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BYD is slapping the EV industry around like a gorilla, Tesla simply cannot compete in any meaningful way. Waymo has achieved profit per unit and people are happ
by the_sleaze_ 9mo ago
BYD is slapping the EV industry around like a gorilla, Tesla simply cannot compete in any meaningful way. Waymo has achieved profit per unit and people are happy to see driver-less taxis in their city and pay for the service.
Tesla also cannot justify valuations based on automotive sales/subscriptions alone - they were always going to have to pivot.
They're in a tight spot and they need to do something drastic.
- dlisboa 9mo ago> Tesla also cannot justify valuations based on automotive sales/subscriptions alone - they were always going to have to pivot. Their valuation was never justified by that. They always sold a fraction of what other companies do.
- NetMageSCW 9mo agoBut at one time they sold the majority in what many saw as a disruptive new replacement for what those other companies did. They were poised like Apple which sold relatively few iPhones in the first few years compared to the other companies, all of which are gone now. But Tesla squandered that advantage.
- jcfrei 9mo agoYup, they pivoted to making robots and subsidizing X/Grok.
- etchalon 9mo agoWell, they pivoted to saying they're going to make robots. Any day now.
- wraptile 9mo agoWho in their right mind would buy a robot from Tesla anyway.
- gizzlon 9mo agomaybe you want one that can do nazi salutes? /s
- direwolf20 9mo agoThat's what we thought about satellite internet and here we are
- deleted 9mo ago[deleted]
- snarf21 9mo agoMy understanding is that the main reasoning for this isn't revenue growth but rather one of the big triggers for his $1T pay package (10 million FSD subscriptions).
- NetMageSCW 9mo agoIs that understanding based on any verifiable sources? (It seems plausible, but all I’ve seen is speculation.)
- fintler 9mo agoBYD uses slave labor. "In the dormitories of the Jinjiang Group, the company hired by BYD to carry out the work, there were no mattresses on the beds, and the few toilets served hundreds of workers in extremely unhygienic conditions. The workers also had food stored without refrigeration. The Brazilian Labor Prosecutor's Office (MTP) also accused the companies of withholding the workers' passports and keeping 60% of their wages; the remaining 40% would be paid in Chinese currency." https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BYD_Brazil_working_conditions_controversy https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BYD_Brazil_working_conditions_... It's hard for any company to compete with that (I hope they don't).
- alopha 9mo agoTesla's factories have been responsible for deaths, systematic injury issues and wage theft - https://sites.uab.edu/humanrights/2025/03/30/human-rights-concerns-at-teslas-texas-gigafactory/ https://sites.uab.edu/humanrights/2025/03/30/human-rights-co... Pretending BYD is winning because of Chinese labor practices alone or primarily is denial of their technological and operational prowess.
- fintler 9mo agoDon't get me wrong, both are pretty terrible. I'm not going to defend Tesla. But BYD is on a whole different level with that stuff (e.g. human trafficking, suicides and the factory that collapsed and killed a bunch of people). There's no way that being able to cut costs to that level doesn't help their bottom line.
- d--b 9mo agoTesla can compete with BYD all right. They have a better brand, they are still a status symbol. They could totally build the best cars if they wanted to. But competing with BYD would mean becoming "just a car company". And that's what Tesla can't do. Too many promises have been made, the stock's been pumped too high, and there is no way a just-a-car company can justify that market cap. Their only way is to go for the moonshot now. Maybe once the moonshot fails, stock goes down to "normal", and Tesla can compete with BYD.
- youngtaff 9mo agoTesla's brand is pretty much trash across much of Europe and they certainly not a status symbol
- dlisboa 9mo agoWhat market does Tesla have? They won't prosper in China which has the biggest car market and better cars, that also happen to be cheaper. In the US, the second largest car market, they reduced their market in half. In Europe their sales are shrinking even as total EV sales increase. In India and Brazil, also in the top 6 largest car markets, their cars are too expensive so they sell a few *dozen* cars per year. Even if they tried to be a car company with correct valuation they'd have nothing to offer to most of the market.
- tim333 9mo agoMost of the moonshot bet relate to AI becoming good so the self driving and robots work. It's not impossible although who knows when exactly, or if the Musk companies will get ahead of the competition.
- testing22321 9mo ago> BYD is slapping the EV industry around like a gorilla, Tesla simply cannot compete in any meaningful way BYD is slapping every automaker around like a gorilla, and none can compete in a meaningful way. Tarries mean they don’t have to. For now.
- dissent 9mo agoI was in the market for an EV due to great tax advantages. I assumed BYD would be the sweet spot, but test drove a Tesla for comparison. I ended up with the Tesla. It is hands down the better vehicle and I'd be very surprised if anybody seriously thought otherwise. There wasn't very much in it price wise so that wasn't a factor. The BYD (Sealion 7) wasn't even a bad car. It's a good car. But it's inspired and just a little gaudy. It felt like a conventional SUV with an EV powertrain. The Tesla felt like the future.
- seec 9mo agoFunny that you say the BYD was tasteless. I definitely agree, and it's something that can be said about much Chinese-made stuff. In French we have the word "chinoiserie" which is used to describe objects with a certain aesthetic, reminiscent of Chinese art. It is used derogatively to mean something lacks taste even if it looks sophisticated at first sight.
- the_sleaze_ 9mo agoAmericans have the same "Chinese-ium", but referring to the materials its made with. Cheap plastic, low durability, lead-based paint etc