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Seems a lot of what drives Musk is a need to feel that he's smarter than everyone else, even (or especially) if he suspects it may not be true. So he takes the

Seems a lot of what drives Musk is a need to feel that he's smarter than everyone else, even (or especially) if he suspects it may not be true. So he takes the position that the minions of the world are unworthy burdens to him. This includes governments, other organizations and anything/anyone he perceives is attempting to regulate or otherwise "constrain" him. There's an obvious immaturity there too, wherein he responds to any criticism, hint that he may be wrong, or regulatory effort with the equivalent of a childish "you're just stupid!" His battles with the SEC are a classic example, and it would be on-brand if this Twitter deal was as much about thumbing the eye of regulators as anything else. His announcement today had at one point caused a 20% dip in Twitter's pre-market price and 5% bump for Tesla's. The entire ride has been an exercise in manipulation. So, I've wondered at times if a lot of this superiority act is really just deep insecurity, and he needs the world to constantly reassure him that he's as smart as he needs them to believe he is. When you look at the attention-seeking behavior you mentioned, it definitely aligns.

boringg 4y ago
You've got it wrong - the tumbling today was because Twitter was artificially inflated and being held on the hopes of a deal. As soon as the market tanked, the price of twitter still held out hope on a deal. Elon isn't about to pay full freight in a sinking macroeconomic environment. In terms of his behavior you speak of - could be right, could be wrong. I don't think he needs the reinforcement at this point. He's already proved himself - he now just needs to keep executing. My concern is that he doesn't have the energy, focus and clarity of thought to make it happen. Also I do have legit concerns on the mental health of our older twitter guys (> 50 ) as I have noticed there has been a lot of trolling poor behavior in that crowd and a turn to the hard right. Maybe it's the social validation needed at a later age?
- unclebucknasty 4y ago
  >the tumbling today was because Twitter was artificially inflated and being held on the hopes of a deal We're saying the same thing. Yes, the deal itself inflated the price. But, Musk announcing today that the deal was on hold pending proof of the fake account numbers contributed to the steep pull back. Musk did not have to make the announcement publicly, and he knew what would happen when he did. Now, guess what happens to the price when he comes out next week and says the numbers he sought were proven to his satisfaction. He's been playing a deal-on, deal-off game from the start and the stock has responded accordingly. He has a history of enjoying that market manipulation power, including on the crypto side. He's been slapped for it by the SEC for his other companies, and has made no secret about his disdain for that fact. >He's already proved himself Insecurity is frequently not rooted in reality. Musk knows he's a smart guy, but the kind of insecurity I'm talking about may never be quenchable.
  - boringg 4y ago
    Fair point about the deal on deal off. I would have to say though, he probably wants the deal to go through but not at the current market prices. Whats the quote - 'all's fair in love and war'? True about security. Maybe that insecurity is the force that has driven him to actually achieve what he has accomplished. Sometimes your greatest asset can be your largest liability. Let's hope it stays on the asset side - for all of our sakes.
    - unclebucknasty 4y ago
      True. Could very well be that insecurity has driven him. That's probably fairly common. For instance, imposter syndrome is a very real thing and I know that my fight against it has propelled me. The problem, of course, is that it can also create toxicity. And, Musk being a very powerful man can make that a dangerous thing. I think that's what you're alluding to. My biggest concern is his apparent belief that his power and "contributions to society" mean he should be beyond accountability or should be able to decide which rules apply to him. That's the stuff of dystopian future sci-fi. In fact, it concerns me when people believe they should be able to unilaterally decide what rules apply to anyone.
      - boringg 4y ago
        Agree - absolute power corrupts absolutely. Everyone is accountable and no one is above reproach. He probably is living on a huge power surge right now which might make him feel invincible (as power does) - it would be a classic time to make a misstep. Hope his ego comes back to earth and he can keep executing. Will keep watching.
        unclebucknasty 4y ago
        I agree with the overall sentiment of your comment in principle, but I'm actually not rooting for Musk to keep executing. I've seen enough of him to be deeply concerned about what he'd do with even more power.

boringg 4y ago

You've got it wrong - the tumbling today was because Twitter was artificially inflated and being held on the hopes of a deal. As soon as the market tanked, the price of twitter still held out hope on a deal. Elon isn't about to pay full freight in a sinking macroeconomic environment. In terms of his behavior you speak of - could be right, could be wrong. I don't think he needs the reinforcement at this point. He's already proved himself - he now just needs to keep executing. My concern is that he doesn't have the energy, focus and clarity of thought to make it happen. Also I do have legit concerns on the mental health of our older twitter guys (> 50 ) as I have noticed there has been a lot of trolling poor behavior in that crowd and a turn to the hard right. Maybe it's the social validation needed at a later age?

unclebucknasty 4y ago
>the tumbling today was because Twitter was artificially inflated and being held on the hopes of a deal We're saying the same thing. Yes, the deal itself inflated the price. But, Musk announcing today that the deal was on hold pending proof of the fake account numbers contributed to the steep pull back. Musk did not have to make the announcement publicly, and he knew what would happen when he did. Now, guess what happens to the price when he comes out next week and says the numbers he sought were proven to his satisfaction. He's been playing a deal-on, deal-off game from the start and the stock has responded accordingly. He has a history of enjoying that market manipulation power, including on the crypto side. He's been slapped for it by the SEC for his other companies, and has made no secret about his disdain for that fact. >He's already proved himself Insecurity is frequently not rooted in reality. Musk knows he's a smart guy, but the kind of insecurity I'm talking about may never be quenchable.
- boringg 4y ago
  Fair point about the deal on deal off. I would have to say though, he probably wants the deal to go through but not at the current market prices. Whats the quote - 'all's fair in love and war'? True about security. Maybe that insecurity is the force that has driven him to actually achieve what he has accomplished. Sometimes your greatest asset can be your largest liability. Let's hope it stays on the asset side - for all of our sakes.
  - unclebucknasty 4y ago
    True. Could very well be that insecurity has driven him. That's probably fairly common. For instance, imposter syndrome is a very real thing and I know that my fight against it has propelled me. The problem, of course, is that it can also create toxicity. And, Musk being a very powerful man can make that a dangerous thing. I think that's what you're alluding to. My biggest concern is his apparent belief that his power and "contributions to society" mean he should be beyond accountability or should be able to decide which rules apply to him. That's the stuff of dystopian future sci-fi. In fact, it concerns me when people believe they should be able to unilaterally decide what rules apply to anyone.
    - boringg 4y ago
      Agree - absolute power corrupts absolutely. Everyone is accountable and no one is above reproach. He probably is living on a huge power surge right now which might make him feel invincible (as power does) - it would be a classic time to make a misstep. Hope his ego comes back to earth and he can keep executing. Will keep watching.
      - unclebucknasty 4y ago
        I agree with the overall sentiment of your comment in principle, but I'm actually not rooting for Musk to keep executing. I've seen enough of him to be deeply concerned about what he'd do with even more power.