4 ms·

However you may view him, I highly doubt Musk was in the room lobbying for programs that provide government funding to his companies when lawmakers decided to f

However you may view him, I highly doubt Musk was in the room lobbying for programs that provide government funding to his companies when lawmakers decided to fund these programs. These programs are the product of popular will wanting to move towards green energy and cut funding on space exploration. Musk just happened to be the guy who was in the right place at the right time to take advantage of such programs, and do it better than anyone else (cough...Fisker Automotive). Maybe rent opportunist would be a better word than rent seeker. Aside from that discussion, it's hard to really argue that Musk's technology isn't disruptive and he's not a brilliant innovator. His super charger network is enabling electric vehicles in a way the major automakers could never imagine, and he did it for pennies compared to the financial resources the major automakers have. SpaceX is doing the same thing.

minimax 13y ago
Musk heeded the advice. On March 8, he appeared at a hearing before Pitts’s committee, which oversees spending, at the Capitol in Austin. Oliveira and a SpaceX lobbyist appeared with him. “Any support Texas can offer would be helpful,” Musk said at the hearing. While Texas was the leading candidate, “We are absolutely looking at other locations.” http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-12/states-competing-for-spacex-by-offering-financial-breaks.html http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-02-12/states-competing-fo... He was clearly out there playing states against each other when looking at launch sites for SpaceX. Though to be fair, it feels like every big company in America is doing something like this when they want to expand.