4 ms·

Sure but in capitalism you have to do right by your shareholders and a personal gripe against some kid related thing isn’t directly shareholder related. So are

Sure but in capitalism you have to do right by your shareholders and a personal gripe against some kid related thing isn’t directly shareholder related. So are we doing snowflake feelings capitalism now? Or delivering shareholder value?

krapp 2y ago
Musk does "whatever he damn well feels like" capitalism. He made a barely driveable eyesore and deathtrap that would have put any other company out of business, just because he wanted to make a future car. He burned $44 billion just to buy the social media platform he blames for making his daughter trans and redpill it to spite "the wokes." He couldn't care less about shareholders. He's a manchild playing with toys.
- Gud 2y ago
  As well as jump starting two of the most important technologies in the last 30 years, cheap access to space and electric cars.
  - krapp 2y ago
    Are you one of those people who believes Elon Musk built everything by hand in a cave with scraps or something? Musk invested in technologies other people were working on and companies other people started, and hired other people who made it all work (often, given anecdotal reports, in spite of him.) Let's please stop pretending none of that would have been possible without some singular genius on his part.
    - Gud 2y ago
      No. I doubt those people exist.
    - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
      > Let's please stop pretending none of that would have been possible without some singular genius on his part Sure, granted. The claim isn't re-usable rockets and mass-market EVs aren't possible without Musk. It's that it wouldn't be reality at scale today. Musk has a rare combination of leadership, management and political ability that lets him coordinate large groups of people and capital on resource-intensive, long-term, long-shot goals; achieve those goals; and make money on it, thereby making the process repeatable. That doesn't excuse his nonsense public behaviour. But that behaviour, in turn, doesn't erase his accomplishments.
- lazyeye 2y ago
  If only Elon was more like your average commenter on HN, just imagine what he could have achieved then...
ls612 2y ago
Many investors have figured out that “letting Elon be Elon” has high expected value and are willing to ride the rollercoaster along the way I guess.
rsynnott 2y ago
While this is true in theory, in practice the people who control _private_ companies are almost never punished for prioritising personal gain or other personal priorities over the good of the shareholders. Different story for public companies, of course, but these aren't public companies.

krapp 2y ago

Musk does "whatever he damn well feels like" capitalism. He made a barely driveable eyesore and deathtrap that would have put any other company out of business, just because he wanted to make a future car. He burned $44 billion just to buy the social media platform he blames for making his daughter trans and redpill it to spite "the wokes." He couldn't care less about shareholders. He's a manchild playing with toys.

Gud 2y ago
As well as jump starting two of the most important technologies in the last 30 years, cheap access to space and electric cars.
- krapp 2y ago
  Are you one of those people who believes Elon Musk built everything by hand in a cave with scraps or something? Musk invested in technologies other people were working on and companies other people started, and hired other people who made it all work (often, given anecdotal reports, in spite of him.) Let's please stop pretending none of that would have been possible without some singular genius on his part.
  - Gud 2y ago
    No. I doubt those people exist.
  - JumpCrisscross 2y ago
    > Let's please stop pretending none of that would have been possible without some singular genius on his part Sure, granted. The claim isn't re-usable rockets and mass-market EVs aren't possible without Musk. It's that it wouldn't be reality at scale today. Musk has a rare combination of leadership, management and political ability that lets him coordinate large groups of people and capital on resource-intensive, long-term, long-shot goals; achieve those goals; and make money on it, thereby making the process repeatable. That doesn't excuse his nonsense public behaviour. But that behaviour, in turn, doesn't erase his accomplishments.
lazyeye 2y ago
If only Elon was more like your average commenter on HN, just imagine what he could have achieved then...

ls612 2y ago

Many investors have figured out that “letting Elon be Elon” has high expected value and are willing to ride the rollercoaster along the way I guess.

rsynnott 2y ago

While this is true in theory, in practice the people who control _private_ companies are almost never punished for prioritising personal gain or other personal priorities over the good of the shareholders. Different story for public companies, of course, but these aren't public companies.