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Have you seen https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18618365 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18618365 ? It brought interesting insight into additional facto
by sethherr 8y ago
Have you seen https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18618365 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=18618365 ? It brought interesting insight into additional factors in TSLA’s valuation
- isoskeles 8y agoI don't understand how this brings insight into "additional factors" in their "valuation", as the article mentions nothing about their valuation, just that they have efficient batteries.
- krn 8y agoMany people think of Tesla as a car company, when actually it's an energy company. Other car manufacturers are not.
- azhenley 8y agoReminds me of a quote I once heard (but can't find now) about Ford or GM, that they aren't an automobile company but rather a finance/loan company.
- taneq 8y agoKind of like big mining companies aren't actually mining companies, they're finance and investment companies. The actual mining is done by contractors three or four tiers down in the contract stack.
- quickthrower2 8y agoNo company is a what it actually does company.
- sah2ed 8y ago> No company is a what it actually does company. Or perhaps that companies, like individuals, have facets. Someone calling Google a search engine company is no more correct than you saying they are an advertising company, technology company etc, or in a negative sense, a monopoly. Each of these epithets refer to the same entity, it's just that each emphasizes a particular trait over other traits for the point being made. A regulator is more much more likely to use "search engine" in conjugation with "monopoly" to characterize Google than with the term "technology company" since their goal is to highlight a potential case of abuse that is known to stem from such market power.
- taneq 8y agoTrue, but I'd phrase it as "no big company is actually a what-you-think-it-is company."
- maxerickson 8y agoThe question then becomes whether they have a modest cost advantage over other battery makers or a huge cost advantage. A modest one just means they will be the slightly more profitable battery maker.
- taneq 8y agoI think Tesla is actually a tech company, where 'tech' refers to 'technology', not just software. They have developed a whole bunch of cool new tech, and they use it to build cool new products. The specific flavour of tech and product is window dressing to the core methodology.
- prostoalex 8y agoTheir balance sheet still reflects liabilities in terms of showrooms, salaried salespeople for those showrooms, automobile service centers and salaried mechanics at those service centers. Until those expenses become immaterial in the grand scheme of things, they’re a car company.