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None of the companies you listed started out offering something particularly unique. Facebook was not the first, or second, or third, social network, and "just"

by vidarh 3y ago

None of the companies you listed started out offering something particularly unique. Facebook was not the first, or second, or third, social network, and "just" provided enough incremental improvements over its predecessors to finally be one to stick. Microsoft did good business deals and were good at competing with other OS and BASIC providers. Book Stacks Unlimited started 2-3 years before Amazon - I remember being amazed at being able to telnet to books.com and search their catalog. Google was not clearly the best from the outset - they had the best algorithm, but their simplistic search first became a major boon as the number of pages exploded and the more complex searches you needed on competing engines became a problem rather than an asset. None if this is to criticise any of them. They all provided something that eventually made them clear winners, but as much as I detest Musk it's ludicrous to condemn his companies by comparison to what Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon and Google look like in hindsight. > there is nothing for us up there Even if there weren't, just cheap access to launch satellites is enough to make SpaceX a big deal.

JumpinJack_Cash 3y ago
> > None of the companies you listed started out offering something particularly unique It's not how you start, it's how you finish. > > what Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon and Google look like in hindsight. Musk is 50, he's been selling smoke for 30 years. Tesla was incorporated in 2002, they have been selling smoke for 21 years. He had plenty of time to get his companies to the aforementioned "hindsight" status. Instead his focus is to dominate in the financial press, the tech press and on twitter, but in real life once you kick the tires and get behind the wheel it's the same old 150 year old autombile ownership experience, only exchaning one pollutant with an other for political and virtue signaling purposes and because the black pollutant is produced by Arabs. > > Even if there weren't, just cheap access to launch satellites is enough to make SpaceX a big deal. Always a big deal in "the future", but you sent this message from 5G or fiber I guess. That's exactly what I mean, the perpetual machine of hype convincing people that there is some product or technology in the works in R&D centers of Musk companies that will radically change their lives in "the future". Just look at the top reply in this thread to get an idea. In the present you are using other companies that might not be as sexy and dominating in the press but get the job done today, the most important timeline there is.
- satvikpendem 3y ago
  I guess the Tesla I drive daily is just smoke and doesn't really exist.
  - JumpinJack_Cash 3y ago
    It is nothing but smoke at that price point because I can extract the same utility and satisfaction from my 2006 Mercedes C-Klasse valued some 5000$. If anything an higher amount of exterior aestetics satisfaction and a much higher level of satisfaction for the interiors given the interior assembly quality and the beauty of the woods and white cream leather. And also an higher utility because I can use my car 24/7/365 and I can do a quick 30 seconds splash and go of gas and I am ready to drive coast to coast if necessary. And if I feel the need to go crazy I can go to the local track and rent a 600HP monster for one hour for some 500$. Push it to its limit in total safety and in an environment that is geared to let the car express all her power and feedback. And if I feel the need to go even crazier I can go to same track and rent a 200HP bike for 170$ and really push and even overtake the guy in the 600HP Vette. Think how many laps can I buy for the price of a Tesla. All the above is stuff that you discover while hanging out in the real world among motorheads. A tight community of motorheads is the best antidote against PR campaigns from corporate overlords, and Musk is the worst offender among them all, but the same is true for all the brands if they were to start employing the same cult-like tactics.
- vidarh 3y ago
  > It's not how you start, it's how you finish. None of the companies listed are delivering anything that is nearly as paradigm changing as you seem to want them to in order to justify dismissing Musks companies either. > Always a big deal in "the future" It's a big deal now, and has been for years. The last few months alone, SpaceX has launched more rockets and more satellites than all other launch operators, private or public, combined has for the entire year by a huge factor, and has e.g. launched the heaviest geostationary satellite ever (Jupiter-3), provided crew to the ISS (only one coming even close is China, in terms of number of launches, but not satellites), and launched more payloads than any other private provider (even when you exclude Starlink - though Starlink itself makes up the majority of all payloads launch into space this year), and been the launch provider for the first satellites from multiple countries. The only way this is remotely financially viable is because of how significantly they've driven down launch costs. It just gets comical when you try to downplay the scale of this.

by vidarh 3y ago

JumpinJack_Cash 3y ago

> > None of the companies you listed started out offering something particularly unique It's not how you start, it's how you finish. > > what Facebook, Microsoft, Amazon and Google look like in hindsight. Musk is 50, he's been selling smoke for 30 years. Tesla was incorporated in 2002, they have been selling smoke for 21 years. He had plenty of time to get his companies to the aforementioned "hindsight" status. Instead his focus is to dominate in the financial press, the tech press and on twitter, but in real life once you kick the tires and get behind the wheel it's the same old 150 year old autombile ownership experience, only exchaning one pollutant with an other for political and virtue signaling purposes and because the black pollutant is produced by Arabs. > > Even if there weren't, just cheap access to launch satellites is enough to make SpaceX a big deal. Always a big deal in "the future", but you sent this message from 5G or fiber I guess. That's exactly what I mean, the perpetual machine of hype convincing people that there is some product or technology in the works in R&D centers of Musk companies that will radically change their lives in "the future". Just look at the top reply in this thread to get an idea. In the present you are using other companies that might not be as sexy and dominating in the press but get the job done today, the most important timeline there is.

satvikpendem 3y ago
I guess the Tesla I drive daily is just smoke and doesn't really exist.
- JumpinJack_Cash 3y ago
  It is nothing but smoke at that price point because I can extract the same utility and satisfaction from my 2006 Mercedes C-Klasse valued some 5000$. If anything an higher amount of exterior aestetics satisfaction and a much higher level of satisfaction for the interiors given the interior assembly quality and the beauty of the woods and white cream leather. And also an higher utility because I can use my car 24/7/365 and I can do a quick 30 seconds splash and go of gas and I am ready to drive coast to coast if necessary. And if I feel the need to go crazy I can go to the local track and rent a 600HP monster for one hour for some 500$. Push it to its limit in total safety and in an environment that is geared to let the car express all her power and feedback. And if I feel the need to go even crazier I can go to same track and rent a 200HP bike for 170$ and really push and even overtake the guy in the 600HP Vette. Think how many laps can I buy for the price of a Tesla. All the above is stuff that you discover while hanging out in the real world among motorheads. A tight community of motorheads is the best antidote against PR campaigns from corporate overlords, and Musk is the worst offender among them all, but the same is true for all the brands if they were to start employing the same cult-like tactics.
vidarh 3y ago
> It's not how you start, it's how you finish. None of the companies listed are delivering anything that is nearly as paradigm changing as you seem to want them to in order to justify dismissing Musks companies either. > Always a big deal in "the future" It's a big deal now, and has been for years. The last few months alone, SpaceX has launched more rockets and more satellites than all other launch operators, private or public, combined has for the entire year by a huge factor, and has e.g. launched the heaviest geostationary satellite ever (Jupiter-3), provided crew to the ISS (only one coming even close is China, in terms of number of launches, but not satellites), and launched more payloads than any other private provider (even when you exclude Starlink - though Starlink itself makes up the majority of all payloads launch into space this year), and been the launch provider for the first satellites from multiple countries. The only way this is remotely financially viable is because of how significantly they've driven down launch costs. It just gets comical when you try to downplay the scale of this.