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Also - does he actually "have money"? Tesla and SpaceX don't make a profit or pay dividends. My guess is he finances his entire life from taking on debt which

by zpeti 6y ago

Also - does he actually "have money"? Tesla and SpaceX don't make a profit or pay dividends. My guess is he finances his entire life from taking on debt which is secured against his stock. So how exactly are people like him supposed to just give money away? What happens to the stock he owns then? Would he forgo control of his companies? How would he pay taxes on that income anyway? Lots of questions the billionaires-shouldn't-exist crowd have no concept of.

pwinnski 6y ago
He started out with a lot of money from his family's South African mining operations. Your mockery is ill-directed, and in the context of a post about someone whose corporate wealth was able to be donated to charity, in really poor taste.
- zpeti 6y ago
  Yeah, because Elon is obviously where he is now because of family money... jesus christ. Ever heard of Zip2 and Paypal? Your resentment and jealousy based communist thinking is pretty ugly.
  - pwinnski 6y ago
    Now you've added personal insults to your class mockery. Please, this sort of casual disregard of other people is not appropriate on HN. Your initial claim was that he had no money apart from company stock, and lives entirely on debt. This is factually incorrect, as I pointed out: his family money predates all of his companies. Attached to your factually-incorrect claim was a casual denigration of a group of people with whose beliefs you disagree. This was both misguided and unnecessary. My factual statement in response was simply: > He started out with a lot of money from his family's South African mining operations. Based solely on that true statement of fact, you derided me, responding to claims I never made and labeling me and my "thinking" in inaccurate and insulting ways. Please, stop.
    - zpeti 6y ago
      If you are so good on facts, please point to some (other than speculation) that confirm your theory that Elon somehow benefitted from family money, or is currently living off family money not Tesla and SpaceX. Your statement was extremely loaded, suggesting Elon's family somehow is part of his success. While our past is certainly part of us always, it is very loaded and complex. As is well known Elon's father was very abusive, committed crimes, and has just married his stepdaughter. Ask any psychologist and I think that is more a hindrance than an advantage in terms of family background. I stand by the fact that anything implying Elon is successful because of his family money is a hugely far-left opinion, if not communist, and has its roots in your resentment for Elon's success.
      - pwinnski 6y ago
        > I stand by the fact that anything implying Elon is successful because of his family money is a hugely far-left opinion, if not communist, and has its roots in your resentment for Elon's success. This is not okay. Please, pursue empathy.
      - Can_Not 6y ago
        > anything implying Elon is successful because of his family money is a hugely far-left opinion, if not communist TIL reality is communist

by zpeti 6y ago

pwinnski 6y ago

He started out with a lot of money from his family's South African mining operations. Your mockery is ill-directed, and in the context of a post about someone whose corporate wealth was able to be donated to charity, in really poor taste.

zpeti 6y ago
Yeah, because Elon is obviously where he is now because of family money... jesus christ. Ever heard of Zip2 and Paypal? Your resentment and jealousy based communist thinking is pretty ugly.
- pwinnski 6y ago
  Now you've added personal insults to your class mockery. Please, this sort of casual disregard of other people is not appropriate on HN. Your initial claim was that he had no money apart from company stock, and lives entirely on debt. This is factually incorrect, as I pointed out: his family money predates all of his companies. Attached to your factually-incorrect claim was a casual denigration of a group of people with whose beliefs you disagree. This was both misguided and unnecessary. My factual statement in response was simply: > He started out with a lot of money from his family's South African mining operations. Based solely on that true statement of fact, you derided me, responding to claims I never made and labeling me and my "thinking" in inaccurate and insulting ways. Please, stop.
  - zpeti 6y ago
    If you are so good on facts, please point to some (other than speculation) that confirm your theory that Elon somehow benefitted from family money, or is currently living off family money not Tesla and SpaceX. Your statement was extremely loaded, suggesting Elon's family somehow is part of his success. While our past is certainly part of us always, it is very loaded and complex. As is well known Elon's father was very abusive, committed crimes, and has just married his stepdaughter. Ask any psychologist and I think that is more a hindrance than an advantage in terms of family background. I stand by the fact that anything implying Elon is successful because of his family money is a hugely far-left opinion, if not communist, and has its roots in your resentment for Elon's success.
    - pwinnski 6y ago
      > I stand by the fact that anything implying Elon is successful because of his family money is a hugely far-left opinion, if not communist, and has its roots in your resentment for Elon's success. This is not okay. Please, pursue empathy.
    - Can_Not 6y ago
      > anything implying Elon is successful because of his family money is a hugely far-left opinion, if not communist TIL reality is communist