6 ms·
Could it be that Musk's inflammatory language and behaviors are a turn off for potential buyers? They are a turn off for me. I like the vehicles but I'd never
by hn72774 3y ago
Could it be that Musk's inflammatory language and behaviors are a turn off for potential buyers? They are a turn off for me. I like the vehicles but I'd never get one.
- jborden13 3y agoI think there are lots of us.
- drcongo 3y agoSame. If I wanted to project that image I'd just paint a swastika on my existing car.
- FredPret 3y agoIt's such a shame that he's sullying his reputation like this. Howard Hughes-like. He could have retired in a blaze of glory a couple of years ago, straight into the pantheon of epic American entrepreneurs.
- dralley 3y agoHis behavior isn't the only Howard Hughes callback. The entire Cybertruck project screams it.
- smallmancontrov 3y agoApparently Henry Ford bought a newspaper (the Dearborn Independent) to publish his opinions on jews. History sure does rhyme. What is it with car CEOs?
- FredPret 3y agoIf it rhymes this much, it's bad news for Musk but fantastic for Tesla. Ford has generated a ridiculous amount of shareholder returns over the years and makes good cars today.
- myroon5 3y agoAnd Ford was hardly alone collaborating with Nazis: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39888684 https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=39888684
- silverquiet 3y agoI didn't think about the parallel to the Spruce Goose, but it's a fair comparison. Honestly, it seems to happen to a lot of megalomaniac, ivory-tower type creators - the urge to build something to top their last creation (and for all his faults, Elon does have some really impressive creations behind him). The other example that jumps to mind is George Lucas with the Star Wars prequels.
- mschuster91 3y ago> The other example that jumps to mind is George Lucas with the Star Wars prequels. These were by far not as bad as some people tend to paint them, the problem with the Star Wars prequels IMHO was more that the "old guard" fanbase tends to be quite the whiny bunch. The sequels are another topic entirely - these were corporate driven projects which isn't a bad sign per se (see the MCU), but unlike the MCU there wasn't a central person like Kevin Feige who actually took care about a cohesive storyline, directors and script writers kept changing, and the SW universe unlike Star Trek or MCU doesn't have a concept of multiple/alternate realities or time travel so a ton of lore went down the drain for nothing.
- archagon 3y agoThey’re just stories. A future Disney could declare 7-9 non-canon and redo the lore.
- philistine 3y agoThe Star Wars prequels are not comparable to the Spruce Goose. The Star Wars prequels did exactly what they intended to do: sell toys so George could maintain the independence of Lucasfilm. The fact those movies are terrible is irrelevant.
- JKCalhoun 3y agoSouth African entrepreneurs? EDIT: I had heard he was South African. Googled it though: "South African-born American businessman" so I guess he is American now. Thanks.
- misiti3780 3y ago[flagged]
- AlotOfReading 3y agoHe's a US citizen, he lives in the US, and his companies are headquartered in the US. "American" is definitely an appropriate label here.
- anonporridge 3y agoYou seem not American. To Americans, being born to a different nationality doesn't preclude you from being considered a full and true American. First generation immigrants and naturalized citizens tend to be completely accepted as equals by natural born citizens, so long as they are productive and not criminally destructive. I do understand that this tends to not be the case in many other countries, where even second generation immigrants may not be fully accepted because ethnic identity is so deeply entwined in nationality in most countries.
- VBprogrammer 3y agoYou would have to admit that passing the "looks white to me" test helps a lot in being culturally accepted as an American. You don't have to go very far to find counter examples. Even in this comment section people talk about "Asians" driving Tesla's - regardless of the fact they maybe second or third generation Americans.
- JKCalhoun 3y agoThe way you put it, it would seem odd to me to mention someone's ethnicity unless it was somehow relevant to the conversation. Without context though my generous assumption is that when they say "Asian driving a Tesla" they mean "Asian-American driving a Tesla" and are lazy rather than racist.
- cavisne 3y agoVery unlikely, Bezos & Gates basically did that and they are still massive targets of criticism. If Elon had decided to just roll over a couple years ago and do everything the media asked him to do (shutdown the Fremont factory during covid, stop "polluting the sky" with starlink, rely on a nice unionized automaker like GM to "lead the EV revolution") Tesla & SpaceX wouldn't exist today.
- r00fus 3y agoNone of that shit actually matters to the people who despise Elon. No, it’s the fascist-friendly sex-mongering racist rhetoric that gets most people. Even that could be explained the way if it weren’t for his inept business moves with Twitter and ugly cybertruck. Jobs proved you can be worshipped while being an eccentric asshole if you’re at least competent.
- leetharris 3y agoThe vast majority of the world doesn't exist in the online sphere. I think that they have saturated the initial EV buyers, mainstream is still afraid of EV and there's more anti-EV propaganda in the media than ever before.
- afavour 3y ago1. The vast majority of the world isn't buying Teslas, either 2. Musk is one of few figures whose controversies escape the online world, though. Like the "pedo diver" thing, it was an international story with world attention and he jammed himself in the middle of it. That said, I'm also not convinced his reputation is the reason for shipments to drop precipitously. But it could absolutely be a contributing factor.
- JKCalhoun 3y ago> The vast majority of the world doesn't exist in the online sphere. I wonder if the vast majority of potential Tesla customers does though.
- hn72774 3y agoHe's supporting a dictator that launched a full scale war in Europe. Hard no for me.
- AlexandrB 3y agoSome of it is propaganda, and some of it is a direct result of Tesla's design choices. It would be ironic if Tesla helped give EVs a bad name with novelty "features" like electric door latches and a lack of mechanical controls.
- JohnBooty 3y agoThe vast majority of the world doesn't exist in the online sphere. Well, no, but the "vast majority of the world" isn't in the market for a Tesla, either. You don't think there's a significant overlap between prospective Tesla buyers and people who are familiar with Musk's hijinks?
- dorkwood 3y agoDeliveries are still up since Q1 2023, so I guess not.
- jsnell 3y agoThe numbers from the article are 422k deliveries in Q1 2023, 386k in Q1 2024. That's down by almost 10%, not up.
- Tiktaalik 3y agoPersonally I’d never buy one for that reason. Would never work for one of his companies either. I don’t want to contribute to his wealth.
- zamalek 3y agoAnecdata: I had paid my $200 [sunk cost] deposit. Elon's bullshit turned me away.
- r00fus 3y agoThe deposit is refundable, you know.
- cqqxo4zV46cp 3y agoEven if I wanted a Tesla, it wouldn’t pass the partner acceptance test for me. My partner is aware of the quality issues, but beyond that, she (like me) can’t help but cringe at the optics of owning a Musk-mobile. If you want to be a loudmouth dick online and intertwine your persona with that of your companies for #traction, it cuts both ways.
- qwerpy 3y agoIt's funny how different cultures view things so differently. My wife (Chinese) and her circle of friends are pretty much the opposite. They used to all get BMWs/Mercedes but with how practical EVs are, the default choice is now Tesla. I think they're somewhat aware of Elon's shenanigans but it's all chalked up to "silly American politics" so no one cares.
- jorlow 3y agoFor me it's this + going overboard on minimalism (speed only on center screen, turn signals now buttons, wiper controls on touch screen). It's a shame because there's a lot to like about the model 3.
- monitron 3y agoYep. I am a current Tesla Model 3 owner, really like my car, but plan to switch to another brand after running this one into the ground. Elon's behavior is awful and dangerous given his fame/money, and luckily, unlike in 2017, there are now other good EV options which are getting better all the time.
- smallmancontrov 3y agoHow is the charging situation? I remember that everyone announced NACS and compatibility with the Tesla network a while ago, has that happened or is it still just promises?
- coldpie 3y agoTechnically still just promises, but the timelines are all in the 1-3 year range, which seems about right for a manufacturing and support line change. I think Hyundai/Kia plan to start shipping native NACS cars this year.
- e36 3y agoIt's in progress, I think. Ford and Rivian just gained access to the network about a month or so ago, and I think that other manufacturers will be added over the next year or two.
- vishalontheline 3y ago> after running this one into the ground Oh, come on. Don't wait another 25 years! /s
- trogdor 3y agoI recently saw a Tesla that had a “No Elon” magnet on the back. (Red circle over white background, with a diagonal red line through the word “ELON.”) I talked to the owner who said that his wife had custom ordered it.
- deleted 3y ago[deleted]
- qwerpy 3y agoThis seems to be the case for some online communities, but in my offline circles (Asians working in tech in the PNW) no one seems to care. Driving on the street it seems every other car is a Tesla, and by and large everyone is pretty happy with them. I wouldn't say we're particularly pro-Tesla either, it's just that they were the best cars for the money at the time. As more car manufacturers start to deliver good EVs, I think you'll start to see more variety in the EVs on the road. For example my next car after the cybertruck could be a Rivian or an electric van, if someone finally decides to make one.
- amerkhalid 3y agoSame here in Frisco, Texas. Teslas are so common here and pretty much it is always Asians driving them. I keep hearing that Tesla is the new Toyota. But talking with some of the Tesla owners, many feel embarrassed by Elon. Many say that they will not buy another Tesla or they have some other reasoning to justify their purchase (like Elon has gone crazy but we shouldn't punish the entire company for it etc)
- dzhiurgis 3y ago[flagged]
- b0sk 3y agoYes. I am a Y owner and in for a 2nd EV. But waiting until Rivian R2.
- jeffwask 3y agoHonestly, he has been on a tear alienating the primary pool of Tesla buyers and appealing to a group that denies climate change and would never buy an electric car. I used to hear praise of Musk constantly from other folks in software 10 years ago and all that positive buzz is gone.
- tejohnso 3y ago> "Whether you hate me, like me or are indifferent, do you want the best car, or do you not want the best car?" ... only works when you're making the best car. There are a lot of very competitive EV alternatives now.
- AlexandrB 3y agoForget the content of what Musk says, the fact that he's on Twitter so much seems like a bad sign if you're a Tesla shareholder. His attention is already split between 3-4 companies, if he's tweeting all day on top of that how much attention is Tesla and its problems/opportunities getting?
- mullingitover 3y agoA business who had an assistant manager who spent this much time on Twitter during business hours would've written a pink slip a long time ago. Investors/BODs are shockingly forgiving. How is he creating value when he's spending half his time being a keyboard culture warrior?
- 3cats-in-a-coat 3y ago> how much attention is Tesla and its problems/opportunities getting Judging by the fragmented and meandering Highland/Juniper roll-out, none. The company seems to be running on autopilot (or should I say, full self-driving), where local management is making local decisions out of sync with the rest of the company to try and save another quarter. Which is clearly not working anymore.
- sf_rob 3y agoWhile Musk’s attention was certainly a key asset in Tesla’s early years, I’m not sure that his attention is still a net positive.
- sylens 3y agoI'm in the market for an EV for the first time and won't consider a Tesla due to him going full mask off on Twitter over the last year.
- sixothree 3y agoThere are other practical reasons too, but I am literally never going to buy a Tesla. It’s just never going to happen. He’s made it his mission to insult me on a personal level. One dollar equals one vote so I pay attention where mine go.