3 ms·

I suggest that Musk sending emails containing sentences like this "“We face genuine risk of bankruptcy if we cannot achieve a Starship flight rate of at least o

I suggest that Musk sending emails containing sentences like this "“We face genuine risk of bankruptcy if we cannot achieve a Starship flight rate of at least once every two weeks next year" tends to worry people. It was a very irrational and illogical email for him to send.

emteycz 5y ago
Don't forget everything in SpaceX is built around the Mars mission. They could reorganize the business and "simply" be a profitable orbital launch provider if they wanted to.
dotnet00 5y ago
Unfortunately as usual, most people only saw the clickbait about the email and not the subsequent clarification about how he meant that while it was unlikely, it wasn't impossible in the event of a severe enough global economic downturn, pointing to examples of much bigger companies which went bankrupt during downturns: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/30/elon-musk-warning-not-first-time-spacex-has-risked-bankruptcy.html https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/30/elon-musk-warning-not-first-... Given his net worth right now, he could very likely carry SpaceX through some economic trouble, but in the event of a big enough downturn, his net worth will probably drop hard due to it being mostly Tesla stock, thus his concern.
- JaimeThompson 5y ago
  That he used his concern to guilt people to work over a holiday isn't a net positive. Good, effective leaders do not act that way.
  - ehvatum 5y ago
    Irony here being that Musk is clearly a good, effective leader by any metric.
    - JaimeThompson 5y ago
      Getting results, short term, isn't being an effective leader. Effective leaders do what they say and don't take insane risks that have no way of paying off. Getting things done != leadership.
      - dotnet00 5y ago
        He's been leading SpaceX from success to success for 20 years now, or a quarter of the average American lifespan, a bit absurd to suggest that's "short term".
- Iolaum 5y ago
  Musk's net worth is tied to his companies. I m not sure how much he can liquidate in a severe downturn without losing control of any company. Lots of people will be paying attention.
  - midasuni 5y ago
    Long as he can keep up with the interest payments on loans backed by those shares he’ll be fine

emteycz 5y ago

Don't forget everything in SpaceX is built around the Mars mission. They could reorganize the business and "simply" be a profitable orbital launch provider if they wanted to.

dotnet00 5y ago

Unfortunately as usual, most people only saw the clickbait about the email and not the subsequent clarification about how he meant that while it was unlikely, it wasn't impossible in the event of a severe enough global economic downturn, pointing to examples of much bigger companies which went bankrupt during downturns: https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/30/elon-musk-warning-not-first-time-spacex-has-risked-bankruptcy.html https://www.cnbc.com/2021/11/30/elon-musk-warning-not-first-... Given his net worth right now, he could very likely carry SpaceX through some economic trouble, but in the event of a big enough downturn, his net worth will probably drop hard due to it being mostly Tesla stock, thus his concern.

JaimeThompson 5y ago
That he used his concern to guilt people to work over a holiday isn't a net positive. Good, effective leaders do not act that way.
- ehvatum 5y ago
  Irony here being that Musk is clearly a good, effective leader by any metric.
  - JaimeThompson 5y ago
    Getting results, short term, isn't being an effective leader. Effective leaders do what they say and don't take insane risks that have no way of paying off. Getting things done != leadership.
    - dotnet00 5y ago
      He's been leading SpaceX from success to success for 20 years now, or a quarter of the average American lifespan, a bit absurd to suggest that's "short term".
Iolaum 5y ago
Musk's net worth is tied to his companies. I m not sure how much he can liquidate in a severe downturn without losing control of any company. Lots of people will be paying attention.
- midasuni 5y ago
  Long as he can keep up with the interest payments on loans backed by those shares he’ll be fine