It's a very old lesson. Carmakers have often named cars after a living figure, only to have the figure die or turn scandalous instead of popular. Tying to the founder is even worse. The only exception is Henry Ford. The Model T was so universally popular that Henry's antics didn't matter much. When you sell half of all cars in the world for 20 years, the car becomes a generic necessity like bread or soap. Tesla is nowhere near that level, and its fans were mostly in love with Elon's former image as a progressive environmentalist.
What program has been cut that was truly beneficial, versus portrayed that way in the meda?
USAID was a CIA slush fund that I haven't seen a single person *outside the US* bemoan the loss of (if loss it even is as it's just been folded back into the state department, which means it will likely be business as usual, just not with perhaps the virtue-signaling trappings).
CFPB? Started out promising but then was gutted. Did it have potential? Hell, yes. Was it actually making a meaningful difference? Eh . . . not really, not from what I can see. All the articles talk about what it was *going* to do, not what it was doing. That's a game I've seen before.
Medicaid? Maybe cut, maybe not. The specifics are never really clearly stated. They were supposed to cut *up to* $880 billion, not "at least," which leaves a lot of wiggle room. So we'll see.
But here's what I find funny: why all this concern? It's hardly like Elon Musk is the only EV manufacturer. Don't like him, don't like his product, go elsewhere. And the sudden concern for the welfare of Tesla workers from people who ten minutes ago could not be bothered to consider the effects of immigration or outsourcing on the workforce at large but now so invested you all are . . . odd that.
It's almost like . . . now don't call me jaded . . . but you find Musk's statements offensive or inconvenient and you want some reason to shut him up. In other words, it's almost like you are sanctioning people being punished for their ideas. There's no conversation here about how this whole situation might say more about where America is as a society than where Elon Musk is, no not that. We wouldn't want to hold up a mirror to society and point out its hypocrisies.
For the record, I never cared about the kneeling. I mean, I find it laughable that Colin Kaepernick who is only "black" if he grows out his hair and was a second tier player at best and got seven figures for it, was acting as if he was getting waterhosed and the dogs set on him in the Jim Crow South for sitting at the front of the bus, but whatever? I still watch movies and I think Hollywood has lost its mind. I shop at Target and I find "tuck friendly swimsuits" nauseating and can't figure out who thought that display was good idea. So Elon Musk runs his mouth on TwiX and donates to Republican causes and supports Trump. If you're not going to buy a Tesla because of that? That's your decision, but don't make the mistake of thinking that giving into childish tantrums is being an adult. It's not. It's just being a slightly larger child yourself. And that's what our society as a whole has become, a slightly larger but still incredibly immature child.
Musk isn't really punished for his ideas, though. People just don't want to spend money on something they think sends a political message. Firms are better off not being partisan. I already said that Lillia I'm more like you, I try to ignore the politics of the products I buy, if I can.
But, unfortunately, most things are politicized these days, and do we really expect business owners not to have political opinions? I don’t know many tech companies that didn’t black out something after George Floyd, and Gay Pride is everywhere at certain times of year. Those were both “political,” overtly so, though the media wants to pretend they aren’t, a sort of enforced conformity of opinion by suggesting these are all “settled issues.” Why are we singling out Musk? I mean, look at Hollywood. Is Musk any more overt than Hollywood, with its “land acknowledgments” and box checking? Just to go watch a movie might be considered supporting that mess. Yet we go watch anyway, even conservatives, when there’s something worth watching. Why is Musk a particularly different creature?
Bit of a strawman to say not have political opinions. Musk called a senator a traitor and an astronaut a retard in the past month. Part of being a ceo is not being a giant child. Standards for everyone
So you’re basically saying rather than just being your basic sociopathic CEO that signals virtue but acts like an abysmal human being otherwise, he dares to express his opinions?
I understand what your point is, but I find the argument laughable given the antics of American corporations and American leadership in general and how it’s only this that’s being called out. He got bratty on Twitter. His company seems solid and decent to work for (if you work), and his cars are decent (as you said). He keeps Americans employed and he was a darling of the left because of his EVs. But he said mean things on Twitter, and so now he’s particularly unqualified to be CEO?
Again, this attitude says less about Musk and more about his “critics” and our society in general.
You know, I sometimes think that Americans would be fine with Hitler, if he used the right pronouns and made sure the Gestapo “looked like them.” And if George Washington showed up and misgendered someone or called them a bad name, we’d cancel him. Oh, wait, we are trying to cancel him because he owned slaves when it was completely legal to do so. Well, there you go.
Well you can have your own opinion on the matter. But his juvenile behavior is turning people off. Business has certain rules and he's not abiding by them, and his employees will be the one who suffer, not him.
Yes, business has “certain rules,” but they’re pretty shallow and meaningless and basically boil down to “as long as you say the right things publicly you can be as vile in your practices as you want and few will say boo.” And, yes, there are consequences to violating those rules, but let’s not pretend that there is anything inherently “moral” and “righteous” about those rules. They are simply the rules of the game. Musk left the very narrow Overton window of acceptability to those who purchase his product and he and his business will pay the price . . . or not. They said that about Twitter, and it seems to be fine.
As for the employees . . . I’ll be looking forward to your articles on how media shenanigans have cost the employees of CNN, MSNBC, and the WaPo and every other outlet that’s had layoffs recently, since this is the standard you’ve set. I’ll also be looking for lengthy articles about the displacement of workers by immigrant labor or having their jobs outsourced or automated either mechanically or through AI, since the welfare of employees is so important to you. Unless this isn’t really about concern for Musk’s employees.
But I’m sure Musk’s employees will be just fine, if he’s such a horrid CEO. They can do better elsewhere, right? I remember you writing about all these jobs we need immigrants to fill. They can move to Springfield, OH, since there are so many great jobs there.
We live in an incredibly juvenile world, dangerously so at times I’d say. Most of the time it goes on that way unremarked upon. It’s interesting and revealing what elements of juvenility people actually take the time to point out. Now there’s a subject for you.
Target is far from taking a beating. It's fine. Budweiser as far as I can tell is fine, not on top, but fine. People are not particularly good at long-term boycotts.
Yep. Speaking as a former Certified Financial Planner, I totally agree. It's still priced for massive growth, not contracting profits. I wouldn't be shocked if it drops under $100/share this year.
FWIW I think FSD is 95% of the way there based on my experience with it. The last 5% when Elon doesn't want to use radars though? Definitely watch closely when you drive!
It's not just the cars, either. I was looking at solar battery storage options, and many installers only offer Tesla batteries. I wonder how that will affect their business because, as you noted, many folks interested in green energy are left-leaning.
I just bought a new Model Y in part to show support, yes, but mainly because it’s made in the U.S., and is an even more terrific car than its’ predecessor. [I will admit, however, that if I were driving up to Seattle or Portland I’d take my 2018 Model 3 which already has some body damage. 😬]
Tesla and Space X have delivered groundbreaking innovations in multiple spaces. That means Musk is a very smart guy, but his personal behavior can make his products toxic.
Any companies Musk is associated with, if they want to survive, would do well to distance themselves from him if they can.
Mr. Musk has the wealth to make or brake a company or our broken government. Is it true that you need to use the touch screen to put the car in reverse?
It’s hilarious. What’s changed from 6 months ago? 1/3 of the cars on the road in liberal American cities? Teslas. Sentiment to what people looking for an EV are going to buy? Tesla. Did anybody report Tesla sales were hugely up in Sweden? Or was Germany all we needed to know?
Tesla, a company that has never even run an advertisement and is still by far the most popular and commanding EV company in the world. Tesla, a company that is going to put forth full robotic automation from corporate to American households for cheap, full solar arrays across the globe, robotaxis, etc… run by a man who is providing internet for humanity, keeping our space program alive, preparing for an American expansion to Mars for the good of all mankind, and trying to connect the human brain to a chip to allow for severely injured humans to have a functional life again. But if you turn on the news it is IMPOSSIBLE to hear a single positive utterance about Elon Musk right now. You’re telling me this isn’t another PsyOp? You’re a pawn.
Do you know when this sort of smear campaign happened before? When Elon bought Twitter and began disseminating the Twitter files.
You all get played by your shadowy puppet masters and claim “I’m just reporting the headlines!”
Maybe try to do some journalism and see what’s changed? Right now you’re just another dude with a can of gasoline pouring it over a blaze. Lazy and dishonest.
It's a very old lesson. Carmakers have often named cars after a living figure, only to have the figure die or turn scandalous instead of popular. Tying to the founder is even worse. The only exception is Henry Ford. The Model T was so universally popular that Henry's antics didn't matter much. When you sell half of all cars in the world for 20 years, the car becomes a generic necessity like bread or soap. Tesla is nowhere near that level, and its fans were mostly in love with Elon's former image as a progressive environmentalist.
An interesting article.
What program has been cut that was truly beneficial, versus portrayed that way in the meda?
USAID was a CIA slush fund that I haven't seen a single person *outside the US* bemoan the loss of (if loss it even is as it's just been folded back into the state department, which means it will likely be business as usual, just not with perhaps the virtue-signaling trappings).
CFPB? Started out promising but then was gutted. Did it have potential? Hell, yes. Was it actually making a meaningful difference? Eh . . . not really, not from what I can see. All the articles talk about what it was *going* to do, not what it was doing. That's a game I've seen before.
Medicaid? Maybe cut, maybe not. The specifics are never really clearly stated. They were supposed to cut *up to* $880 billion, not "at least," which leaves a lot of wiggle room. So we'll see.
But here's what I find funny: why all this concern? It's hardly like Elon Musk is the only EV manufacturer. Don't like him, don't like his product, go elsewhere. And the sudden concern for the welfare of Tesla workers from people who ten minutes ago could not be bothered to consider the effects of immigration or outsourcing on the workforce at large but now so invested you all are . . . odd that.
It's almost like . . . now don't call me jaded . . . but you find Musk's statements offensive or inconvenient and you want some reason to shut him up. In other words, it's almost like you are sanctioning people being punished for their ideas. There's no conversation here about how this whole situation might say more about where America is as a society than where Elon Musk is, no not that. We wouldn't want to hold up a mirror to society and point out its hypocrisies.
For the record, I never cared about the kneeling. I mean, I find it laughable that Colin Kaepernick who is only "black" if he grows out his hair and was a second tier player at best and got seven figures for it, was acting as if he was getting waterhosed and the dogs set on him in the Jim Crow South for sitting at the front of the bus, but whatever? I still watch movies and I think Hollywood has lost its mind. I shop at Target and I find "tuck friendly swimsuits" nauseating and can't figure out who thought that display was good idea. So Elon Musk runs his mouth on TwiX and donates to Republican causes and supports Trump. If you're not going to buy a Tesla because of that? That's your decision, but don't make the mistake of thinking that giving into childish tantrums is being an adult. It's not. It's just being a slightly larger child yourself. And that's what our society as a whole has become, a slightly larger but still incredibly immature child.
Musk isn't really punished for his ideas, though. People just don't want to spend money on something they think sends a political message. Firms are better off not being partisan. I already said that Lillia I'm more like you, I try to ignore the politics of the products I buy, if I can.
But, unfortunately, most things are politicized these days, and do we really expect business owners not to have political opinions? I don’t know many tech companies that didn’t black out something after George Floyd, and Gay Pride is everywhere at certain times of year. Those were both “political,” overtly so, though the media wants to pretend they aren’t, a sort of enforced conformity of opinion by suggesting these are all “settled issues.” Why are we singling out Musk? I mean, look at Hollywood. Is Musk any more overt than Hollywood, with its “land acknowledgments” and box checking? Just to go watch a movie might be considered supporting that mess. Yet we go watch anyway, even conservatives, when there’s something worth watching. Why is Musk a particularly different creature?
Bit of a strawman to say not have political opinions. Musk called a senator a traitor and an astronaut a retard in the past month. Part of being a ceo is not being a giant child. Standards for everyone
So you’re basically saying rather than just being your basic sociopathic CEO that signals virtue but acts like an abysmal human being otherwise, he dares to express his opinions?
I understand what your point is, but I find the argument laughable given the antics of American corporations and American leadership in general and how it’s only this that’s being called out. He got bratty on Twitter. His company seems solid and decent to work for (if you work), and his cars are decent (as you said). He keeps Americans employed and he was a darling of the left because of his EVs. But he said mean things on Twitter, and so now he’s particularly unqualified to be CEO?
Again, this attitude says less about Musk and more about his “critics” and our society in general.
You know, I sometimes think that Americans would be fine with Hitler, if he used the right pronouns and made sure the Gestapo “looked like them.” And if George Washington showed up and misgendered someone or called them a bad name, we’d cancel him. Oh, wait, we are trying to cancel him because he owned slaves when it was completely legal to do so. Well, there you go.
Well you can have your own opinion on the matter. But his juvenile behavior is turning people off. Business has certain rules and he's not abiding by them, and his employees will be the one who suffer, not him.
Opinions are like . . . well, we won’t go there.
Yes, business has “certain rules,” but they’re pretty shallow and meaningless and basically boil down to “as long as you say the right things publicly you can be as vile in your practices as you want and few will say boo.” And, yes, there are consequences to violating those rules, but let’s not pretend that there is anything inherently “moral” and “righteous” about those rules. They are simply the rules of the game. Musk left the very narrow Overton window of acceptability to those who purchase his product and he and his business will pay the price . . . or not. They said that about Twitter, and it seems to be fine.
As for the employees . . . I’ll be looking forward to your articles on how media shenanigans have cost the employees of CNN, MSNBC, and the WaPo and every other outlet that’s had layoffs recently, since this is the standard you’ve set. I’ll also be looking for lengthy articles about the displacement of workers by immigrant labor or having their jobs outsourced or automated either mechanically or through AI, since the welfare of employees is so important to you. Unless this isn’t really about concern for Musk’s employees.
But I’m sure Musk’s employees will be just fine, if he’s such a horrid CEO. They can do better elsewhere, right? I remember you writing about all these jobs we need immigrants to fill. They can move to Springfield, OH, since there are so many great jobs there.
We live in an incredibly juvenile world, dangerously so at times I’d say. Most of the time it goes on that way unremarked upon. It’s interesting and revealing what elements of juvenility people actually take the time to point out. Now there’s a subject for you.
Agreed,Just look at Budweiser along with Target and other major Corporations that are taking a beating.
Seems as Musk does not care about it being political or how it affects his company.
Target is far from taking a beating. It's fine. Budweiser as far as I can tell is fine, not on top, but fine. People are not particularly good at long-term boycotts.
People are not particularly good at long-term boycotts.
It’s nice to meet some one that actually sees the world as it is and not as they want it to be. And hence that means Tesla will be fine.😎😎
In the meantume, my $TSLA short sell and put options have been raking in money. 🤑🤑🤑
That's one way to win
Hoping you make gobs of money. It’s got a P/E still FAR above what a car manufacturer should be and it should fall by another half or more still!
Yep. Speaking as a former Certified Financial Planner, I totally agree. It's still priced for massive growth, not contracting profits. I wouldn't be shocked if it drops under $100/share this year.
Their share price is based on wild promises about self-driving basically.
Yep, as if Waymo hasn't already been kicking their ass.
Meanwhile, if the city of Austin decides it doesn't want to support Musk and his self-driving plans? Watch the floor go out of the stock.
FWIW I think FSD is 95% of the way there based on my experience with it. The last 5% when Elon doesn't want to use radars though? Definitely watch closely when you drive!
What does FSD mean ?
Anyway, you would be able to start a investment Thread on Substack?
I promise you, I will be your first customer
Love it .😎😎
Elon Musk's brain has been damaged by too much ketamine use.
Let's just say no to cancel culture. Regarding dumping a Tesla….it just lends support to left wing terrorism…..
https://www.koin.com/news/oregon/tesla-dealership-tigard-window-bullet-damage-overnight-03062025/
It's not just the cars, either. I was looking at solar battery storage options, and many installers only offer Tesla batteries. I wonder how that will affect their business because, as you noted, many folks interested in green energy are left-leaning.
I just bought a new Model Y in part to show support, yes, but mainly because it’s made in the U.S., and is an even more terrific car than its’ predecessor. [I will admit, however, that if I were driving up to Seattle or Portland I’d take my 2018 Model 3 which already has some body damage. 😬]
Tesla and Space X have delivered groundbreaking innovations in multiple spaces. That means Musk is a very smart guy, but his personal behavior can make his products toxic.
Any companies Musk is associated with, if they want to survive, would do well to distance themselves from him if they can.
Mr. Musk has the wealth to make or brake a company or our broken government. Is it true that you need to use the touch screen to put the car in reverse?
As of the refresh yeah Model 3, Y, X, and S all use the touch screen for that. There is a backup in the car but it's awkward to press.
I don’t think I will ever give up my gas car, or my truck.
Your article drips with jealousy
TLDR: stick to leftist party line or continue to face absurdist headlines from both mainstream and fringe media.
Embarrassed for you, Zaid. You’re better than this.
The headlines are just stating the facts? I thought we were all about facts over feelings!
It’s hilarious. What’s changed from 6 months ago? 1/3 of the cars on the road in liberal American cities? Teslas. Sentiment to what people looking for an EV are going to buy? Tesla. Did anybody report Tesla sales were hugely up in Sweden? Or was Germany all we needed to know?
Tesla, a company that has never even run an advertisement and is still by far the most popular and commanding EV company in the world. Tesla, a company that is going to put forth full robotic automation from corporate to American households for cheap, full solar arrays across the globe, robotaxis, etc… run by a man who is providing internet for humanity, keeping our space program alive, preparing for an American expansion to Mars for the good of all mankind, and trying to connect the human brain to a chip to allow for severely injured humans to have a functional life again. But if you turn on the news it is IMPOSSIBLE to hear a single positive utterance about Elon Musk right now. You’re telling me this isn’t another PsyOp? You’re a pawn.
Do you know when this sort of smear campaign happened before? When Elon bought Twitter and began disseminating the Twitter files.
You all get played by your shadowy puppet masters and claim “I’m just reporting the headlines!”
Maybe try to do some journalism and see what’s changed? Right now you’re just another dude with a can of gasoline pouring it over a blaze. Lazy and dishonest.