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The loan was a terrible deal for taxpayers. It enriched early Tesla equity holders -- including foreign Mercedes-- at the public's expense. The govt was takin
by mobilefriendly 8y ago
The loan was a terrible deal for taxpayers. It enriched early Tesla equity holders -- including foreign Mercedes-- at the public's expense. The govt was taking on huge risk, the loan was vastly bigger than the company's revenues, but taxpayers got no corresponding upside for that risk. A similar loan to Fisker was a $139 million loss for the government.
- b_tterc_p 8y agoGovernment and business aren’t known for considering externalities in their decision making, but it seems noteworthy that the impact of the loan is not a small return, but the survival of a successful electric car and battery company. Would you be alright with providing equivalent money in grants to produce this tech? Because I would argue loans to a business have a better chance of reaching market successfully. Could they have gotten here without that loan? Maybe. Could better terms have been arranged? Possibly. But I think it was a praiseworthy investment nonetheless.
- jungturk 8y agoIt doesn't seem that _that_ loan was a terrible deal. It was a loan and it was repaid. The upside to citizens was probably evaluated under different terms - the development of a nascent industry that could pay social dividends over time in the form of jobs, oil security, etc... (whether that's an appropriate function for government is an entirely different concern).