change. It works.