Elon Musk: Always A Douche

[The Brain]

I think I've mentioned before that I think Elon Musk is a piece of shit and a con artist.

How is he a con artist? Non-rhetorical, I've never paid much attention to Musk.

[DGuller]

I don't think he is a pure con-artist, it's just that he is a legitimate innovator who crosses ethical lines to keep himself afloat.  If you make it, everyone remembers the rags to riches story while forgetting the con jobs requried to get there, but if you fail, you're a con-artist.

[Maladict]

Whatever happened to a simple apology. Love all the preamble setting the stage for why he inevitably lashed out...

https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2018/jul/18/elon-musk-apologises-for-calling-thai-cave-rescue-diver-a-pedo

On Wednesday, Musk issued an apology to Unsworth in a reply to another Twitter user. He said: "My words were spoken in anger after Mr Unsworth said several untruths & suggested I engage in a sexual act with the mini-sub, which had been built as an act of kindness & according to specifications from the dive team leader."

He added: "Nonetheless, his actions against me do not justify my actions against him, and for that I apologize to Mr Unsworth and to the companies I represent as leader. The fault is mine and mine alone."

Nice 'apology'

The fault is mine and mine alone. HOWEVER, .....

[garbon]

I don't think he is a pure con-artist, it's just that he is a legitimate innovator who crosses ethical lines to keep himself afloat.  If you make it, everyone remembers the rags to riches story while forgetting the con jobs requried to get there, but if you fail, you're a con-artist.

Of course, it is the kind of setup that can make it worth it for people like the following - as if she had managed to parlay her freebies into money making (say monetized social media), she could have been seen as a society darling rather than a con-artist.

https://www.independent.co.uk/voices/anna-delvey-fraud-new-york-banks-money-socialite-party-a8376141.html

No one noticed Anna Delvey was a fraud tricking them into believing she was a millionaire because they were so distracted by wads of cash

Anna Delvey might be in prison now, but for a few years she lived the kind of lavish lifestyle Instagram was made to record.

Even more impressive than the designer clothes, high end hotels and glamorous nights out she portrayed, however, was the way she paid for it all: in short, she didn't. Instead she conned banks, wrote bad cheques and eventually took money from her friends as the lies and debts caught up with her.

Her exploits have been a major talking point on social media over the past day or two, following a fascinating article in the Cut, which examines just how the ersatz socialite pulled the wool over the eyes of so many people for so long. To my mind, most of those she managed to scam bear at least some of the responsibility, so willing were they to be taken in because of all the lovely money involved. Or not, as it turned out.

The mere appearance of wealth was enough to draw dozens of New York scenesters into Delvey's web of fake names and false promises. What's even scarier is that her European society darling bit also worked on banks.

Delvey, whose real name turned out to be Anna Sorokin, presented herself as a wealthy heiress, and despite the fact that she actually seemed to be lacking in funds on several occasions, her family money story held more sway over acquaintances than any evidence to the contrary.

There are a few red flags throughout the story that really raise questions about how eager people are to suspend their disbelief when there might be a monetary value to turning a blind eye.

...

[Maladict]

 

Elon Musk is back to lashing out on Twitter.

Musk, responding to a Twitter user, on Tuesday revived an unfounded accusation he had previously made about a caver who helped rescue 12 boys and their soccer coach in Thailand.

Musk said it was "strange" that the caver had not sued him after Musk called him a "pedo," or pedophile, in a tweet in July. Musk had apologized for the tweet.

He also tweeted that he did not cry in an interview earlier this month with The New York Times, as the paper said he did.



    You don't think it's strange he hasn't sued me? He was offered free legal services. And you call yourself @yoda ...
    — Elon Musk (@elonmusk) August 28, 2018

A spokesperson for the Times said that the paper stands by its description of the telephone interview with Musk.

"Mr. Musk's emotion was audible. It is not true that his voice only cracked once," the spokesperson said.

[garbon]

Social media addiction

[mongers]

Social media addiction

https://store.steampowered.com/app/852740/Elon_Musk_Simulator/?snr=1_7_7_204_150_11

[HisMajestyBOB]

https://twitter.com/LLinWood/status/1034761900100407296?s=19

[garbon]

[Jacob]

I gotta say between Elon Musk's poor character finally coming to my attention and the fact that the Saudis are taking a major stake in Tesla, that car is no longer an aspirational brand for me.

[crazy canuck]

I gotta say between Elon Musk's poor character finally coming to my attention and the fact that the Saudis are taking a major stake in Tesla, that car is no longer an aspirational brand for me.

Yeah, it is funny how quickly he has destroyed the brand. 

[Malthus]

I gotta say between Elon Musk's poor character finally coming to my attention and the fact that the Saudis are taking a major stake in Tesla, that car is no longer an aspirational brand for me.

Yeah, it is funny how quickly he has destroyed the brand.

I know next to nothing of the electric car market - what piece of that does Tesla have?

Edit: looked it up

https://www.fleetcarma.com/electric-vehicles-sales-update-q1-2018-canada/

Looks like the leader is the Chevy Bolt

[crazy canuck]

I gotta say between Elon Musk's poor character finally coming to my attention and the fact that the Saudis are taking a major stake in Tesla, that car is no longer an aspirational brand for me.

Yeah, it is funny how quickly he has destroyed the brand.

I know next to nothing of the electric car market - what piece of that does Tesla have?

Edit: looked it up

https://www.fleetcarma.com/electric-vehicles-sales-update-q1-2018-canada/

Looks like the leader is the Chevy Bolt

Market share has little to do with people willing to pay four times the price to get a luxury Tesla to make as a marker of prestige.  I think the high end dealership in West Van is going to suffer significantly.

[Barrister]

I gotta say between Elon Musk's poor character finally coming to my attention and the fact that the Saudis are taking a major stake in Tesla, that car is no longer an aspirational brand for me.

Yeah, it is funny how quickly he has destroyed the brand.

I know next to nothing of the electric car market - what piece of that does Tesla have?

Edit: looked it up

https://www.fleetcarma.com/electric-vehicles-sales-update-q1-2018-canada/

Looks like the leader is the Chevy Bolt

Those are Canadian figures though.

Here's the first US sales figures I could find:

https://insideevs.com/july-2018-plug-in-electric-vehicle-sales-report-card/

Tesla crushes it, with the 3, S and X coming in 1st, 3rd and 4th respectively.  Prius Prime, which is not a pure EV, comes in 2nd, with the Volt coming in 5th.

[Malthus]

Market share has little to do with people willing to pay four times the price to get a luxury Tesla to make as a marker of prestige.  I think the high end dealership in West Van is going to suffer significantly.

Heh, I agree with all that - I wasn't making a rhetorical point: I was just curious. 

Seems like every time people talk about electric cars, they mention Tesla. I was just a bit surprised it wasn't the market leader here in Canada.