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The problem is that The author of this piece is so “open-minded that [his] brain fell out”. The subject of the article, who wrote under the pseudonym “Montana

The problem is that The author of this piece is so “open-minded that [his] brain fell out”. The subject of the article, who wrote under the pseudonym “Montana Skeptic”, repeatedly accused Musk and Tesla of committing accounting fraud. He variously claimed that Tesla hid unsold cars in the desert, that Tesla falsely over reported the number of cars built, and that Tesla was falsifying their profit margin. Oh, and he initially falsely denied the fact that he was shorting Tesla while making these wild accusations. Musk is kind of an asshole, and problematic in a lot of ways, but this goes waaaay beyond “criticizing Musk” and starts to look like libel and securities fraud (you know, the stuff that Musk is known for)… which isn’t a good look for someone whose day job is a portfolio manager… Frankly, that is why Musk calling his boss was a credible threat, and why he stopped posting until he found other employment. Employing someone who commits light securities fraud on the weekend is not something that FINRA takes kindly to.

metadat 4y ago
This doesn't justify musk's behavior, throwing his massive financial klout around to silence skeptics (even a crack pots). It's not being "kind of an asshole", the behavior reflects a magnitude more size of asshole. If someone is committing securities fraud, there are processes to resolve it. They don't involve throwing an immature, reactive tantrum. Bottom line, musk has shown he is an impulsive, power tripping jerk. Not the sort of individual who deserves to be charge of any important "public good" projects.
- labcomputer 4y ago
  > If someone is committing securities fraud, there are processes to resolve it Like what? Reporting him to the SEC to have him arrested instead? Suing him (as Musk threatened to do)? Are those really better options? > This doesn't justify musk's behavior, throwing his massive financial klout around to silence skeptics (even a crack pots) When those same "crack pots" organize online brigades to bully journalists into deleting their Twitter accounts, that's ok? (https://jalopnik.com/wall-street-journals-dan-neil-deletes-twitter-after-tes-1827785899 https://jalopnik.com/wall-street-journals-dan-neil-deletes-t...) I don't think you quite realize what a dirtbag this guy is. To review: This is a guy who promoted misinformation (falsehoods) online, and did so for financial gain. Who bullied real-world people to suppress their freedom of speech and promote his own world-view. Who hid behind a pseudonym and made himself hard to contact. Who then (disingenuously) complained that nobody corrected his misinformation or asked him to stop (they did) at his pseudonym before contacting him in person. I'm sorry, but I just have no sympathy for that. This is a bad person, and, frankly, I don't believe it's Musk's financial clout that forced him to stop.

metadat 4y ago

This doesn't justify musk's behavior, throwing his massive financial klout around to silence skeptics (even a crack pots). It's not being "kind of an asshole", the behavior reflects a magnitude more size of asshole. If someone is committing securities fraud, there are processes to resolve it. They don't involve throwing an immature, reactive tantrum. Bottom line, musk has shown he is an impulsive, power tripping jerk. Not the sort of individual who deserves to be charge of any important "public good" projects.

labcomputer 4y ago
> If someone is committing securities fraud, there are processes to resolve it Like what? Reporting him to the SEC to have him arrested instead? Suing him (as Musk threatened to do)? Are those really better options? > This doesn't justify musk's behavior, throwing his massive financial klout around to silence skeptics (even a crack pots) When those same "crack pots" organize online brigades to bully journalists into deleting their Twitter accounts, that's ok? (https://jalopnik.com/wall-street-journals-dan-neil-deletes-twitter-after-tes-1827785899 https://jalopnik.com/wall-street-journals-dan-neil-deletes-t...) I don't think you quite realize what a dirtbag this guy is. To review: This is a guy who promoted misinformation (falsehoods) online, and did so for financial gain. Who bullied real-world people to suppress their freedom of speech and promote his own world-view. Who hid behind a pseudonym and made himself hard to contact. Who then (disingenuously) complained that nobody corrected his misinformation or asked him to stop (they did) at his pseudonym before contacting him in person. I'm sorry, but I just have no sympathy for that. This is a bad person, and, frankly, I don't believe it's Musk's financial clout that forced him to stop.