Tesla made BEVs mainstream, Starlink offers commercially affordable satellite Internet access in remote locations across the world, and SpaceX is a private company that reliably delivers cargo to space on rockets that land themselves to be reused, and crews that fly in the first manned craft created since the Space Shuttle.
Plus all that Solar City home and business solar power generation and storage stuff that appears to work well.
He’s a garbage person, but the companies that he’s led, outside of whatever this Twitter fiasco is, have done well.
Twitter appears to be an Icarus moment for him where his ego took him somewhere he could get out of. Sadly, he could walk away from this $40B loss and be just fine.
Is that not the definition of a good business person, though? “I have money, I see opportunities that have huge upsides and need money. I invest money, see huge gains”
It’s a game that is extremely exclusive to people who have tons of cash. But he has played it well up to this point.
I say that as someone who hates Musk. And yes, these assholes have hugely inflated egos because they’re winning at a game that very few have the opportunity to play. But since they’re winning, they think they’re once in a generation geniuses.
I was refuting the claim that he “ran several startups”, because he didn’t. He is an investor and hype-man. Check with the people that have worked for him and you’ll find that whenever he showed up with “ideas” it was everyone’s responsibility to figure out how to appease his ego without harming the product.
The people who actually ran these startups don’t have their names remembered because musk kept all the glory for himself
Yep, I don’t disagree with any of that. He’s a tool, whose only discernable skills seem to be understanding when a company is positioned to take a huge emerging market, and being a hype man. And that 2nd skill seems to have run its course because he huffed too many of his own farts. The first too, for that matter.
Edit - to be clear, since I don’t think you’re understanding my point. I assert that he was a competent investor. He hit gold too many times for it to be a luck. That has nothing to do with his leadership abilities or ideas. Completely separate skills that we’re talking about.
A.K.A. as a business man, he has succeeded. As a CEO, he has succeeded in spite of himself, because the employees knew their shit.
Sorry, no, I don’t have a citation for their internal projections before IPO lol. But in none of those cases did he come in and gut leadership; he just bought in to a company that was already well into development with a clear vision. He’s not a genius. He’s not a brilliant business strategist. He’s decent at marketing and hype, and he’s got pretty good vision for what things in the world will end up successful. But that’s it
So, basically, he started believing his own hype, and took WAY too much personal credit for results which came about due to the hard work and expertise of others. If he had kept himself in check, he could have been remembered as an above average success. Because of his ego, though, his weaknesses and limitations are on full display.
Musk wasn’t even involved in the day to day of Tesla. He was on the board until 2008, and then went hands on with vehicle design and marketing only. If you think that’s what it takes to “run a startup” then you’ve clearly never worked at a startup.
You said he “ran several startups to profitability”. That is what I’m refuting. He didn’t run shit. He funded and marketed. All of the actual operations of the businesses were the work of other people, not him.
Bet. Let’s see em! Common knowledge is often confused with common hearsay.
I know you’re not gonna get the sources because who has time for that? That’s actually more my point because it’s annoying seeing someone ask others for sources and then go on to make claims against others without sources of their own.
A normal person has to break their backs on their own startup.
And right when you’ve made it, you have to decide whether you want a guaranteed check for millions, or risk it all for even more obsence wealth. And if you’re wrong, it’s too late to start over, it’s your only shot.
If you’re already wealthy, the choice is the same as buying a lottery ticket. Except if you’re wrong, you get to deduct the cost off taxes.
So when someone that was born wealthy and just kept writing those checks…
It doesn’t make them a good businessman, it just means they can afford to keep buying lottery tickets. Theirs just have way better odds.
Twitter was his favorite website. He saw people he liked get banned. He was afraid of being banned himself. He bought it so he could never be banned. He didn’t have a firm plan beyond that, and he’s been flailing ever since. And whatever happens to X, he’ll be fine, if not quite as rich for a little while. shrug
Tesla made BEVs mainstream, Starlink offers commercially affordable satellite Internet access in remote locations across the world, and SpaceX is a private company that reliably delivers cargo to space on rockets that land themselves to be reused, and crews that fly in the first manned craft created since the Space Shuttle.
Plus all that Solar City home and business solar power generation and storage stuff that appears to work well.
He’s a garbage person, but the companies that he’s led, outside of whatever this Twitter fiasco is, have done well.
Twitter appears to be an Icarus moment for him where his ego took him somewhere he could get out of. Sadly, he could walk away from this $40B loss and be just fine.
deleted by creator
They were all on track to be profitable before he bought in. He didn’t found any of them
Is that not the definition of a good business person, though? “I have money, I see opportunities that have huge upsides and need money. I invest money, see huge gains”
It’s a game that is extremely exclusive to people who have tons of cash. But he has played it well up to this point.
I say that as someone who hates Musk. And yes, these assholes have hugely inflated egos because they’re winning at a game that very few have the opportunity to play. But since they’re winning, they think they’re once in a generation geniuses.
I was refuting the claim that he “ran several startups”, because he didn’t. He is an investor and hype-man. Check with the people that have worked for him and you’ll find that whenever he showed up with “ideas” it was everyone’s responsibility to figure out how to appease his ego without harming the product.
The people who actually ran these startups don’t have their names remembered because musk kept all the glory for himself
Yep, I don’t disagree with any of that. He’s a tool, whose only discernable skills seem to be understanding when a company is positioned to take a huge emerging market, and being a hype man. And that 2nd skill seems to have run its course because he huffed too many of his own farts. The first too, for that matter.
Edit - to be clear, since I don’t think you’re understanding my point. I assert that he was a competent investor. He hit gold too many times for it to be a luck. That has nothing to do with his leadership abilities or ideas. Completely separate skills that we’re talking about.
A.K.A. as a business man, he has succeeded. As a CEO, he has succeeded in spite of himself, because the employees knew their shit.
If you don’t value sustainability, then yes. (Pretend I’m giving you the thumbs up emoji to you here)
deleted by creator
Sorry, no, I don’t have a citation for their internal projections before IPO lol. But in none of those cases did he come in and gut leadership; he just bought in to a company that was already well into development with a clear vision. He’s not a genius. He’s not a brilliant business strategist. He’s decent at marketing and hype, and he’s got pretty good vision for what things in the world will end up successful. But that’s it
So, basically, he started believing his own hype, and took WAY too much personal credit for results which came about due to the hard work and expertise of others. If he had kept himself in check, he could have been remembered as an above average success. Because of his ego, though, his weaknesses and limitations are on full display.
deleted by creator
Musk wasn’t even involved in the day to day of Tesla. He was on the board until 2008, and then went hands on with vehicle design and marketing only. If you think that’s what it takes to “run a startup” then you’ve clearly never worked at a startup.
You said he “ran several startups to profitability”. That is what I’m refuting. He didn’t run shit. He funded and marketed. All of the actual operations of the businesses were the work of other people, not him.
I’m sorry mister, “you got any sources for that?” guy, but I just gotta ask…
You got any sources for all this bullshit you’re spewing?
deleted by creator
Bet. Let’s see em! Common knowledge is often confused with common hearsay.
I know you’re not gonna get the sources because who has time for that? That’s actually more my point because it’s annoying seeing someone ask others for sources and then go on to make claims against others without sources of their own.
A normal person has to break their backs on their own startup.
And right when you’ve made it, you have to decide whether you want a guaranteed check for millions, or risk it all for even more obsence wealth. And if you’re wrong, it’s too late to start over, it’s your only shot.
If you’re already wealthy, the choice is the same as buying a lottery ticket. Except if you’re wrong, you get to deduct the cost off taxes.
So when someone that was born wealthy and just kept writing those checks…
It doesn’t make them a good businessman, it just means they can afford to keep buying lottery tickets. Theirs just have way better odds.
deleted by creator
There isn’t a method anymore, just madness. You can’t see it because it isn’t there. His obscene wealth has turned him into a narcissist.
Twitter was his favorite website. He saw people he liked get banned. He was afraid of being banned himself. He bought it so he could never be banned. He didn’t have a firm plan beyond that, and he’s been flailing ever since. And whatever happens to X, he’ll be fine, if not quite as rich for a little while. shrug