4 ms·

Ask HN: What explains the cult following of Elon Musk?

9 points by Sincere 4y ago

liamwestray 4y ago
Other than multiple times doing things largely considered impossible as a tech entrepreneur? There’s literally no one who has done more for decarbonization and reliance on fossil fuels in the world. God I wish he’d shut up and get off twitter.
moistly 4y ago
Every famous wealthy person employs a reputation management firm to monitor and promote their public image, and to counter any negative news or scuttlebutt. I don’t doubt the guy has a cult following… but also a very busy paid posse.
livinglist 4y ago
I used to be a Elon musk fanboy because I thought he wasn’t like other billionaire who has rich parents, but later found out Elon musk has had rich parents as well… and I do think he is quite different than others in terms of personality (nerdy? maybe I don’t know)
proc0 4y ago
Every other rich person is constantly trying to align themselves with the political left like it's somehow the correct moral choice. This moral grandstanding is what most sensible people dislike about the current state of the left, especially when so many of the ideologies are truly far-fetched. Elon is just saying what most politically "normal" people are thinking, whether on the left or right. Everyone is tired of pretending, and also glad that someone with that amount of money is pushing back, even if just a tiny bit.
- I_DRINK_KOOLAID 4y ago
  > Every other rich person is constantly trying to align themselves with the political left like it's somehow the correct moral choice Politics is about ideas and policies, but also characters and decorum. The right has produced W. when it could have chosen McCain with the same policies It produced Trump when it could have chosen Kasich, Cruz or Fiorina with the same policies. They'd still be in the WH btw. It's only natural that people who are turned off by buffonery, instability, poor character, insults and plain stupidity try to distance themselves. Nobody distanced themselves when the right fielded a balanced and well spoken individual such as Mitt Romney, and not even when it chose the late Bob Dole in 96. It's more telling about the right , that it needs a loon in order to win.
  - proc0 4y ago
    Of course people who are Left leaning will disagree with the candidates produced by the Right. This would be like saying the Left produced Hillary when it could have chosen Tulsi, and because of that Trump won, and so Trump is actually a reaction to the Left's inability to find honest, non-career politicians that care about the average American instead of growing America's influence worldwide. I think it's clear that one party is concerned about globalization, while the other party wants to focus on the problems at home... and of course every rich person with large, globalized companies, will obviously side with the party that will let them hire cheap labor, and circumvent any laws that might benefit Americans at home. It really seems like the parties have flipped during that past two decades or so, and now the Democrats are the party of the rich, and so it is in the best interest of Google, Apple, MS, etc. to align with that. Elon seems to be one of the few, if not the only one going against the grain in this regard.
    - I_DRINK_KOOLAID 4y ago
      > non-career politicians that care about the average American instead of growing America's influence worldwide. Wasn't W. a carrer politician? The prototypical one considering his dad was President? Also with whom do you think a guy who has everything to lose such as a billionaire would side with? A career politician such as HRC/Biden or the dude saying that all Mexicans are rapists and he'd be able to shoot a man on 5th Avenue, doesn't rule out nuking North Korea, says that unlike Nixon he won't leave etc....? Put Mitt Romney up against HRC/Biden and see the wind change. Billionaires despise instability and the kind of bragadoccio impulsive egomaniacs such as W. ,Trump (and Musk for that matter). The US right is the only right-wing movement in the world which seemed immune from producing such profile of leaders. The weight of the legacy of being the party of Lincoln maybe the reason, but it seems it subdued. > Elon seems to be one of the few, if not the only one going against the grain in this regard. Musk companies took in approximately 25B in green subsidies payed for by flyover America, and all he managed to produce are gokarts for rich people which are still less frequently seen on American roads than real luxury brands such as Ferraris , Porsches and Lamborghinis.
      - 4y ago
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
mgh2 4y ago
"Perception is reality". Musk is a master manipulator of mass media.
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]
throwawaylinux 4y ago
Every rich, famous, powerful, influential person gets "cult" followings. Taylor Swift, Donald Trump, Lebron James, Ruth Ginsburg, etc. It's the human condition. Which also explains the cult-like anti-following of Elon Musk. Hopefully you weren't hoping for something profound. There are more rational reasons to like and dislike people, but you were asking about the cultish behavior.
- deleted 4y ago
  [deleted]
ryzvonusef 4y ago
nerds who grew up reading asimov, who went into the real world and realized life wasn't going to be the space scifi of their dreams... until one geek from south africa came to america and tried to make that scifi future a reality nerds go gaga over their savior. news at 11.

9 points by Sincere 4y ago

Other than multiple times doing things largely considered impossible as a tech entrepreneur? There’s literally no one who has done more for decarbonization and reliance on fossil fuels in the world. God I wish he’d shut up and get off twitter.

moistly 4y ago

Every famous wealthy person employs a reputation management firm to monitor and promote their public image, and to counter any negative news or scuttlebutt. I don’t doubt the guy has a cult following… but also a very busy paid posse.

livinglist 4y ago

I used to be a Elon musk fanboy because I thought he wasn’t like other billionaire who has rich parents, but later found out Elon musk has had rich parents as well… and I do think he is quite different than others in terms of personality (nerdy? maybe I don’t know)

proc0 4y ago

Every other rich person is constantly trying to align themselves with the political left like it's somehow the correct moral choice. This moral grandstanding is what most sensible people dislike about the current state of the left, especially when so many of the ideologies are truly far-fetched. Elon is just saying what most politically "normal" people are thinking, whether on the left or right. Everyone is tired of pretending, and also glad that someone with that amount of money is pushing back, even if just a tiny bit.

I_DRINK_KOOLAID 4y ago
> Every other rich person is constantly trying to align themselves with the political left like it's somehow the correct moral choice Politics is about ideas and policies, but also characters and decorum. The right has produced W. when it could have chosen McCain with the same policies It produced Trump when it could have chosen Kasich, Cruz or Fiorina with the same policies. They'd still be in the WH btw. It's only natural that people who are turned off by buffonery, instability, poor character, insults and plain stupidity try to distance themselves. Nobody distanced themselves when the right fielded a balanced and well spoken individual such as Mitt Romney, and not even when it chose the late Bob Dole in 96. It's more telling about the right , that it needs a loon in order to win.
- proc0 4y ago
  Of course people who are Left leaning will disagree with the candidates produced by the Right. This would be like saying the Left produced Hillary when it could have chosen Tulsi, and because of that Trump won, and so Trump is actually a reaction to the Left's inability to find honest, non-career politicians that care about the average American instead of growing America's influence worldwide. I think it's clear that one party is concerned about globalization, while the other party wants to focus on the problems at home... and of course every rich person with large, globalized companies, will obviously side with the party that will let them hire cheap labor, and circumvent any laws that might benefit Americans at home. It really seems like the parties have flipped during that past two decades or so, and now the Democrats are the party of the rich, and so it is in the best interest of Google, Apple, MS, etc. to align with that. Elon seems to be one of the few, if not the only one going against the grain in this regard.
  - I_DRINK_KOOLAID 4y ago
    > non-career politicians that care about the average American instead of growing America's influence worldwide. Wasn't W. a carrer politician? The prototypical one considering his dad was President? Also with whom do you think a guy who has everything to lose such as a billionaire would side with? A career politician such as HRC/Biden or the dude saying that all Mexicans are rapists and he'd be able to shoot a man on 5th Avenue, doesn't rule out nuking North Korea, says that unlike Nixon he won't leave etc....? Put Mitt Romney up against HRC/Biden and see the wind change. Billionaires despise instability and the kind of bragadoccio impulsive egomaniacs such as W. ,Trump (and Musk for that matter). The US right is the only right-wing movement in the world which seemed immune from producing such profile of leaders. The weight of the legacy of being the party of Lincoln maybe the reason, but it seems it subdued. > Elon seems to be one of the few, if not the only one going against the grain in this regard. Musk companies took in approximately 25B in green subsidies payed for by flyover America, and all he managed to produce are gokarts for rich people which are still less frequently seen on American roads than real luxury brands such as Ferraris , Porsches and Lamborghinis.
    - 4y ago
deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

mgh2 4y ago

"Perception is reality". Musk is a master manipulator of mass media.

deleted 4y ago

[deleted]

throwawaylinux 4y ago

Every rich, famous, powerful, influential person gets "cult" followings. Taylor Swift, Donald Trump, Lebron James, Ruth Ginsburg, etc. It's the human condition. Which also explains the cult-like anti-following of Elon Musk. Hopefully you weren't hoping for something profound. There are more rational reasons to like and dislike people, but you were asking about the cultish behavior.

deleted 4y ago
[deleted]

ryzvonusef 4y ago

nerds who grew up reading asimov, who went into the real world and realized life wasn't going to be the space scifi of their dreams... until one geek from south africa came to america and tried to make that scifi future a reality nerds go gaga over their savior. news at 11.