5 ms·

He seems to open up more when talking to people he considers "on his level" or at least deeply interested in what he is interested in. Take for example photogra

by kortex 4y ago

He seems to open up more when talking to people he considers "on his level" or at least deeply interested in what he is interested in. Take for example photographer and journalist Tim Dodd. Since Tim has a huge passion for rockets and actually wants to dig into the details of rocket engine cycles, manufacturing scale up - all the stuff Elon finds interesting - he really opens up. That's actually pretty common among those "gifted with mild ASD/ADHD" types, they can't be assed to talk about anything that doesn't pique their interest. I struggled with it a lot until I learned to be more social with other folks' topics of discussion. I think Elon is the logical endpoint of what happens when you have zero pressure to socially accommodate. It does seem like he's increasingly emboldened to act an ass since being crowned world's richest man.

JKCalhoun 4y ago
I watched those interviews on his Everyday Astronaut YouTube channel. Musk looked bored with Tim, was often evasive, gave the appearance of wanting to get away from a fanboy. The few times he would "open up" it was more like a recitation from someone to a disinterested audience — or as though Musk's mind was somewhere else, not really engaged or focused on the interviewer. EDIT: Skimming the two-part interview again, Musk seems to switch between seemingly being engaged to not. Maybe it is because the interview went on really long and appears to be uncut.
- kortex 4y ago
  That's charitable. That was a really long interview/behind the scenes. I also interpreted it mostly as being tired (he normally works obscene hours and around this time he was particularly burning both ends). I think it's telling that he didn't tell Tim to scram or he even got that close of a look at all. If he wanted to get away, he could have easily done so. The disparity is even more obvious in the pressers when reporters ask typical reporter questions, vs when someone (often Tim, but there are others) asks something technical.
  - rayiner 4y ago
    > The disparity is even more obvious in the pressers when reporters ask typical reporter questions, vs when someone (often Tim, but there are others) asks something technical. Can you even imagine being Musk and running an EV company and a rocket company and having to field questions from your typical journalists? Like that Q from a journalist about why the new image of the black home at the center of our galaxy is so blurry: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31353677 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31353677.
  - chasd00 4y ago
    one thing about that interview i've always wondered about. There was a part where Musk was talking about the heat shield and lamenting about progress and then watched some guy bang on a heating tile with their hands for about 10 seconds. After that, he picks up his phone to make a call then the interview cuts to a different scene entirely. I get the feeling that phone call was not a pleasant one and SpaceX asked it be removed from the footage. Later on when he was giving that update at Starbase he mentioned the heat shield and thanked someone for a "robust" shield. I couldn't quite tell if he was being sarcastic or not.
- chasd00 4y ago
  not trying to make excuses but Musk mentioned at the end he was suffering from pretty bad back pain too. Back pain on your feet really sucks and can destroy a coherent thought. Having said that, Musk is pretty much the worst communicator i've ever heard at the C suite level. I hope/pray he's better when talking to direct reports trying to get his crazy ass ideas and timelines done. Those poor poor people if he's not...
WA 4y ago
On the other hand, he says outright stupid things all the time and only if he gets into a topic you know a thing or two about, you realize how wrong he often is. One thing that almost everybody on HN should be able to judge as completely wrong is his claim about "L5 autonomy very close / later this year" [1]. L5 autonomy is the equivalent of the halting problem. L5 is a goal that can't be achieved [2], just like no program can be written that determines if the input program will ever terminate. [3] So what to make of this, if this apparently smart guy says entry-level stupid things? [1]: https://electrek.co/2020/07/09/tesla-tsla-elon-musk-level-5-autonomy-complete/ https://electrek.co/2020/07/09/tesla-tsla-elon-musk-level-5-... [2]: https://macdailynews.com/2019/01/07/waymo-ceo-level-5-fully-autonomous-vehicles-%E2%80%8Awill-never-exist/ https://macdailynews.com/2019/01/07/waymo-ceo-level-5-fully-... [3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halting_problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halting_problem Edit: Because so many replies here about why I compare it to the Halting problem: That comparison is invalid as many of you pointed out. My reasoning was not in a strict mathematical sense, but more like this: even experienced humans can't drive in every condition. There are situations where you just need to stop. L5 autonomy will only work if we create AGI (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_general_intelligence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_general_intelligenc...), so that the system can observe itself and think about itself. An AGI might be possible (in the far future), whereas the Halting problem is mathematically impossible. Thanks for pointing this out.
- thr0wawayf00 4y ago
  I mean, he has a pretty clear financial incentive to say stuff like this given that he runs an auto manufacturer that heavily invests in vehicular automation. Not saying he's right, but find me a company that doesn't polish their own turds, even just a little bit. Everyone trying to sell something is painting the best picture of their product possible.
  - bena 4y ago
    There's polishing a turd, then there's calling a pile of shit a chocolate cake.
yehBut0 4y ago
Let’s not diagnose him sympathetically without evidence He’s posting his cold brew pics to Twitter. Caffeine is a psychoactive substance that can foster manic behavior. Lack of sleep can create cognitive stability issues. Been there with both. Who knows if he’s taken other things here and there as Mr Private Plane bounces around socializing. Despite Twitter, how much of Elon’s life we don’t see is significant.
- kortex 4y ago
  He openly admitted to having (deprecated term) Asperger's syndrome on SNL.
  - yehBut0 4y ago
danans 4y ago
> That's actually pretty common among those "gifted with mild ASD/ADHD" types, they can't be assed to talk about anything that doesn't pique their interest. Despite people in tech conflating ASD/ADHD and using them as some kind of weird bragging right (and excuse for not considering others), I don't know that there is any public information about his having either condition. > He seems to open up more when talking to people he considers "on his level" or at least deeply interested in what he is interested in. That's just called childish behavior, and despite it's name it is common in a lot of adults, not just Musk. But most adults who act that way can't get away with it. When it is paired with wealth and a megaphone as it is with Musk and others like him, not only can they get away with it, but it can be amplified by a mass following of people who wish they could get away with it, and live vicariously through them. That is basically how cults work.
- kortex 4y ago
  He openly admitted to having (deprecated term) Asperger's syndrome on SNL. > That's just called childish behavior, That's pretty judgy, IMHO. > But most adults who act that way can't get away with it. When it is paired with wealth and a megaphone as it is with Musk and others like him, not only can they get away with it, but it can be amplified by a mass following of people who wish they could get away with it, and live vicariously through them. True.
  - danans 4y ago
    > That's pretty judgy, IMHO. I punch up. Even if he has Aspergers, with his amount of wealth and power he doesn't get to escape my judgement.

by kortex 4y ago

JKCalhoun 4y ago

I watched those interviews on his Everyday Astronaut YouTube channel. Musk looked bored with Tim, was often evasive, gave the appearance of wanting to get away from a fanboy. The few times he would "open up" it was more like a recitation from someone to a disinterested audience — or as though Musk's mind was somewhere else, not really engaged or focused on the interviewer. EDIT: Skimming the two-part interview again, Musk seems to switch between seemingly being engaged to not. Maybe it is because the interview went on really long and appears to be uncut.

kortex 4y ago
That's charitable. That was a really long interview/behind the scenes. I also interpreted it mostly as being tired (he normally works obscene hours and around this time he was particularly burning both ends). I think it's telling that he didn't tell Tim to scram or he even got that close of a look at all. If he wanted to get away, he could have easily done so. The disparity is even more obvious in the pressers when reporters ask typical reporter questions, vs when someone (often Tim, but there are others) asks something technical.
- rayiner 4y ago
  > The disparity is even more obvious in the pressers when reporters ask typical reporter questions, vs when someone (often Tim, but there are others) asks something technical. Can you even imagine being Musk and running an EV company and a rocket company and having to field questions from your typical journalists? Like that Q from a journalist about why the new image of the black home at the center of our galaxy is so blurry: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31353677 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31353677.
- chasd00 4y ago
  one thing about that interview i've always wondered about. There was a part where Musk was talking about the heat shield and lamenting about progress and then watched some guy bang on a heating tile with their hands for about 10 seconds. After that, he picks up his phone to make a call then the interview cuts to a different scene entirely. I get the feeling that phone call was not a pleasant one and SpaceX asked it be removed from the footage. Later on when he was giving that update at Starbase he mentioned the heat shield and thanked someone for a "robust" shield. I couldn't quite tell if he was being sarcastic or not.
chasd00 4y ago
not trying to make excuses but Musk mentioned at the end he was suffering from pretty bad back pain too. Back pain on your feet really sucks and can destroy a coherent thought. Having said that, Musk is pretty much the worst communicator i've ever heard at the C suite level. I hope/pray he's better when talking to direct reports trying to get his crazy ass ideas and timelines done. Those poor poor people if he's not...

WA 4y ago

On the other hand, he says outright stupid things all the time and only if he gets into a topic you know a thing or two about, you realize how wrong he often is. One thing that almost everybody on HN should be able to judge as completely wrong is his claim about "L5 autonomy very close / later this year" [1]. L5 autonomy is the equivalent of the halting problem. L5 is a goal that can't be achieved [2], just like no program can be written that determines if the input program will ever terminate. [3] So what to make of this, if this apparently smart guy says entry-level stupid things? [1]: https://electrek.co/2020/07/09/tesla-tsla-elon-musk-level-5-autonomy-complete/ https://electrek.co/2020/07/09/tesla-tsla-elon-musk-level-5-... [2]: https://macdailynews.com/2019/01/07/waymo-ceo-level-5-fully-autonomous-vehicles-%E2%80%8Awill-never-exist/ https://macdailynews.com/2019/01/07/waymo-ceo-level-5-fully-... [3]: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halting_problem https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Halting_problem Edit: Because so many replies here about why I compare it to the Halting problem: That comparison is invalid as many of you pointed out. My reasoning was not in a strict mathematical sense, but more like this: even experienced humans can't drive in every condition. There are situations where you just need to stop. L5 autonomy will only work if we create AGI (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_general_intelligence https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artificial_general_intelligenc...), so that the system can observe itself and think about itself. An AGI might be possible (in the far future), whereas the Halting problem is mathematically impossible. Thanks for pointing this out.

thr0wawayf00 4y ago
I mean, he has a pretty clear financial incentive to say stuff like this given that he runs an auto manufacturer that heavily invests in vehicular automation. Not saying he's right, but find me a company that doesn't polish their own turds, even just a little bit. Everyone trying to sell something is painting the best picture of their product possible.
- bena 4y ago
  There's polishing a turd, then there's calling a pile of shit a chocolate cake.

yehBut0 4y ago

Let’s not diagnose him sympathetically without evidence He’s posting his cold brew pics to Twitter. Caffeine is a psychoactive substance that can foster manic behavior. Lack of sleep can create cognitive stability issues. Been there with both. Who knows if he’s taken other things here and there as Mr Private Plane bounces around socializing. Despite Twitter, how much of Elon’s life we don’t see is significant.

kortex 4y ago
He openly admitted to having (deprecated term) Asperger's syndrome on SNL.
- yehBut0 4y ago

danans 4y ago

> That's actually pretty common among those "gifted with mild ASD/ADHD" types, they can't be assed to talk about anything that doesn't pique their interest. Despite people in tech conflating ASD/ADHD and using them as some kind of weird bragging right (and excuse for not considering others), I don't know that there is any public information about his having either condition. > He seems to open up more when talking to people he considers "on his level" or at least deeply interested in what he is interested in. That's just called childish behavior, and despite it's name it is common in a lot of adults, not just Musk. But most adults who act that way can't get away with it. When it is paired with wealth and a megaphone as it is with Musk and others like him, not only can they get away with it, but it can be amplified by a mass following of people who wish they could get away with it, and live vicariously through them. That is basically how cults work.

kortex 4y ago
He openly admitted to having (deprecated term) Asperger's syndrome on SNL. > That's just called childish behavior, That's pretty judgy, IMHO. > But most adults who act that way can't get away with it. When it is paired with wealth and a megaphone as it is with Musk and others like him, not only can they get away with it, but it can be amplified by a mass following of people who wish they could get away with it, and live vicariously through them. True.
- danans 4y ago
  > That's pretty judgy, IMHO. I punch up. Even if he has Aspergers, with his amount of wealth and power he doesn't get to escape my judgement.