General Discussion
Related: Editorials & Other Articles, Issue Forums, Alliance Forums, Region ForumsIs Elon Musk Really That Bad?
New York TimesBut one need not find Musk personally or politically appealing to appreciate that his contributions to humanity could end up being profound.
Through his endeavors in solar power and electric cars, Musk might do more to combat climate change than just about any lefty environmental activist or politician you can name. Musk looks even better when judged against other globe-straddling billionaires in his orbit. His is not an empire built on inheritance, dumb luck, monopoly or, subsidies notwithstanding, insider access. Indeed, his businesses seek to undermine some of the most harmful and politically entrenched industries on the planet, among them defense contractors, utilities, oil companies and combustion-engine automakers.
There is also something straightforwardly inspiring about Musks story. After a troubled childhood in South Africa, he immigrated first to Canada and then to the United States, put himself through college and made his own fortune through unending hard work and in pursuit of ambitions far grander than slapping like buttons all over the web. Even Musks bluster is excusable because underneath the big talk he has repeatedly delivered on his far-out promises. He makes innovative products that work well, that delight customers and that are on balance probably good for the world. Isnt that the best one can hope for from capitalism?
Jm7603
(165 posts)brooklynite
(96,882 posts)Farhad Manjoo, a New York Times Opinion columnist, covers technology, global affairs and culture.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Affair event, and much worse.
So, we are supposed to hate him.
Jm7603
(165 posts)during COVID, racist cesspool of a company, calls cave rescuer pedophile because he doesn't like his stupid idea, relentless illegal manipulating of stock and crypto pricing hurting real investors, petty tweeting like a child against anyone that disagrees with him, the fact that electric vehicles may or may not end up good for the environment is of no concern to him. There a are plenty of reasons not to like him.
Jm7603
(165 posts)Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Jm7603
(165 posts)dislike. I don't care any more about your opinion than you should care about mine. To quote the famous song "Let it go".
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Jm7603
(165 posts)Doc Sportello
(7,962 posts)He promised to give them $6B if the were transparent about how they spent the money. They did and he did not come through with his pledge. Just one example of what this NYT columnist called his "troll philanthrophy" a practice which qualifies as actual bullshit. Lots of examples in the story below. But you obviously are a fanboy, which I always thought was funny for a guy with a Woody Guthrie icon, considering that Guthrie was in his time called a comsymp.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/12/10/business/elon-musk-philanthropy.html
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Philantrophy doesn't appear to hate him, even though the Musk didn't announce the charities (could even be WFP, for all we know):
""Elon Musk, known as much for trolling charity executives as for his donations, is beginning to make good on his pledge to give at least half of his assets to charity, with donations worth $5.7 billion to an unidentified charity or charities in November."
"The November gifts were made with no announcement and became apparent only through a mandatory securities filing on Monday. Musk donated about 5 million Tesla shares, which were worth about $5.7 billion at the time of the gifts. The shares might have been sold by now, but if not, the value of the donations has dropped by about $1 billion since November due to declines in Teslas stock price.
"In February 2021, Musks foundation gave $100 million to the XPrize Foundation for a competition that will provide awards to creators of environmental projects that pull carbon from the atmosphere and ocean. Also in 2021, Musk gave $55 million to St. Jude Childrens Research Hospital to supplement an even larger gift by the billionaire Jared Isaacman. The contributions were part of a fundraising effort related to Isaacmans first all-civilian trip to space on a rocket created by SpaceX, another Musk company."
https://www.philanthropy.com/article/elon-musk-gave-5-7-billion-to-charity-in-2021-sec-filing-reveals
"Elon Musk, the CEO of electric-vehicle manufacturer Tesla, gave donations worth $5.7 billion to an unidentified charity or charities in November. The gifts were made with no announcement and became apparent only through a mandatory securities filing."
CrackityJones75
(2,403 posts)Nobody is actually sure if it went anywhere or to whom.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)CrackityJones75
(2,403 posts)Just that nobody knows where that money went to. He apparently didnt give it to the people that he said he would. He is the one who said he would give it to them. So where did it go?
Doc Sportello
(7,962 posts)To a charity that FEEDS THE HUNGRY. Shitty thing to not do. And if you read the article I posted, his foundation has been just above the required threshold in giving. But don't let the facts get in the way of your fanboydom.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)You probably griped about Bezos giving $100 M to Van Jones, or the x-Bezos giving billions, Bill Gates, John Kerry, etc., because it didnt go where you want it to.
questionseverything
(10,313 posts)Which means he has just hidden it to use later
These gifts are worth to Musk what $5 is to you and I. Literally.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)You're trying to prove your point by saying he gave away $5 of his fortune. Big fucking deal. Then you post a photo with Obama like that proves he's some kind of progressive good guy. I've got news for you. It doesn't and he isn't.
AZSkiffyGeek
(12,672 posts)But 100m is not $5. He gave more than I and probably most on this board could. The proper response is thank you not not good enough.
AZSkiffyGeek
(12,672 posts)They said that all billionaires should give 6b to solve world hunger, he asked for an accounting. They provided how it would help people for a year -not solve world hunger- and he donated to another charity a little while later.
He isnt required to tell you who he donated to.
Hes a Bond villain who treats his workers like crap, avoids taxes, and comes from Apartheid blood money. But he still does give a lot of money to charity.
Diablo del sol
(424 posts)As for this we shit. I think he is a fucking asshole.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Diablo del sol
(424 posts)So I will stick with my gut feel on this asshole.
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)he probably didn't like Obama much, either.
Political donations are a matter of public record, as you may be aware. An exercise you may find enlightening: go through Musk's political donations, and do the following: first, add together all the money given to Republicans; second, add together all the money given to Democrats. Then divide the first number by the second. (My rough estimate of the result is that it's somewhere between 3 and 4.)
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)Maxed out his contributions to Greg Abbott and Dan Patrick, too. Why are you defending this asshole, exactly?
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)to Democrats than GOPers in 2020 election cycle. But only $5000 of that was actually Musks money.
https://observer.com/2021/02/elon-musk-spacex-gave-119k-to-republicans-who-opposed-biden-win-after-capitol-riot/
I defend him just like Alvin Bragg, because people have lost their minds on how they judge folks.
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)I would not be making that claim if it were not very easily verifiable. Since you're obviously too lazy to click a link: Musk gave $28,500 to the National Republican Congressional Committee on 17 March, 2008. That's on top of $25,000 for each of the previous three years. He gave $2300 to Obama.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)since Im on Tablet, but eyeballing indicates your 10X is a gross exaggeration, ffs.
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)$28,500 is what multiple of $2300?
If I were going to engage in "gross exaggerations", I would not be providing you with actual numbers you could use to verify what I was saying.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Talk about cherry-picking data, ffs.
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)Sorry if the facts conflict with your preconceived notions. Musk gives a LOT more money to Republicans and has for years. This is a fact which is easily verifiable. Again, I am not sure why you are defending him.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)snippet that you think makes your case.
https://www.opensecrets.org/donor-lookup/results?name=elon+musk&order=desc&sort=D
Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)Or don't want to. Not sure which of those it is, but it is very clearly one of them.
Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Spider Jerusalem
(21,786 posts)Again, since you evidently have problems with reading comprehension as well as math, I said: "He gave 10x more to the Republican Congressional Campaign Committee in the same cycle" (as the one he maxed out his contribution to Obama, ie, for the 2008 election). The numbers bear that out: donation to Obama, $2300, donation to RCCC: $28,500. That is in fact 12.3x more.
maxsolomon
(35,467 posts)He is the scion of an Emerald mining magnate, but I'm supposed to admire his Horatio Alger story.
He seems a bit... um... lacking in Emotional Intelligence. That's the proper way to phrase it I believe.
PatSeg
(49,756 posts)and I don't really trust him. I'm quite sure his contributions to green energy and electric cars would have happened without him. The technology and the demand were already there. He is not so much an innovator as a savvy opportunist. He is erratic, reckless, and impulsive. He doesn't really seem to care so much about the money, so I assume it is power he craves. Perhaps he thinks he can rule the world.
MineralMan
(148,151 posts)Here's a start: He's a wannabe oligarch. His primary goals are self-aggrandizement and self-enrichment.
He is capitalizing on popular ideas, like saving energy and his concept of "free speech." However, he is doing those things to the detriment of many people and things.
He's an ugly little rich boy in many respects. I do not trust him one bit.
cbabe
(4,392 posts)dalton99a
(85,190 posts)His factories are veritable hellholes for Black employees
uponit7771
(92,126 posts)Part of not being a huge jerk is considering how someone might feel who is part of [a] historically less represented group, Musk wrote in the email. Sometimes these things happen unintentionally, in which case you should apologize. In fairness, if someone is a jerk to you, but sincerely apologizes, it is important to be thick-skinned and accept that apology.
standingtall
(3,007 posts)The current batteries in electric cars uses 13 times the energy equivalent of a gallon of gas. I hear general motors is working on a million mile battery that should be ready around 2030 which will be a game changer, but what exactly is Musk doing besides making a bunch of money.
MineralMan
(148,151 posts)With production at its current level, it will take a very long time to reach a break-even point in terms of actually saving energy. Just the energy expended in building the factories, mines, lithium processing and other costs involved with EVs, the initial energy expense is huge. Add to that the cost of generating the electricity used to charge his over-powered cars, and to build out a charging network that lets his customers drive wherever they wish, and you have an energy debt that may never be repaid by Tesla owners.
Other auto manufacturers face similar costs. The real benefit will come when there is ample electricity generated from non-fossil-fuel facilities to support EVs along with other demand for electricity. I do not expect that to happen for a very long time, frankly.
Of course it is important to reduce the burning of fossil fuels. However, I don't think EVs are the solution to that, and certainly not in the short term. I won't even go into pollution from battery making and lithium mining. Nope.
However, Musk makes tons of money from the romance of EVs. That's about to go away, though, with dozens of new brands and models coming onto the market. Even Cadillac's Lyriq is about to hit the street.
Blues Heron
(6,258 posts)we will coup whoever we want is what he said - that tells me all I need to know about this fascist.
sarcasmo
(23,968 posts)His dad owned an Emerald mine operation in apartheid South Africa. From Wikipedia: "The family was very wealthy in Elon's youth; Errol Musk once said, "We had so much money at times we couldn't even close our safe"
Under Pressure Music (@UPM2009) April 26, 2022
PatSeg
(49,756 posts)He didn't exactly pull himself up by the bootstraps.
exboyfil
(18,053 posts)He has made many statements that have had market impact that were demonstrably false. His promises and demos to shareholders and to the media have deceptive at best. The problem we have is the media isn't smart enough or courageous to ask the right questions when he makes these statements of fact or wildly unsupported promises.
He also engages in slanderous ad hominem attacks when he is criticized.
EX500rider
(11,646 posts)SpaceX
First privately funded fully liquid-fueled rocket to reach orbit
First privately developed liquid-fueled rocket to put a commercial satellite in orbit
First private company to successfully launch, orbit, and recover a spacecraft
First private company to send a spacecraft to the International Space Station
First landing of an orbital-class rocket's first stage on land
First landing of an orbital-class rocket's first stage on an ocean platform
First reuse, reflight and (second) landing of an orbital first stage
First controlled flyback and recovery of a payload fairing
First re-flight of a commercial cargo spacecraft
First private spacecraft launched into heliocentric orbit
First private company to send a human-rated spacecraft to orbit
First private company to autonomously dock a crew-capable spacecraft to the International Space Station
First private company to send humans into orbit
etc
dchill
(40,903 posts)ck4829
(36,210 posts)Then again I believe there are truths in those three books, so maybe not.
Samrob
(4,298 posts)Understand it!
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,956 posts)By being fair,compassionate or caring twords others and musk is not caring,compassionate or fair.
The behavior pattern is there. Its about control for musk.
brooklynite
(96,882 posts)Rob H.
(5,605 posts)Kinda negates the whole "being fair, compassionate or caring towards others" thing.
brooklynite
(96,882 posts)Plenty of poor people are transphobic as well (see: Trump rallies)
Rob H.
(5,605 posts)She made the conscious choice to keep quiet about her transphobia until she'd wrung every bit of money from the franchise, knowing that people likely wouldn't keep buying her books or seeing the movies if they knew her actual views--unless you think they'd overlook it because "Magic! Neat!" in which case, wow.
Jedi Guy
(3,324 posts)Trans rights issues were not front and center at the time like they are now... and I hesitate to use the term "front and center" because it usually means "of great concern." In 2022, it's of great concern to some and a different type of great concern to others, but you get what I mean.
In any case, she made her fortune long before her attitude towards trans people became well known and problematic because it simply wasn't talked about to the degree that it is today. Were she writing the fifth of seven books this year, her fortune might look considerably smaller in light of her views being considered problematic by so many people.
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,956 posts)A rich transphobe is more dangerous than a poor one. Both are asshole degenerates but the rich one has power and influence beyond just his mouth and asshole alone like the poor bigot has.
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,956 posts)boston bean
(36,534 posts)Beakybird
(3,396 posts)bucolic_frolic
(47,925 posts)It's all the same foundation
andym
(5,745 posts)He is both a dangerous person and one to potentially do a lot of good. He is for tech progress clearly and is even ethically responsible at times-- he took back his enthusiasm for Bitcoin when he learned it was eco unfriendly. His views on free-speech are simple-minded, but so too were the founders' who provided for nearly unlimited free speech in the Constitution. His psychological maturity is the potential problem.
While Musk does deserve a fair share of the kudos for his academic achievements and contributions to Tesla and other concerns, it seems to me that he has received outsized recognition and credit for what are collaborative works. I recognize that Tesla had made some important advances in EVs but I don't know how much of it is actually attributable to the thoughts and actions of Musk compared to the thoughts and actions of the others.
I am also concerned about how Musk manages people. Some reports show racism toward and poor treatment of some groups of employees. I am concerned about his maturity as well, mainly in regard to emotional intelligence competencies. If his behavior had been problematic up to this point, it will likely only get worse and more extreme as he gains more power and prestige. I guess we'll see.
StarryNite
(11,019 posts)obnoxiousdrunk
(3,055 posts)Bucky
(55,334 posts)We accept it because society derives benefits from having wealthy people and we all have the right to pursue wealth. But anyone with power needs to be held accountable
jalan48
(14,569 posts)I_UndergroundPanther
(12,956 posts)Even the"benevolent" ones. They are narcissistic,overweening ambition,selfish,often incompetant,often inherit money..they are failed humans.
Fuck wealthy people what made them deserve wealth more than you or I or anyone else?
They can't justify it.
To pretend they are deserving they make up myths like horatio algier stories,tell lies about themselves and puff themselves up and steal other inventions.
They are wastes of skin.
The last people you would want running anything.
jalan48
(14,569 posts)Calista241
(5,605 posts)Of years. Hell be remembered long after Donald Trump, Mitch McConnell, Nancy Pelosi and Joe Biden have been forgotten to history. In a thousand years, Musks name will be mentioned alongside Socrates, Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, Galileo Galilei, Alfred Nobel and others.
Hes single handedly revolutionized the car industry. Every car built after today, from every manufacturer, will have technology and advancements copied from Tesla tech. In 25 years, there wont be a single ICE personal automobile still in production. Musk and Tesla proved to the world that battery technology could be improved and relied upon for mass production and adoption. This alone will affect every community, every family and every person in the world for decades to come.
Hes also revolutionized space flight at SpaceX. Hell almost certainly lead the first non governmental mission to the moon, probably even founding a long term colony there. Hes almost single handedly advanced humanitys reach to the solar system by decades. If he lands a person on Mars, hell be immortalized for all time.
History will forget or minimize his personal shortcomings. Some of it may be argued about, but Musks place in history is already assured. Depending on what he decides to do with his money as he advances into old age, who knows whats possible.
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,956 posts)I have my suspicions.
Calista241
(5,605 posts)I can see that Musk has both good qualities and bad qualities.
Would I prefer that his politics were 100% in line with my own, fuck yeah I would. But I can also see that he's made great contributions to our planet and advancement as a species.
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,956 posts)And uses others to create the shit he wants it never was jis accomplishment. It was a team of workers that made it,not musk. Musk is just a figurehead taking all the credit like all rich selfish ceo's do regarding the real creators ,the workers
Musk would be no one without the workers.
dalton99a
(85,190 posts)Carlitos Brigante
(26,752 posts)anyone who can amass vast wealth? I'm sure he's great.
LexVegas
(6,616 posts)tinrobot
(11,475 posts)But that doesn't get him off the hook for so many other things - toxic work environments, pumping and dumping stock/crypto, SEC violations, and generally being a d**k.
I love electric cars and have been driving them over a decade, but he's one of the main reasons I won't buy a Tesla.
USALiberal
(10,877 posts)Its constantly here. Sort of funny.
Torchlight
(4,252 posts)USALiberal
(10,877 posts)I_UndergroundPanther
(12,956 posts)Them the oil pigs fucked everything up with thier greed.
iemanja
(55,066 posts)and journalists like that one need to pull their heads out of his asshole.
smirkymonkey
(63,221 posts)The obsequiousness is sickening.
USALiberal
(10,877 posts)2Gingersnaps
(1,000 posts)And saving this planet seems a WHOLE lot more pressing than dreams and schemes of attention whores. If you can transplant life to where it does not exist at great expense, seems to me you can spend a few pennies saving life where it actually is supposed to exist. My grandkids sure think that's a great idea.
The Grand Illuminist
(1,722 posts)And hold hearings on the Twitter buy out. They must subpoena Elon to testify.
I_UndergroundPanther
(12,956 posts)Threatened the original twitter owner to sell it to musk or else.
I believe I read that on DU.
womanofthehills
(9,389 posts)Vanguard, Blackrock, and a Saudi prince were major stockholders. Al Waleed bin Talal, a Saudi prince, originally rejected Musks offer according to Yahoo earlier this week. Musk might be an improvement over a Saudi prince and Blackrock. We will find out soon. . He does have a sense of humor.
Link to tweet
?s=21&t=CVDIoM8kIqTI2jDusQ4vAg
blogslug
(38,700 posts):/
48656c6c6f20
(7,638 posts)House. High speed tubes blazing a cross the country, and every roof has solar and an Elon battery. Did I miss anything?
Dial H For Hero
(2,971 posts)That's a staggering achievement. If Starship works anywhere close to current estimates, it might be reduced by 99%.
That makes up for a lot of character flaws.
JCMach1
(28,168 posts)Hoyt
(54,770 posts)Innovation and such opportunities are extremely important.
I guarantee lots of todays engineers would love to work with any of these two innovators:
?itok=sYw0jd91
JCMach1
(28,168 posts)rockfordfile
(8,731 posts)Last edited Sat Apr 30, 2022, 02:15 PM - Edit history (1)
There's no difference with Putin and Musk. Both push anti-democracy fascism against our country and around world. Both are racist pos.
Musk showed he wants to be a ruskie with postings against President Biden and Prime Minister of Canada. Those postings are something Putin would support.
Bucky
(55,334 posts)Someone at the Times just angling for a job in the Tesla marketing department
Niagara
(9,981 posts)Then husband Errol Musk was physically and mentally abusive towards her. She couldn't obtain a divorce in South Africa until the divorce law passed.
Elon has made statements in the past that his father was verbally abusive towards him. His father thought that he would never amount to anything and has said his childhood was "miserable".
Disclaimer: To be clear, I'm NOT an Elon Musk fan. My own unsavory opinion of Elon does not change the fact that his father Errol was abusive to his then wife and children.
JCMach1
(28,168 posts)Mosby
(17,768 posts)AntiFascist
(12,976 posts)I_UndergroundPanther
(12,956 posts)Buying twitter is just the beginning of that pig's power grab to push right wing bullshit.
Galraedia
(5,210 posts)AntiFascist
(12,976 posts)I_UndergroundPanther
(12,956 posts)The people he has work for him created those amazing things.. not musk.
misanthrope
(8,312 posts)which are numbers and the relationship of mathematical figures. His illustration should actually be aligned with the "center" of each line aligned, top to bottom. What it would show then is that regardless of what has occurred on the far left end, Musk has migrated rightward across the center.
That is consistent among more folks than him, but especially those who have amassed great wealth. He's not exceptional in that regard, Overton Window or not. He's a guy who was fortunate enough to be born with access to capital and the privileges that buys.
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,812 posts)Does he really believe that?
Just an excuse for him to unmask as a right wing douche bag.
ibegurpard
(16,889 posts)He's a troll with billions of dollars at his disposal. Imagine DU without any moderation. That's his ideal.
LudwigPastorius
(11,265 posts)Just the latest example:
Musk told AOC 'stop hitting on me' after she posted a scathing tweet about a tech 'billionaire with an ego problem' (Zuckerberg)
https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-aoc-stop-hitting-on-me-tweet-mark-zuckerberg-2022-4