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A Twitter message is a publicity stunt, not a sincere offer for help. I'm sure Elon knows the right people to contact at Boeing directly if he really wants to w

by alex_c 14y ago

A Twitter message is a publicity stunt, not a sincere offer for help. I'm sure Elon knows the right people to contact at Boeing directly if he really wants to work something out.

United857 14y ago
What's not to say that he did that also?
jlgreco 14y ago
I see it as being more on Boeing to initiate official correspondence if they want the help. Elon is just casually letting them know that they would be receptive to such a request.
- ryguytilidie 14y ago
  Right, and as the poster above is saying, if he actually wanted to help, he would contact Boeing. If he wanted publicity, he would make a tweet offering help.
InclinedPlane 14y ago
Not necessarily. Even if you're Elon Musk, unless you already know the direct number of just the right person to contact going about it publicly might be the fastest way of doing it, otherwise you end up having to go through layers of intermediaries.
- neurotech1 14y ago
  Google it :D Lori Gunter 787 Program Communications Manager 425-266-6256 loretta.m.gunter@boeing.com Larry Loftis 787 General Manager (I don't have his confirmed information)
  - artursapek 14y ago
    425... I miss Redmond...
notjustanymike 14y ago
Exactly. Words are cheap.
hyperbovine 14y ago
Aside from which, it would be a cold day in hell before Boeing took him up on this. A highly publicized left turn to an outside team, to re-do portions of a decades-long, $32 billion R&D program, which has already entered passenger service and is supposed to be completely safe? I can't even begin to fathom the PR shitstorm that would result from that.
- pkulak 14y ago
  Really? You have a problem with LiIon batteries and you get help from the best electric car company in the world? It's called consulting. It happens all the time. I don't see the public giving a shit.
  - michael_miller 14y ago
    I think what the OP is trying to point out is that this would be seen as an "oh shit we don't know what went wrong" consulting job rather than a "we knew we weren't good at this from the start, so we contracted out to another company who was" job. They've already implicitly asserted that they knew what they were doing by putting the batteries into a certified plane, so this would likely be construed as an emergency cry for help. Also, most of the time the use of consultants isn't publicized - taking help from Elon Musk would no doubt be broadcast heavily by the media, and most likely not in a positive light.
  - rgbrenner 14y ago
    "get help from the best electric car company in the world" Tesla has revenue of 200m/yr. At this rate, it'll be 160 years before Tesla pulls in revenue equal to the R&D on this plane. Tesla doesn't even manufacturer their own batteries. Boeing doesn't need to go ask Tesla for help, they can buy the company with the change in their pocket if they thought there was anything there of value to them. This is nothing more than a publicity stunt. Did I already mention that Tesla does not manufacturer their own batteries.
    - dojomouse 14y ago
      Careful with your years. Teslas 2012 revenue will break $400mil. 2013 will likely break $1bil.
rtrunck 14y ago
You realize Boeing is part of United Launch Alliance who has taken shots at SpaceX recently, right?
jnw2 14y ago
Dreamliner customers got a choice of GE or Rolls Royce for the engines. Would there be anything unreasonable about Boeing also giving their customers a choice of Thales/Yuasa or Tesla/Panasonic? If a Boeing customer has been informally talking with both Tesla, and their Boeing sales rep, and the Boeing sales rep thinks it's unlikely Tesla would be willing to help out, is it possible that a tweet like this would help the Boeing customer to get useful conversations going within Boeing?
thepirateway 14y ago
First of all, i dont think that musk needs any kind of stunt to be in the news. He delivered new technology and vision to the world on multiple occasions. Tesla Motors has already solved the Battery problem long time back so musk can easily help Boeing to rectify their battery issues. Problem with the companies like Boeing, is that they are too much focused on money and not on innovations which leads them into shutting down.

by alex_c 14y ago

A Twitter message is a publicity stunt, not a sincere offer for help. I'm sure Elon knows the right people to contact at Boeing directly if he really wants to work something out.

United857 14y ago

What's not to say that he did that also?

jlgreco 14y ago

I see it as being more on Boeing to initiate official correspondence if they want the help. Elon is just casually letting them know that they would be receptive to such a request.

ryguytilidie 14y ago
Right, and as the poster above is saying, if he actually wanted to help, he would contact Boeing. If he wanted publicity, he would make a tweet offering help.

InclinedPlane 14y ago

Not necessarily. Even if you're Elon Musk, unless you already know the direct number of just the right person to contact going about it publicly might be the fastest way of doing it, otherwise you end up having to go through layers of intermediaries.

neurotech1 14y ago
Google it :D Lori Gunter 787 Program Communications Manager 425-266-6256 loretta.m.gunter@boeing.com Larry Loftis 787 General Manager (I don't have his confirmed information)
- artursapek 14y ago
  425... I miss Redmond...

notjustanymike 14y ago

Exactly. Words are cheap.

hyperbovine 14y ago

Aside from which, it would be a cold day in hell before Boeing took him up on this. A highly publicized left turn to an outside team, to re-do portions of a decades-long, $32 billion R&D program, which has already entered passenger service and is supposed to be completely safe? I can't even begin to fathom the PR shitstorm that would result from that.

pkulak 14y ago
Really? You have a problem with LiIon batteries and you get help from the best electric car company in the world? It's called consulting. It happens all the time. I don't see the public giving a shit.
- michael_miller 14y ago
  I think what the OP is trying to point out is that this would be seen as an "oh shit we don't know what went wrong" consulting job rather than a "we knew we weren't good at this from the start, so we contracted out to another company who was" job. They've already implicitly asserted that they knew what they were doing by putting the batteries into a certified plane, so this would likely be construed as an emergency cry for help. Also, most of the time the use of consultants isn't publicized - taking help from Elon Musk would no doubt be broadcast heavily by the media, and most likely not in a positive light.
- rgbrenner 14y ago
  "get help from the best electric car company in the world" Tesla has revenue of 200m/yr. At this rate, it'll be 160 years before Tesla pulls in revenue equal to the R&D on this plane. Tesla doesn't even manufacturer their own batteries. Boeing doesn't need to go ask Tesla for help, they can buy the company with the change in their pocket if they thought there was anything there of value to them. This is nothing more than a publicity stunt. Did I already mention that Tesla does not manufacturer their own batteries.
  - dojomouse 14y ago
    Careful with your years. Teslas 2012 revenue will break $400mil. 2013 will likely break $1bil.

rtrunck 14y ago

You realize Boeing is part of United Launch Alliance who has taken shots at SpaceX recently, right?

jnw2 14y ago

Dreamliner customers got a choice of GE or Rolls Royce for the engines. Would there be anything unreasonable about Boeing also giving their customers a choice of Thales/Yuasa or Tesla/Panasonic? If a Boeing customer has been informally talking with both Tesla, and their Boeing sales rep, and the Boeing sales rep thinks it's unlikely Tesla would be willing to help out, is it possible that a tweet like this would help the Boeing customer to get useful conversations going within Boeing?

thepirateway 14y ago

First of all, i dont think that musk needs any kind of stunt to be in the news. He delivered new technology and vision to the world on multiple occasions. Tesla Motors has already solved the Battery problem long time back so musk can easily help Boeing to rectify their battery issues. Problem with the companies like Boeing, is that they are too much focused on money and not on innovations which leads them into shutting down.