Agreed! Which stinks, because it seems fun, if a bit boring aesthetically. If Tesla were still seen as culturally aspirational (or optimistic) like turn‑of‑the

Agreed! Which stinks, because it seems fun, if a bit boring aesthetically. If Tesla were still seen as culturally aspirational (or optimistic) like turn‑of‑the‑millennium Sony was[1,2,3], a retro‑futurist space serving primarily as a PR campaign could attract both better press and loads of visitors. Even though the Metreon project ultimately failed financially[4], people initially came in the millions because they wanted to experience Sony’s vision of the future[5,6]. Tesla’s inability to generate even a modicum of enthusiasm (instead sparking ridicule) is telling; sure the company’s goodwill has eroded, but more importantly so has its social cachet[7]. Said another way: people are no longer interested in inhabiting a future envisioned by Tesla/Elon. [1] https://youtu.be/i3-3dvgYt7c?feature=shared&t=129 https://youtu.be/i3-3dvgYt7c?feature=shared&t=129 [2] https://youtu.be/1iijVmH74jc?feature=shared https://youtu.be/1iijVmH74jc?feature=shared [3] https://www.wired.com/1999/06/metreon-the-entertainment-mall https://www.wired.com/1999/06/metreon-the-entertainment-mall [4] https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/sony-rethinking-operation-of-troubled-metreon-2842705.php https://www.sfgate.com/business/article/sony-rethinking-oper... [5] https://sophiasmith.medium.com/the-original-sony-metreon-was-a-mall-of-the-future-76586d6c11d9 https://sophiasmith.medium.com/the-original-sony-metreon-was... [6] https://www.sfchronicle.com/oursf/article/Requiem-for-Sony-Metreon-San-Francisco-s-14118088.php https://www.sfchronicle.com/oursf/article/Requiem-for-Sony-M... [7] https://www.emerging-strategy.com/how-elon-musks-politics-are-reshaping-teslas-brand-and-customer-base/?utm_source=chatgpt.com https://www.emerging-strategy.com/how-elon-musks-politics-ar...