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In fairness to Tesla stockholders, I think there is some genuine attraction to owning a company that isn’t entirely hobbled by US professional management cultur

In fairness to Tesla stockholders, I think there is some genuine attraction to owning a company that isn’t entirely hobbled by US professional management culture, and that is trying to build new things on an aggressive schedule. And watching the big US carmakers fall on their faces trying to launch EVs, I’ve come to the conclusion that maybe those “Tesla will eat the entire legacy car industry” predictions aren’t quite as outlandish as I once thought.

makeitdouble 3y ago
> isn’t entirely hobbled by US professional management culture When the only competitor fully keeping up/overpassing Tesla on the EV side is BYD, and VW is cuting through it's workforce to "stay competitive", it gives a lot of pause on the ethics of the car makers in the field. Do we need to go through a dark age again before ever getting out of the tunnel ?
- dzhiurgis 3y ago
  Imagine how low the bar is when someone like BYD can become number 1…
  - matthewdgreen 3y ago
    I think this is going to be one of those comments like “gosh Nissan/Sony/Toyota only makes cheap and junky items, who could ever imagine them becoming a mainstream competitor to established brands like GM/Zenith/Eagle.”
    - dzhiurgis 3y ago
      It wasn't my point, but I think we agree. Legacy auto can't make a competitive small EV. I give it 50% chance it won't in US - Tesla will release cheaper model by the time BYD starts selling (if ever) in US.
      - matthewdgreen 3y ago
        I’m very worried about the fact that Tesla can’t take advantage of a (huge) $7,500 tax credit because their batteries are sourced in China. (Yes, they may be sourced in a Tesla factory in China but that doesn’t matter.) It does not speak well to Tesla’s many years of US factory development that they still can’t compete with Chinese-based battery production. It puts them in a position where US competitiveness is dependent on the good graces of the Chinese government, and the Chinese government is primarily interested in the success of Chinese firms. (And ETA: obviously most other Western automakers are worse off than Tesla.)
        defrost 3y ago
        Tesla Breaks Ground on Lithium Processing Center in Texas American electric carmaker Tesla has broken ground on a new lithium processing center it says will support the production of up to 1 million vehicles by 2025. ... Albemarle plans to build a lithium processing center in South Carolina that will aim to refine 100,000 tons of the substance each year. Building on that project is expected to begin next year. https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/tesla-breaks-ground-on-lithium-processing-center-in-texas/7088504.html https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/tesla-breaks-ground-on...

makeitdouble 3y ago

> isn’t entirely hobbled by US professional management culture When the only competitor fully keeping up/overpassing Tesla on the EV side is BYD, and VW is cuting through it's workforce to "stay competitive", it gives a lot of pause on the ethics of the car makers in the field. Do we need to go through a dark age again before ever getting out of the tunnel ?

dzhiurgis 3y ago
Imagine how low the bar is when someone like BYD can become number 1…
- matthewdgreen 3y ago
  I think this is going to be one of those comments like “gosh Nissan/Sony/Toyota only makes cheap and junky items, who could ever imagine them becoming a mainstream competitor to established brands like GM/Zenith/Eagle.”
  - dzhiurgis 3y ago
    It wasn't my point, but I think we agree. Legacy auto can't make a competitive small EV. I give it 50% chance it won't in US - Tesla will release cheaper model by the time BYD starts selling (if ever) in US.
    - matthewdgreen 3y ago
      I’m very worried about the fact that Tesla can’t take advantage of a (huge) $7,500 tax credit because their batteries are sourced in China. (Yes, they may be sourced in a Tesla factory in China but that doesn’t matter.) It does not speak well to Tesla’s many years of US factory development that they still can’t compete with Chinese-based battery production. It puts them in a position where US competitiveness is dependent on the good graces of the Chinese government, and the Chinese government is primarily interested in the success of Chinese firms. (And ETA: obviously most other Western automakers are worse off than Tesla.)
      - defrost 3y ago
        Tesla Breaks Ground on Lithium Processing Center in Texas American electric carmaker Tesla has broken ground on a new lithium processing center it says will support the production of up to 1 million vehicles by 2025. ... Albemarle plans to build a lithium processing center in South Carolina that will aim to refine 100,000 tons of the substance each year. Building on that project is expected to begin next year. https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/tesla-breaks-ground-on-lithium-processing-center-in-texas/7088504.html https://learningenglish.voanews.com/a/tesla-breaks-ground-on...