3 ms·

Today, we're working on building retro sci-fi style rockets with volume greater than the ISS. Pretty exciting time to be alive.

by kiba 5y ago

TeMPOraL 5y ago
Yes, though this and electric cars both required a single man with combination of wealth, charisma and ability to think beyond their own wallet - which is a very rare set of characteristics to coincide in a single person - who then could drag the market kicking and screaming into accepting EVs and reusable rockets. Unfortunately, depending on such happenstance doesn't scale, so it's not a reliable way of creating a better future.
- pell 5y ago
  I think you're giving Musk too much credit here.
- eru 5y ago
  > Yes, though this and electric cars both required a single man with combination of wealth, charisma and ability to think beyond their own wallet [...] Elon Musk became the richest African-American in the process. I don't think he needed to think beyond his own wallet? (He might have or not. I don't know what he's thinking.)
  - ben_w 5y ago
    Both SpaceX and Tesla came close to bankruptcy, and he started the former and took over the latter with enough PayPal money to spend the rest of his life in extreme comfort.
    - eru 5y ago
      He certainly seems to have a high enough risk tolerance. But I am fairly sure he still his (subjective) expected value was still positive.
  - TeMPOraL 5y ago
    It's always possible. There may even be a strong base rate for this assumption, given what just about every other company does. But on the other hand, he is still consistently chasing the goals he outlined over a decade ago - the object-level, world improvement, not money-making goals. Take a look at SpaceX. It has achieved success, it could double down on its existing work and earn great profits for many years to come. But instead, it's still pushing for Mars, following Elon's original plan. Never deviating, never compromising. Only slipping schedules and changing execution details[0]. They don't have to. He doesn't have to care either, he's already famous and filthy rich. And yet they keep pushing for Mars. So either Elon is that good of a conman, capable of maintaining this charade for so long, or... maybe he's just being honest. -- [0] - Which is normal for every company, and arguably every white-collar worker. For some reason, Musk gets badmouthed by plenty of software devs here over slipping a deadline on unprecedented feats of engineering - same developers who don't think twice about all the promises they break at their own workplace.

Today, we're working on building retro sci-fi style rockets with volume greater than the ISS. Pretty exciting time to be alive.

by kiba 5y ago

Today, we're working on building retro sci-fi style rockets with volume greater than the ISS. Pretty exciting time to be alive.

TeMPOraL 5y ago

Yes, though this and electric cars both required a single man with combination of wealth, charisma and ability to think beyond their own wallet - which is a very rare set of characteristics to coincide in a single person - who then could drag the market kicking and screaming into accepting EVs and reusable rockets. Unfortunately, depending on such happenstance doesn't scale, so it's not a reliable way of creating a better future.

pell 5y ago
I think you're giving Musk too much credit here.
eru 5y ago
> Yes, though this and electric cars both required a single man with combination of wealth, charisma and ability to think beyond their own wallet [...] Elon Musk became the richest African-American in the process. I don't think he needed to think beyond his own wallet? (He might have or not. I don't know what he's thinking.)
- ben_w 5y ago
  Both SpaceX and Tesla came close to bankruptcy, and he started the former and took over the latter with enough PayPal money to spend the rest of his life in extreme comfort.
  - eru 5y ago
    He certainly seems to have a high enough risk tolerance. But I am fairly sure he still his (subjective) expected value was still positive.
- TeMPOraL 5y ago
  It's always possible. There may even be a strong base rate for this assumption, given what just about every other company does. But on the other hand, he is still consistently chasing the goals he outlined over a decade ago - the object-level, world improvement, not money-making goals. Take a look at SpaceX. It has achieved success, it could double down on its existing work and earn great profits for many years to come. But instead, it's still pushing for Mars, following Elon's original plan. Never deviating, never compromising. Only slipping schedules and changing execution details[0]. They don't have to. He doesn't have to care either, he's already famous and filthy rich. And yet they keep pushing for Mars. So either Elon is that good of a conman, capable of maintaining this charade for so long, or... maybe he's just being honest. -- [0] - Which is normal for every company, and arguably every white-collar worker. For some reason, Musk gets badmouthed by plenty of software devs here over slipping a deadline on unprecedented feats of engineering - same developers who don't think twice about all the promises they break at their own workplace.