5 ms·

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33991851 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33991851 Why is it so plainly obvious to many of us and so god damn impossib

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33991851 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=33991851 Why is it so plainly obvious to many of us and so god damn impossible for others to see it. Elon is not a genius. You got duped. Just accept it and realize he's a petty tyrant whose ego is exploding. It explains every single thing that has happened, and yet people are so desperate not to accept it.

mistermann 4y ago
> Why is it so plainly obvious to many of us and so god damn impossible for others to see it. Technically? That is the nature of consciousness. Though that's no fun, so how about: some people are just stupid - the ones who have a different opinion than the observer.
Eji1700 4y ago
He’s a less self aware Steve Jobs. For whatever reason people will throw themselves on the tracks for them.
- actionfromafar 4y ago
  Yes, well put. Steve was ... scary, but at least he seemed to know it.
- zamalek 4y ago
  Elon is a yes-man. Steve Jobs was a no-man. Being a yes-man doesn't make you categorically stupid, but a no-man is strictly further along in some of the dimensions of intellect and creativity.
  - cloutchaser 4y ago
    I don't think you can build tesla and spacex without being a no-man in certain fields. It's just that Elon got bored, and he entered a new realm of a social network product, not an engineering product, and he's finding out quickly how different that is. At the same time, I do think Elon's asperger type genius is definitely more suited to engineering startups, and Job's super sensitive artist level narcissism is more suited to UX intensive startups. Elon ventured where he shouldn't have.
- Cipater 4y ago
  This is an insult to Steve Jobs.
roflyear 4y ago
When people get duped, it's really hard for them to admit it. Huge blow to the ego. It's surprising to watch people turn on Trump because of this.
- wereallterrrist 4y ago
  I just wish personal integrity mattered at any scale, anymore. I wish that people actually came to their opinions via some sort of logical process that could be easily later self-evaluated and reflected upon. There's this tendency to double-down, when "admitting a mistake" is really as simple as reflecting, realizing what assumptions were made wrong, going back to base principles and re-assessing. If you have integrity and good base values, then it's admirable to be able to see a mistake, acknowledge it and grow. But what's frustrating is that this "double-down-at-all-costs" has worked for some at the top recently, and it seems to just be spreading, and spreading to those that don't have the money to escape the embarrassment/cost of repeating doubling down.
  - kvathupo 4y ago
    Although I'm no fan of the acerbity of your other comments, that's an interesting observation. Presuming you speak of the US, I think there's an interesting tension between the notion of "holding our political leaders to a higher standard" and the fact that we vote these people in! That is, it's more likely that we vote for someone with a moral character as fallible as that of the average man, e.g. see Trump, Adlai Stevenson. It's a reversal of the private sector adage: "corporate culture is from the top down."
    - BLKNSLVR 4y ago
      Shit yeah. I've noticed this in Australian politics, and it may not really be there, but it does feel as if the standard the politicians are setting is a standard being followed by the... more easily-led (ie. the majority), in not taking responsibility for, literally any mistake ever in their lives. When the public-at-large start behaving and speaking like politicians about their past actions, the truth and accountability required to progress society will take longer to establish than we've got until the heat death of the universe.
influxmoment 4y ago
Explain the success of his previous companies without lying or references left wing conspiracies? I genuinely want to see an answer to this. Can't state things as fact that 5 seconds on Google can disprove I already know the answers are going to be he uses his secret emerald mine to power the self landing rockets
- LastTrain 4y ago
  What does politics have to do with it?
- SgtBastard 4y ago
  So when you say “his” companies, do you mean: PayPal (not founded by Musk) Tesla (not founded by Musk) The Boring Company (only existed to de-rail a planned road development that annoyed Musk) SpaceX (I’ll give you this one)
  - danieljacksonno 4y ago
    Tesla was nothing before Musk. It's disingenuous to say he didn't found it, just because he bought the name, logo and a prototype from someone else
    - fhd2 4y ago
      From what I've read, he bought in as an investor and forced the actual founders out. He could just as well have founded his own company, then he'd be a founder, because that's what that word means. I don't see how you should be called a founder if you aren't, well, a founder. Not that I see anything inherently bad or unimpressive with not being a founder.
    - SgtBastard 4y ago
      And by nothing, you mean shipping the Tesla Roadster to customers before he became CEO. Don’t rewrite history… it’s beneath HN. Do better.
      - 4y ago
catach 4y ago
I suspect many are deeply uncomfortable with the idea that a person could ascend to being the richest man on the planet without any personal merit justifying that rise.

mistermann 4y ago

> Why is it so plainly obvious to many of us and so god damn impossible for others to see it. Technically? That is the nature of consciousness. Though that's no fun, so how about: some people are just stupid - the ones who have a different opinion than the observer.

Eji1700 4y ago

He’s a less self aware Steve Jobs. For whatever reason people will throw themselves on the tracks for them.

actionfromafar 4y ago
Yes, well put. Steve was ... scary, but at least he seemed to know it.
zamalek 4y ago
Elon is a yes-man. Steve Jobs was a no-man. Being a yes-man doesn't make you categorically stupid, but a no-man is strictly further along in some of the dimensions of intellect and creativity.
- cloutchaser 4y ago
  I don't think you can build tesla and spacex without being a no-man in certain fields. It's just that Elon got bored, and he entered a new realm of a social network product, not an engineering product, and he's finding out quickly how different that is. At the same time, I do think Elon's asperger type genius is definitely more suited to engineering startups, and Job's super sensitive artist level narcissism is more suited to UX intensive startups. Elon ventured where he shouldn't have.
Cipater 4y ago
This is an insult to Steve Jobs.

roflyear 4y ago

When people get duped, it's really hard for them to admit it. Huge blow to the ego. It's surprising to watch people turn on Trump because of this.

wereallterrrist 4y ago
I just wish personal integrity mattered at any scale, anymore. I wish that people actually came to their opinions via some sort of logical process that could be easily later self-evaluated and reflected upon. There's this tendency to double-down, when "admitting a mistake" is really as simple as reflecting, realizing what assumptions were made wrong, going back to base principles and re-assessing. If you have integrity and good base values, then it's admirable to be able to see a mistake, acknowledge it and grow. But what's frustrating is that this "double-down-at-all-costs" has worked for some at the top recently, and it seems to just be spreading, and spreading to those that don't have the money to escape the embarrassment/cost of repeating doubling down.
- kvathupo 4y ago
  Although I'm no fan of the acerbity of your other comments, that's an interesting observation. Presuming you speak of the US, I think there's an interesting tension between the notion of "holding our political leaders to a higher standard" and the fact that we vote these people in! That is, it's more likely that we vote for someone with a moral character as fallible as that of the average man, e.g. see Trump, Adlai Stevenson. It's a reversal of the private sector adage: "corporate culture is from the top down."
  - BLKNSLVR 4y ago
    Shit yeah. I've noticed this in Australian politics, and it may not really be there, but it does feel as if the standard the politicians are setting is a standard being followed by the... more easily-led (ie. the majority), in not taking responsibility for, literally any mistake ever in their lives. When the public-at-large start behaving and speaking like politicians about their past actions, the truth and accountability required to progress society will take longer to establish than we've got until the heat death of the universe.

influxmoment 4y ago

Explain the success of his previous companies without lying or references left wing conspiracies? I genuinely want to see an answer to this. Can't state things as fact that 5 seconds on Google can disprove I already know the answers are going to be he uses his secret emerald mine to power the self landing rockets

LastTrain 4y ago
What does politics have to do with it?
SgtBastard 4y ago
So when you say “his” companies, do you mean: PayPal (not founded by Musk) Tesla (not founded by Musk) The Boring Company (only existed to de-rail a planned road development that annoyed Musk) SpaceX (I’ll give you this one)
- danieljacksonno 4y ago
  Tesla was nothing before Musk. It's disingenuous to say he didn't found it, just because he bought the name, logo and a prototype from someone else
  - fhd2 4y ago
    From what I've read, he bought in as an investor and forced the actual founders out. He could just as well have founded his own company, then he'd be a founder, because that's what that word means. I don't see how you should be called a founder if you aren't, well, a founder. Not that I see anything inherently bad or unimpressive with not being a founder.
  - SgtBastard 4y ago
    And by nothing, you mean shipping the Tesla Roadster to customers before he became CEO. Don’t rewrite history… it’s beneath HN. Do better.
    - 4y ago

catach 4y ago

I suspect many are deeply uncomfortable with the idea that a person could ascend to being the richest man on the planet without any personal merit justifying that rise.