3 ms·

> "I just don't like anything which creates a lords and peasants sort of thing," This is particularly ironic coming from Elon Musk, net worth $245Bn in a count

> "I just don't like anything which creates a lords and peasants sort of thing," This is particularly ironic coming from Elon Musk, net worth $245Bn in a country where “44.2 million people lived in households that had difficulty getting enough food to feed everyone in 2022”

sproketboy 3y ago
[dead]
gottorf 3y ago
> “44.2 million people lived in households that had difficulty getting enough food to feed everyone in 2022” That line comes from a report[0] produced by an entity that as of last check had an annual revenue of $6.6T. They're probably in a better position to address food insecurity than Elon Musk, whose entire net worth, if you could liquidate it at that phantom price of $245B, would pay for one year's food budget for each of those 44.2 million people before running out. [0]: https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/107703/err-325.pdf https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/107703/err-325...
kjksf 3y ago
You should ask ChatGPT the following: "explain "lords and peasants"" It's a bit long to reproduce here but the gist of it is that lords had rights and privileges that peasants (serfs) didn't. Those privileges were not based on merit (e.g. you started a successful business and made lots of money) but on bloodline or being given the lord title by monarchy. Musk made this comment in the context old blue checkmark regime at twitter where Twitter was the monarchy (i.e. the king) bestowing status of a lord (blue checkmark) not based on objective merit but based completely on whims of Twitter. And everyone else was a peasant: no blue checkmark and no way of escaping the status of a peasant other than hoping the King (Twitter) will bestow that status onto you. In capitalistic society some people have more money than others. What makes capitalistic society different than feudal society is that everyone has the same right under law (even if that's not perfectly implemented) and you're not forever bound to low status in society. You can go from a peasant to a lord.
- mupuff1234 3y ago
  And why is organizing a strike to extract more value to yourself not also considered merit?
- wharvle 3y ago
  > Musk made this comment in the context old blue checkmark regime at twitter where Twitter was the monarchy (i.e. the king) bestowing status of a lord (blue checkmark) not based on objective merit but based completely on whims of Twitter. He used the phrase the other day as explicitly the reason he doesn’t like unions. It was part of that interview that was full of painful awkwardness and “holy shit, did he really just say that?” moments, in which he constantly exuded big dude-everyone-avoids-at-the-party energy, which left us all wondering which drugs he was on, so we can avoid them.
  - l33tman 3y ago
    What was this interview? Sounds like fun :)
    - wharvle 3y ago
      “Dealbook summit musk” will find you various long clips. It is indeed a fascinating watch, and entertaining if you’re the sort who finds stuff like Tim and Eric funny (I do) The part that got the most attention was when he literally told objecting advertisers to “go fuck themselves” and, when the interviewer repeatedly tried to extract from him what his plan is to turn the company profitable while turning off advertisers, he dodged, implied he didn’t care about that, and finally said some insane shit like “oh yeah, it’ll kill the company. But the world will judge them” (?!?!) [edit] to emphasize how nuts this was, because I’m not sure the above captures it, he also told those advertisers to stay gone (separately from “go fuck yourselves”) and when the trying-his-damnedest-to-be-sympathetic interviewer tried to prompt Musk to explain what his plan is for the company in the face of substantial advertiser (so, customer) revolt that he just encouraged, Musk dissembled, then finally just said the company is doomed but that he’s ok with that because he feels he’s winning a moral victory. It’s batshit crazy and I can only imagine what it’s like as an employee to see the CEO/owner say he expects the company to fail and display a total lack of interest in preventing it.
bborud 3y ago
It is not so much ironic as it is disingenuous on Mr. Musk's part. We don't have to pretend that Elon doesn't understand this. It's okay to call bullshit.

sproketboy 3y ago

[dead]

gottorf 3y ago

> “44.2 million people lived in households that had difficulty getting enough food to feed everyone in 2022” That line comes from a report[0] produced by an entity that as of last check had an annual revenue of $6.6T. They're probably in a better position to address food insecurity than Elon Musk, whose entire net worth, if you could liquidate it at that phantom price of $245B, would pay for one year's food budget for each of those 44.2 million people before running out. [0]: https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/107703/err-325.pdf https://www.ers.usda.gov/webdocs/publications/107703/err-325...

kjksf 3y ago

You should ask ChatGPT the following: "explain "lords and peasants"" It's a bit long to reproduce here but the gist of it is that lords had rights and privileges that peasants (serfs) didn't. Those privileges were not based on merit (e.g. you started a successful business and made lots of money) but on bloodline or being given the lord title by monarchy. Musk made this comment in the context old blue checkmark regime at twitter where Twitter was the monarchy (i.e. the king) bestowing status of a lord (blue checkmark) not based on objective merit but based completely on whims of Twitter. And everyone else was a peasant: no blue checkmark and no way of escaping the status of a peasant other than hoping the King (Twitter) will bestow that status onto you. In capitalistic society some people have more money than others. What makes capitalistic society different than feudal society is that everyone has the same right under law (even if that's not perfectly implemented) and you're not forever bound to low status in society. You can go from a peasant to a lord.

mupuff1234 3y ago
And why is organizing a strike to extract more value to yourself not also considered merit?
wharvle 3y ago
> Musk made this comment in the context old blue checkmark regime at twitter where Twitter was the monarchy (i.e. the king) bestowing status of a lord (blue checkmark) not based on objective merit but based completely on whims of Twitter. He used the phrase the other day as explicitly the reason he doesn’t like unions. It was part of that interview that was full of painful awkwardness and “holy shit, did he really just say that?” moments, in which he constantly exuded big dude-everyone-avoids-at-the-party energy, which left us all wondering which drugs he was on, so we can avoid them.
- l33tman 3y ago
  What was this interview? Sounds like fun :)
  - wharvle 3y ago
    “Dealbook summit musk” will find you various long clips. It is indeed a fascinating watch, and entertaining if you’re the sort who finds stuff like Tim and Eric funny (I do) The part that got the most attention was when he literally told objecting advertisers to “go fuck themselves” and, when the interviewer repeatedly tried to extract from him what his plan is to turn the company profitable while turning off advertisers, he dodged, implied he didn’t care about that, and finally said some insane shit like “oh yeah, it’ll kill the company. But the world will judge them” (?!?!) [edit] to emphasize how nuts this was, because I’m not sure the above captures it, he also told those advertisers to stay gone (separately from “go fuck yourselves”) and when the trying-his-damnedest-to-be-sympathetic interviewer tried to prompt Musk to explain what his plan is for the company in the face of substantial advertiser (so, customer) revolt that he just encouraged, Musk dissembled, then finally just said the company is doomed but that he’s ok with that because he feels he’s winning a moral victory. It’s batshit crazy and I can only imagine what it’s like as an employee to see the CEO/owner say he expects the company to fail and display a total lack of interest in preventing it.

bborud 3y ago

It is not so much ironic as it is disingenuous on Mr. Musk's part. We don't have to pretend that Elon doesn't understand this. It's okay to call bullshit.