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This told me all I needed to know. "The entire infotainment system is a HTML 5 super computer," Milton said. "That's the standard language for computer program

This told me all I needed to know. "The entire infotainment system is a HTML 5 super computer," Milton said. "That's the standard language for computer programmers around the world, so using it let's us build our own chips. And HTML 5 is very secure. Every component is linked on the data network, all speaking the same language. It's not a bunch of separate systems that somehow still manage to communicate." [1] [1] https://www.truckinginfo.com/330475/whats-behind-the-grille-of-the-new-nikola-hydrogen-electric-truck https://www.truckinginfo.com/330475/whats-behind-the-grille-...

seebetter 6y ago
He should had went with a 'hexavigesimal chipset'. A base 26 system could be capable of rendering reality with the right enhancements. https://www.quora.com/Could-you-make-a-CPU-that-processes-on-base-10-instead-of-base-2 https://www.quora.com/Could-you-make-a-CPU-that-processes-on...
croddin 6y ago
Well speaking of trucks and not understanding technology, that is pretty much on the level of: “The internet is not a big truck. It’s a series of tubes...”
jariel 6y ago
Again this is not remotely worrisome. Tech people, and smart people in general, need to learn how to step out of their own understanding of the world and see their own fields as others do. Very few people actually know what HTML really is or how it works, and would be hard pressed to describe it. This quote is an executive mangling the description of some tech that otherwise might make sense. After all, Javascript is part of HTML5 and that could very well be used on various parts of the system, 'linked on the data network, all the same language'. And it is 'a language' that many programmers know how to speak around the world. The bit I can't figure out is 'lets us build our own chips' which is a stretch. This is a guy not really knowing what he is talking about, but with a few word changes, it's mostly rational. The other stuff is far more scary.
- DevX101 6y ago
  Taken in isolation, the statement isn't catastrophically bad. But it does tell me some things about the speaker's character including: - Has limited understanding of technology - Is prone to overstatement, if not outright lying - Is willing to use technobabble to describe his product Those conclusions, if coming from a normal layman, might just make me roll my eyes, but coming from the CEO of supposedly technology centric company that hasn't yet released a product, it raises massive alarm bells and has me running to sell shares or short the company.
  - jariel 6y ago
    So yes, it does add suspicion in context - but of all the 'suspicious things' - it's the least suspicious. Most car execs would struggle with this were they to have to read an unprepared statement.
    - chii 6y ago
      somebody with integrity would just admit they dont know the tech, but point out that he has trusted techies who _do_ know.
      - solarkraft 6y ago
        Do sales people usually have integrity?
  - bob33212 6y ago
    Not understanding what is going on under the hood of software systems is a huge risk for a manager. A Demo could look and feel awesome. But the whole thing could be dependent on a npm package maintainer not disabling his account. And you don't understand that until your entire fleet gets bricked overnight.
- iNate2000 6y ago
  Also, how do we know that the quote is even accurate? If the CEO misstates some technical jargon, what’s the likelihood that the reporter from an unrelated field is going to get the misstatement correct?
valine 6y ago
Rolling the semi down a hill calling it “In motion” in a promotional video is what did it for me. Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAToxJ9CGb8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAToxJ9CGb8 Nokola’s admission: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2020/09/nikola-admits-prototype-was-rolling-downhill-in-promotional-video/ https://arstechnica.com/cars/2020/09/nikola-admits-prototype...
- wlesieutre 6y ago
  When they said “Feels like a luxury car with sports performance” I can only assume they meant it like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoeQdse7aLU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoeQdse7aLU
  - dylan604 6y ago
    the engines had to be running so that power steering and brakes would work. yet they sound designed this to make it sound like the engines were not running.
    - wlesieutre 6y ago
      You can also see the tach idling at 1000 RPM, but the "rolling down a hill" part is accurate. I wonder if Nikola had their brakes working or not.
    - djbebs 6y ago
      Why would the engine be required for the brakes and steeri g to function? Am i taking crazy pills here?
      - dylan604 6y ago
        Ever tried to turn the steering wheel when the engine is not running? Power steering[0] uses a hydraulic system to make steering the car nearly effortless compared to cars without it. The weight of the car and the rubber of the tires on the ground causes a lot of friction (the actual force moving the car down the road). That friction makes it difficult to just move the wheel. Power steering is one of the many pulleys the engine belt is threaded. Brakes are also hydraulically operated. Ever pump the brakes in your car when the engine isn't running? That gets very difficult as well without the assist of the running engine. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_steering https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_steering
tenaciousDaniel 6y ago
I'm sharing it with everyone I know. This might be the most hilarious marketing copy I've ever come across. It's almost like a parody.
can16358p 6y ago
The buzzword soup from the snippets reminded me of the scene from CSI where they were "building a GUI interface in Visual Basic to trace an IP address".
- chii 6y ago
  at least that CSI scene still makes sense and is possible!
- m4tthumphrey 6y ago
  This was new to me so had to Google it. Did not disappoint! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkDD03yeLnU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkDD03yeLnU Edit: The correct URL!
  - dylan604 6y ago
    I was hoping your link was going tot he CSI scene in question. Sad for me.
    - m4tthumphrey 6y ago
      It most definitely should have been! Edited!
- st1x7 6y ago
  And of course someone built it for real - https://archive.codeplex.com/?p=guivbip https://archive.codeplex.com/?p=guivbip
- gamblor956 6y ago
  I don't understand what's wrong with that? IRL that is exactly the type of thing VB is used for. It's easy for non programmers to design interfaces, relatively intuitive to program, and it doesn't require compilation or other fancy or complicated processes to use the completed program. It's literally WYSIWYG programming.
  - 6y ago
zpeti 6y ago
I'll raise you: "It's called Rebo and it's the first bottle that cleans the planet as you drink. One Rebo drunk is one plastic bottle collected as simple as that. Rebo is a smart bottle equipped with a laser time-of-flight sensor and a Bluetooth transmitter that measures and senses the water you drink. The Rebo the app captures the information and records it into the blockchain transforming it into green credits that sponsor the collection of plastic bottles every minute." Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KupJgVupEtk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KupJgVupEtk
- edoceo 6y ago
  What the heck does this even mean? This is crazier than the stuff my cannabis business clients come up with.
  - umvi 6y ago
    The bottle cap has a laser sensor that measures the water level in the bottle. When you drink all the water, there is a Bluetooth chip (also in the cap) that notifies the app on your phone, which phones home and records that you drank a bottle of water into a DB (apparently a blockchain). The company then has a deal with some other company that for every bottle of Rebo you drink, it funds the collection of plastic waste collection. I admit they chocked it full of too many buzzwords to make it sound cooler than it is, but at least the concept sort of makes sense compared to the hot air the Nikola CEO blew.
    - giarc 6y ago
      There are a ton of companies doing this "Toms shoes" model (buy one, give one) and it doesn't need to be complex. "For every bottle of water you purchase, we fund the clean up of 1000 bottles". Why bring lasers into it?
      - ChuckMcM 6y ago
        Because they couldn't figure out how to credibly add "Machine learning" or "AI" and lasers was the next buzzword on the "What's hot" list?
joaomacp 6y ago
Not even GPT-3 could be this nonsensical.
cbsks 6y ago
But do they use military grade encryption?? And I’d feel more comfortable if a block chain was involved, somehow.
- dylan604 6y ago
  They do use the best stainless steel that they "could find", but not necessarily the best stainless steel full stop. And of course block chain is involved. Everyone knows that if you want a crowd funded campaign or get VC funding you need to only need to include the phrase "AI", "ML", or "block chain". Or add all three for a triple score combo.
new_realist 6y ago
"What people should absolutely have zero concern about, and I mean zero, is that Tesla will achieve a 10,000 unit production week by the end of next year."
new_realist 6y ago
1,433 days since Elon Musk started charging Tesla customers for 'self driving' that he said would be able to drive from Los Angeles to New York city with no human intervention by the end of 2017.
- rorykoehler 6y ago
  Can't you do that now? Edit: https://www.thedrive.com/news/5273/alex-roy-shatters-electric-and-autonomous-cannonball-run-records-in-a-tesla https://www.thedrive.com/news/5273/alex-roy-shatters-electri...
- kanox 6y ago
  Being late does not make you a fraud. Tesla does have a real team working on self driving hardware and software and they're shipping it inside cars. It's not clear that Nikola has much more than powerpoint. They got a lot of impressive-sounding partnerships going but so did Theranos.
  - itsoktocry 6y ago
    >Being late does not make you a fraud. Then you can literally say anything and claim "just not yet!". Amazing people say things like this with a straight face. >It's not clear that Nikola has much more than powerpoint. Nikola has real teams working on real things, too. They are just nowhere near where they claim to be.
    - 52-6F-62 6y ago
      > Then you can literally say anything and claim "just not yet!". To play a little devil's advocate, then... Wouldn't that put most startups and Silicon Valley into the "fraud" camp? Net positive revenue is always coming and funds are continuously raised on that promise...
    - valuearb 6y ago
      When did Elon fake a video of a Tesla autonomously driving cross country?
itsoktocry 6y ago
>This told me all I needed to know. How is this any different the nonsense Musk pumps out: 1. Machines in the factory moving so fast you need a strobelight 2. Solar tiles that will print money 3. Full self-driving on all cars since 2016 4. A brain chip that will cure autism and on and on...
- dpiers 6y ago
  Both emperors are naked, one just has a much higher approval rating.
  - itsoktocry 6y ago
    Agreed. I wonder if this will have more people asking questions about Tesla. Tesla is a tougher one, because they do produce a good product, while exaggerating far more than they produce.
  - nickik 6y ago
    Tesla literally own more then 50% of the US EV market. The own like 18% of the global EV, and 28% of full electric market. And they have been increasing global market share year over year. They have grown the amount of products they sell every year. They have the largest global charging network. The build the biggest battery in the world. The list goes on. In 2015 Musk said they want to produce 2020 they want to produce 500k vehicles, and even with covid they will come close to this or even hit it. To compare the two is beyond ridiculous. Nikola literally never deliver a single vehicle or achieved a single significant engineering goal. If you actually think they are remotely comparable there is something seriously wrong with your perspective on the world.
- bob33212 6y ago
  Milton cannot explain why HTML5 is secure, because it doesn't make any sense. He is just repeating buzzwords. Musk can explain how he could build a very fast factory. Maybe he is wrong and there is some sort of thermal limit that he is going to hit before getting it to that speed. But it is a real plan. He isn't just throwing out buzzwords to attract investors.

seebetter 6y ago

He should had went with a 'hexavigesimal chipset'. A base 26 system could be capable of rendering reality with the right enhancements. https://www.quora.com/Could-you-make-a-CPU-that-processes-on-base-10-instead-of-base-2 https://www.quora.com/Could-you-make-a-CPU-that-processes-on...

croddin 6y ago

Well speaking of trucks and not understanding technology, that is pretty much on the level of: “The internet is not a big truck. It’s a series of tubes...”

jariel 6y ago

Again this is not remotely worrisome. Tech people, and smart people in general, need to learn how to step out of their own understanding of the world and see their own fields as others do. Very few people actually know what HTML really is or how it works, and would be hard pressed to describe it. This quote is an executive mangling the description of some tech that otherwise might make sense. After all, Javascript is part of HTML5 and that could very well be used on various parts of the system, 'linked on the data network, all the same language'. And it is 'a language' that many programmers know how to speak around the world. The bit I can't figure out is 'lets us build our own chips' which is a stretch. This is a guy not really knowing what he is talking about, but with a few word changes, it's mostly rational. The other stuff is far more scary.

DevX101 6y ago
Taken in isolation, the statement isn't catastrophically bad. But it does tell me some things about the speaker's character including: - Has limited understanding of technology - Is prone to overstatement, if not outright lying - Is willing to use technobabble to describe his product Those conclusions, if coming from a normal layman, might just make me roll my eyes, but coming from the CEO of supposedly technology centric company that hasn't yet released a product, it raises massive alarm bells and has me running to sell shares or short the company.
- jariel 6y ago
  So yes, it does add suspicion in context - but of all the 'suspicious things' - it's the least suspicious. Most car execs would struggle with this were they to have to read an unprepared statement.
  - chii 6y ago
    somebody with integrity would just admit they dont know the tech, but point out that he has trusted techies who _do_ know.
    - solarkraft 6y ago
      Do sales people usually have integrity?
- bob33212 6y ago
  Not understanding what is going on under the hood of software systems is a huge risk for a manager. A Demo could look and feel awesome. But the whole thing could be dependent on a npm package maintainer not disabling his account. And you don't understand that until your entire fleet gets bricked overnight.
iNate2000 6y ago
Also, how do we know that the quote is even accurate? If the CEO misstates some technical jargon, what’s the likelihood that the reporter from an unrelated field is going to get the misstatement correct?

valine 6y ago

Rolling the semi down a hill calling it “In motion” in a promotional video is what did it for me. Original video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAToxJ9CGb8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IAToxJ9CGb8 Nokola’s admission: https://arstechnica.com/cars/2020/09/nikola-admits-prototype-was-rolling-downhill-in-promotional-video/ https://arstechnica.com/cars/2020/09/nikola-admits-prototype...

wlesieutre 6y ago
When they said “Feels like a luxury car with sports performance” I can only assume they meant it like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoeQdse7aLU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VoeQdse7aLU
- dylan604 6y ago
  the engines had to be running so that power steering and brakes would work. yet they sound designed this to make it sound like the engines were not running.
  - wlesieutre 6y ago
    You can also see the tach idling at 1000 RPM, but the "rolling down a hill" part is accurate. I wonder if Nikola had their brakes working or not.
  - djbebs 6y ago
    Why would the engine be required for the brakes and steeri g to function? Am i taking crazy pills here?
    - dylan604 6y ago
      Ever tried to turn the steering wheel when the engine is not running? Power steering[0] uses a hydraulic system to make steering the car nearly effortless compared to cars without it. The weight of the car and the rubber of the tires on the ground causes a lot of friction (the actual force moving the car down the road). That friction makes it difficult to just move the wheel. Power steering is one of the many pulleys the engine belt is threaded. Brakes are also hydraulically operated. Ever pump the brakes in your car when the engine isn't running? That gets very difficult as well without the assist of the running engine. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_steering https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_steering

tenaciousDaniel 6y ago

I'm sharing it with everyone I know. This might be the most hilarious marketing copy I've ever come across. It's almost like a parody.

can16358p 6y ago

The buzzword soup from the snippets reminded me of the scene from CSI where they were "building a GUI interface in Visual Basic to trace an IP address".

chii 6y ago
at least that CSI scene still makes sense and is possible!
m4tthumphrey 6y ago
This was new to me so had to Google it. Did not disappoint! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkDD03yeLnU https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkDD03yeLnU Edit: The correct URL!
- dylan604 6y ago
  I was hoping your link was going tot he CSI scene in question. Sad for me.
  - m4tthumphrey 6y ago
    It most definitely should have been! Edited!
st1x7 6y ago
And of course someone built it for real - https://archive.codeplex.com/?p=guivbip https://archive.codeplex.com/?p=guivbip
gamblor956 6y ago
I don't understand what's wrong with that? IRL that is exactly the type of thing VB is used for. It's easy for non programmers to design interfaces, relatively intuitive to program, and it doesn't require compilation or other fancy or complicated processes to use the completed program. It's literally WYSIWYG programming.
- 6y ago

zpeti 6y ago

I'll raise you: "It's called Rebo and it's the first bottle that cleans the planet as you drink. One Rebo drunk is one plastic bottle collected as simple as that. Rebo is a smart bottle equipped with a laser time-of-flight sensor and a Bluetooth transmitter that measures and senses the water you drink. The Rebo the app captures the information and records it into the blockchain transforming it into green credits that sponsor the collection of plastic bottles every minute." Source: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KupJgVupEtk https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KupJgVupEtk

edoceo 6y ago
What the heck does this even mean? This is crazier than the stuff my cannabis business clients come up with.
- umvi 6y ago
  The bottle cap has a laser sensor that measures the water level in the bottle. When you drink all the water, there is a Bluetooth chip (also in the cap) that notifies the app on your phone, which phones home and records that you drank a bottle of water into a DB (apparently a blockchain). The company then has a deal with some other company that for every bottle of Rebo you drink, it funds the collection of plastic waste collection. I admit they chocked it full of too many buzzwords to make it sound cooler than it is, but at least the concept sort of makes sense compared to the hot air the Nikola CEO blew.
  - giarc 6y ago
    There are a ton of companies doing this "Toms shoes" model (buy one, give one) and it doesn't need to be complex. "For every bottle of water you purchase, we fund the clean up of 1000 bottles". Why bring lasers into it?
    - ChuckMcM 6y ago
      Because they couldn't figure out how to credibly add "Machine learning" or "AI" and lasers was the next buzzword on the "What's hot" list?

joaomacp 6y ago

Not even GPT-3 could be this nonsensical.

cbsks 6y ago

But do they use military grade encryption?? And I’d feel more comfortable if a block chain was involved, somehow.

dylan604 6y ago
They do use the best stainless steel that they "could find", but not necessarily the best stainless steel full stop. And of course block chain is involved. Everyone knows that if you want a crowd funded campaign or get VC funding you need to only need to include the phrase "AI", "ML", or "block chain". Or add all three for a triple score combo.

new_realist 6y ago

"What people should absolutely have zero concern about, and I mean zero, is that Tesla will achieve a 10,000 unit production week by the end of next year."

new_realist 6y ago

1,433 days since Elon Musk started charging Tesla customers for 'self driving' that he said would be able to drive from Los Angeles to New York city with no human intervention by the end of 2017.

rorykoehler 6y ago
Can't you do that now? Edit: https://www.thedrive.com/news/5273/alex-roy-shatters-electric-and-autonomous-cannonball-run-records-in-a-tesla https://www.thedrive.com/news/5273/alex-roy-shatters-electri...
kanox 6y ago
Being late does not make you a fraud. Tesla does have a real team working on self driving hardware and software and they're shipping it inside cars. It's not clear that Nikola has much more than powerpoint. They got a lot of impressive-sounding partnerships going but so did Theranos.
- itsoktocry 6y ago
  >Being late does not make you a fraud. Then you can literally say anything and claim "just not yet!". Amazing people say things like this with a straight face. >It's not clear that Nikola has much more than powerpoint. Nikola has real teams working on real things, too. They are just nowhere near where they claim to be.
  - 52-6F-62 6y ago
    > Then you can literally say anything and claim "just not yet!". To play a little devil's advocate, then... Wouldn't that put most startups and Silicon Valley into the "fraud" camp? Net positive revenue is always coming and funds are continuously raised on that promise...
  - valuearb 6y ago
    When did Elon fake a video of a Tesla autonomously driving cross country?

itsoktocry 6y ago

>This told me all I needed to know. How is this any different the nonsense Musk pumps out: 1. Machines in the factory moving so fast you need a strobelight 2. Solar tiles that will print money 3. Full self-driving on all cars since 2016 4. A brain chip that will cure autism and on and on...

dpiers 6y ago
Both emperors are naked, one just has a much higher approval rating.
- itsoktocry 6y ago
  Agreed. I wonder if this will have more people asking questions about Tesla. Tesla is a tougher one, because they do produce a good product, while exaggerating far more than they produce.
- nickik 6y ago
  Tesla literally own more then 50% of the US EV market. The own like 18% of the global EV, and 28% of full electric market. And they have been increasing global market share year over year. They have grown the amount of products they sell every year. They have the largest global charging network. The build the biggest battery in the world. The list goes on. In 2015 Musk said they want to produce 2020 they want to produce 500k vehicles, and even with covid they will come close to this or even hit it. To compare the two is beyond ridiculous. Nikola literally never deliver a single vehicle or achieved a single significant engineering goal. If you actually think they are remotely comparable there is something seriously wrong with your perspective on the world.
bob33212 6y ago
Milton cannot explain why HTML5 is secure, because it doesn't make any sense. He is just repeating buzzwords. Musk can explain how he could build a very fast factory. Maybe he is wrong and there is some sort of thermal limit that he is going to hit before getting it to that speed. But it is a real plan. He isn't just throwing out buzzwords to attract investors.