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I am skeptical that Rivian has "proven its chops". Consider Magic Leap, a company with a some impressive prototypes that used its $2.6 billion of funding to… se
by jakelazaroff 7y ago
I am skeptical that Rivian has "proven its chops". Consider Magic Leap, a company with a some impressive prototypes that used its $2.6 billion of funding to… sell 6,000 headsets, out of a goal of one million.
https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/06/report-magic-leaps-early-device-sales-arent-looking-good/ https://techcrunch.com/2019/12/06/report-magic-leaps-early-d...
- rubyn00bie 7y agoWell... Magic Leap has no market, it literally has to invent one out of thin air. There is a gigantic market for trucks, and the market price for trucks is well established. In one people invested in something that was unproven with an unknown market, the other people are investing in something the market already has show demand for... Seems pretty damn different to me /shrug
- threeseed 7y agoYou really think Amazon and Ford would place such large orders for vehicles if Rivian hadn't "proven its chops". And Rivian is a variation on a proven technology. Magic Leap is a completely new one. Not comparable in the slightest.
- cavisne 7y agoNeither company loses much if rivian disappears. For amazon the equity investment fell under corporate social responsibility, the alternative would be something like carbon offsets which are a pure loss. For ford it just means one less competitor, and they might be able to salvage some IP in the fire sale. If rivian is just a variation on a proven technology whats their competitive advantage? They have zero manufacturing scale, zero experience selling cars, and with the “platform” model no way to differentiate the cars over any other EV (no vertical integration).
- imtringued 7y agoIf they only sell the platform then they are at the bottom of the value chain. Nobody is going to say "I want Rivian in my EV".