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You do realize that he has actually significantly changed the landscape for global warming right? He has lifted off electric vehicle market, changed energy sto

You do realize that he has actually significantly changed the landscape for global warming right? He has lifted off electric vehicle market, changed energy storage, increased global interest in space exploration. You have to balance his incredibly strong capital manner with the fact that he also is changing our human trajectory. He's tiresome, gets into petty arguments with people but he's also changing our trajectory more than almost all other humans on the planet right now - for better or worse. Whether his heavy lifts stands the test of time and significantly alter our trajectory is truly the question here. This Twitter buy doesn't really matter in the arc of this century unless it is merely a reflection point which Musk fades to irrelevance. People will jump through hoops to defend him because he's doing work that no one else is capable of doing.

bmitc 4y ago
> You do realize that he has actually significantly changed the landscape for global warming right? Has he? How do large rockets help with climate change? How does going to Mars, a dead planet that is almost a foreshadowing of where Earth is going with climate change and ecosystem destruction, help fight climate change? Electric cars will improve things a bit, but they are not a one-shot solution to climate change. They are cars after all, and for the first couple years of their life, they contribute more emissions than existing cars, so there's a crossover point. And those emission crossover point calculations do not take into consideration battery recycling or disposal. There are many, many other things that we could be doing. But Musk likes to keep the limelight on him and have his toys. Many solutions to climate change are actually rather boring and easy in terms of their actionable solutions, but we don't do them. One can't hype up hundreds of millions of dollars of investment for planting native plants or composting or improving ocean ecosystems or reducing plastic use and habitat loss. If Musk truly cared about the climate, he would promote these other things. But he doesn't, because they can't be hyped, they wouldn't get him the attention he craves, and they wouldn't serve his ego. I have seen it first hand. Young college graduates, apparently concerned about climate change, choosing Tesla over working for a fusion company. These are people whose tech and science influences are Musk and Iron Man. > ... that he also is changing our human trajectory. ... but he's also changing our trajectory more than almost all other humans on the planet right now - for better or worse. Comments like these are so hyperbolic that they're tough to even respond to. If I can be frank, they are sort of childish. Even out of billionaires, Musk doesn't contribute as much to these things as people like James Simons, who donates hundreds of millions of dollars to education, climate change research, and other scientific research. But Simons is an actually intelligent person doing actually important things with his money and influence. But funding education and scientific research is boring, apparently according to those obsessed with electric cars and rockets.
yks 4y ago
> he has actually significantly changed the landscape for global warming Oh yes, by shilling proof-of-work cryptocurrencies he definitely made a contribution. I'm not even sure if his Tesla venture would offset this damage long term.

bmitc 4y ago

> You do realize that he has actually significantly changed the landscape for global warming right? Has he? How do large rockets help with climate change? How does going to Mars, a dead planet that is almost a foreshadowing of where Earth is going with climate change and ecosystem destruction, help fight climate change? Electric cars will improve things a bit, but they are not a one-shot solution to climate change. They are cars after all, and for the first couple years of their life, they contribute more emissions than existing cars, so there's a crossover point. And those emission crossover point calculations do not take into consideration battery recycling or disposal. There are many, many other things that we could be doing. But Musk likes to keep the limelight on him and have his toys. Many solutions to climate change are actually rather boring and easy in terms of their actionable solutions, but we don't do them. One can't hype up hundreds of millions of dollars of investment for planting native plants or composting or improving ocean ecosystems or reducing plastic use and habitat loss. If Musk truly cared about the climate, he would promote these other things. But he doesn't, because they can't be hyped, they wouldn't get him the attention he craves, and they wouldn't serve his ego. I have seen it first hand. Young college graduates, apparently concerned about climate change, choosing Tesla over working for a fusion company. These are people whose tech and science influences are Musk and Iron Man. > ... that he also is changing our human trajectory. ... but he's also changing our trajectory more than almost all other humans on the planet right now - for better or worse. Comments like these are so hyperbolic that they're tough to even respond to. If I can be frank, they are sort of childish. Even out of billionaires, Musk doesn't contribute as much to these things as people like James Simons, who donates hundreds of millions of dollars to education, climate change research, and other scientific research. But Simons is an actually intelligent person doing actually important things with his money and influence. But funding education and scientific research is boring, apparently according to those obsessed with electric cars and rockets.

yks 4y ago

> he has actually significantly changed the landscape for global warming Oh yes, by shilling proof-of-work cryptocurrencies he definitely made a contribution. I'm not even sure if his Tesla venture would offset this damage long term.