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For Uber at least, self driving was effectively a money-losing pipe dream, so it kinda did itself a favor by divesting via the sale of the division to Aurora.

by lhorie 5y ago

For Uber at least, self driving was effectively a money-losing pipe dream, so it kinda did itself a favor by divesting via the sale of the division to Aurora. For Tesla, though, FSD is still such a front and center thing that I'm having trouble seeing how it ever plans on saving face as it gets more and more bad press from incidents like this.

rhizome 5y ago
It's not money-losing if you take the program's effect on stock prices into account, and maybe you'll even accept that it's always been a stock manipulation tool.
twblalock 5y ago
The feature sells cars. Remember that guy in southern California who got arrested for sleeping in the back of his Tesla while it drove him home, and he said he did it many times and would do it again? The system works well enough that he did it many times before he got caught. That guy is an idiot, but think about that story from another angle: You can fall asleep while driving any car. The difference is, if that car is a Tesla, you might not die. As a driver aid for non-crazy people FSD is a good system and Tesla owners like it. It's far from being vaporware.
- andbberger 5y ago
  dang is going to ban me if I share how this take makes me feel. so let me just say that the proliferation of evidence-resistant memes such as this one concerns me greatly, and I feel even more unsafe as a pedestrian and cyclist on the street than I did before knowing that there are people who think that this is reasonable.
- jquery 5y ago
  > he said he did it many times and would do it again? Based on the videos I’m seeing of FSD in action, I have my doubts. Wouldn’t be surprised if this was a publicity stunt. Elon Musk has a very loose relationship with ethics and the truth. They’re just obstacles for him.
- lhorie 5y ago
  > The feature sells cars Right. Similarly, the fast Prime delivery guarantees from Amazon are backed by warehouse workers working their asses off, and I'm sure we've all heard about the bad rep Amazon gets for worker treatment and the subsequent attrition challenges they've been facing. It feels like Tesla is setting itself up to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, being reliant on their FSD marketing to make money but simultaneously tainting their brand beyond salvation by this very same reliance.
  - twblalock 5y ago
    I think you vastly overestimate the effect this has on the brand. At this point everyone who buys a Tesla has heard stories similar to this, in addition to stories about quality and body panel fitment etc., and they buy them anyway. Amazon doesn't seem to be hurting either, despite the bad press they get about their warehouses.

by lhorie 5y ago

rhizome 5y ago

It's not money-losing if you take the program's effect on stock prices into account, and maybe you'll even accept that it's always been a stock manipulation tool.

twblalock 5y ago

The feature sells cars. Remember that guy in southern California who got arrested for sleeping in the back of his Tesla while it drove him home, and he said he did it many times and would do it again? The system works well enough that he did it many times before he got caught. That guy is an idiot, but think about that story from another angle: You can fall asleep while driving any car. The difference is, if that car is a Tesla, you might not die. As a driver aid for non-crazy people FSD is a good system and Tesla owners like it. It's far from being vaporware.

andbberger 5y ago
dang is going to ban me if I share how this take makes me feel. so let me just say that the proliferation of evidence-resistant memes such as this one concerns me greatly, and I feel even more unsafe as a pedestrian and cyclist on the street than I did before knowing that there are people who think that this is reasonable.
jquery 5y ago
> he said he did it many times and would do it again? Based on the videos I’m seeing of FSD in action, I have my doubts. Wouldn’t be surprised if this was a publicity stunt. Elon Musk has a very loose relationship with ethics and the truth. They’re just obstacles for him.
lhorie 5y ago
> The feature sells cars Right. Similarly, the fast Prime delivery guarantees from Amazon are backed by warehouse workers working their asses off, and I'm sure we've all heard about the bad rep Amazon gets for worker treatment and the subsequent attrition challenges they've been facing. It feels like Tesla is setting itself up to be stuck between a rock and a hard place, being reliant on their FSD marketing to make money but simultaneously tainting their brand beyond salvation by this very same reliance.
- twblalock 5y ago
  I think you vastly overestimate the effect this has on the brand. At this point everyone who buys a Tesla has heard stories similar to this, in addition to stories about quality and body panel fitment etc., and they buy them anyway. Amazon doesn't seem to be hurting either, despite the bad press they get about their warehouses.