4 ms·

This Nikola thing looks pretty weird indeed, but to be fair, Musk's name for his company is also not very original, since he (or whoever) also just took the dud

This Nikola thing looks pretty weird indeed, but to be fair, Musk's name for his company is also not very original, since he (or whoever) also just took the dude's name even though he had absolutely nothing to do with him.

lordnacho 5y ago
I thought Musk joined after it had been founded? Did he change the name?
- Sebguer 5y ago
  No, Musk had literally nothing to do with the name, just a continuation of his myth as anything more than a guy with a lot of money.
  - ineedasername 5y ago
    a guy with a lot of money Well, in the words of Batman when asked about his superpower, "I'm rich".
  - vlunkr 5y ago
    Is it really a significant part of his myth that he named the company?
    - deleted 5y ago
      [deleted]
    - Sebguer 5y ago
      I didn't say it was significant! Though, being considered a 'co-founder' of Tesla was important enough to him to sue the actual founders.
  - sebzim4500 5y ago
    I think Bezos has demonstrated quite convincingly that simply having a lot of money does not mean you can compete with SpaceX. Similarly, I don't know much about the automotive industry, but turning a company with a few employees into one of the most valuable companies in the world is not easy, even if you have $100 million to play with at the start. It's OK to simultaneously believe that "Elon Musk is very effective at growing engineering businesses to the point that they disrupt entire industries" and also that "Elon Musk is not as smart as he thinks he is, and his tweets are embarrassing".
  - tim333 5y ago
    He started as a guy without money and got to briefly be the guy with the most money which is not so easy to do.
    - orestarod 5y ago
      Are you sure he had no money? Was he born in a low or middle-class family?
- twelve40 5y ago
  "Tesla almost had a very different name—until Elon Musk and his co-founders bought the rights to “Tesla” for $75,000" https://fortune.com/2018/12/09/tesla-name-faraday-elon-musk/ https://fortune.com/2018/12/09/tesla-name-faraday-elon-musk/
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]
majormajor 5y ago
Tesla's name is somewhat original because the connection between electricty and Tesla is certainly obvious and understandable, yet also rare enough in the US compared to Edison that it wasn't already taken. A second company then copying exactly the same association? Different thing entirely.
- You-Are-Right 5y ago
  Not original: https://www.tesla.cz/en/history/ https://www.tesla.cz/en/history/
- Sanzig 5y ago
  It's also name for the SI unit of magnetic flux density, which fits with the electric motor theme.
mcot2 5y ago
Tesla invented the AC motor which was used in the first roadster so thats why they named it that. Very logical…
- myself248 5y ago
  And I remember around the time Tesla-the-car-company first emerged, rolling my eyes at the name. Like "Oh here we go, another EV startup using the guy's name without permission because his estate isn't set up to sue anyone who speaks it the way Edison's is. Best we can hope for is they do something cool and don't dishonor his legacy." There are times I'm glad to have misjudged someone.
nonfamous 5y ago
Tesla is also an SI unit associated with electricity. Then again, are there any companies called "Ohm" or "Ampere"?
- IlliOnato 5y ago
  https://ampere.shop https://ampere.shop
- pacificmint 5y ago
  Not the company name, but the Chevy Volt was sold as the Ampera in Europe.
- haneefmubarak 5y ago
  There's a computing startup founded by ex-Intel folks named Ampere
- deleted 5y ago
  [deleted]

lordnacho 5y ago

I thought Musk joined after it had been founded? Did he change the name?

Sebguer 5y ago
No, Musk had literally nothing to do with the name, just a continuation of his myth as anything more than a guy with a lot of money.
- ineedasername 5y ago
  a guy with a lot of money Well, in the words of Batman when asked about his superpower, "I'm rich".
- vlunkr 5y ago
  Is it really a significant part of his myth that he named the company?
  - deleted 5y ago
    [deleted]
  - Sebguer 5y ago
    I didn't say it was significant! Though, being considered a 'co-founder' of Tesla was important enough to him to sue the actual founders.
- sebzim4500 5y ago
  I think Bezos has demonstrated quite convincingly that simply having a lot of money does not mean you can compete with SpaceX. Similarly, I don't know much about the automotive industry, but turning a company with a few employees into one of the most valuable companies in the world is not easy, even if you have $100 million to play with at the start. It's OK to simultaneously believe that "Elon Musk is very effective at growing engineering businesses to the point that they disrupt entire industries" and also that "Elon Musk is not as smart as he thinks he is, and his tweets are embarrassing".
- tim333 5y ago
  He started as a guy without money and got to briefly be the guy with the most money which is not so easy to do.
  - orestarod 5y ago
    Are you sure he had no money? Was he born in a low or middle-class family?
twelve40 5y ago
"Tesla almost had a very different name—until Elon Musk and his co-founders bought the rights to “Tesla” for $75,000" https://fortune.com/2018/12/09/tesla-name-faraday-elon-musk/ https://fortune.com/2018/12/09/tesla-name-faraday-elon-musk/

deleted 5y ago

[deleted]

majormajor 5y ago

Tesla's name is somewhat original because the connection between electricty and Tesla is certainly obvious and understandable, yet also rare enough in the US compared to Edison that it wasn't already taken. A second company then copying exactly the same association? Different thing entirely.

You-Are-Right 5y ago
Not original: https://www.tesla.cz/en/history/ https://www.tesla.cz/en/history/
Sanzig 5y ago
It's also name for the SI unit of magnetic flux density, which fits with the electric motor theme.

mcot2 5y ago

Tesla invented the AC motor which was used in the first roadster so thats why they named it that. Very logical…

myself248 5y ago
And I remember around the time Tesla-the-car-company first emerged, rolling my eyes at the name. Like "Oh here we go, another EV startup using the guy's name without permission because his estate isn't set up to sue anyone who speaks it the way Edison's is. Best we can hope for is they do something cool and don't dishonor his legacy." There are times I'm glad to have misjudged someone.

nonfamous 5y ago

Tesla is also an SI unit associated with electricity. Then again, are there any companies called "Ohm" or "Ampere"?

IlliOnato 5y ago
https://ampere.shop https://ampere.shop
pacificmint 5y ago
Not the company name, but the Chevy Volt was sold as the Ampera in Europe.
haneefmubarak 5y ago
There's a computing startup founded by ex-Intel folks named Ampere
deleted 5y ago
[deleted]