? Elon Musk named Time Magazine Person of the Year

[timbop]

Your on a forum for an amazing electric vehicle that very likely never would have existed if Musk did not build out a product and a business model around it that proved everyone else wrong when they said:

- no one wants an electric car
- electric cars are too slow
- electric cars are goofy looking glorified golf carts
- electric cars don't have the range needed
Etc.. etc..
- the technology is not there yet

I am absolutely not a Tesla fan boy, but I am humble enough to acknowledge that without someone like Elon, all the big auto makers would still be staying all of that and the only electric vehicles they would be making today would likely still be the goofy looking crippled compliance vehicles that were intentionally designed that way such that they could tick off a box on compliance, and never have to build them in volume.

With all of that said, when it came time to buy my next vehicle I made damn sure it was going to be electric, and I wanted it to be from a traditional auto maker so that I could vote with my dollar. Corporations don't give a damn about tree huggers and well though out letters, what they care about is dollars and cents. So when Ford decided to throw the weight of the Mustang badge behind their REAL FIRST attempt, I made sure to vote YES to this course of action by buy buying one!

But it was only because a tiny little nothing Silicone Valley start-up came along and decided to start swimming in a pond filled with really big fat fish, proving them all wrong and actually growing big enough in the process that they all were FORCED to follow in Teslas footsteps, or risk this being their last 5 - 10 years in business.

I find it odd that you don't see that.

Yes, that is all absolutely true. The Mach E likely wouldn't exist without Tesla, but it ALSO wouldn't exist if 4 years ago the inner circle at Ford wasn't willing to take the leap. If you recall at that time Tesla was deeply cash strapped and looked as if it was faltering - so it still required faith on Ford's part to devote the resources to scrapping the compliance car they were going to build and turn it into the great car we get to drive now.

The problem that I (and probably others) have with Musk is what he's done since being proved right. Tesla would have been a footnote in the history books if it weren't for California and the Federal government doing everything they could to keep Tesla going. Now that Tesla is out of the woods and enjoying success, Musk not only abandoned California he is doing his best to shut out other makers by lobbying to have the government funding squashed. His wanton disregard for his employees is also not particularly pleasant.

Let's also not forget that he has abandoned his early mission of bringing BEV's to the masses". Mass adoption of BEV's is not dependent on autonomous vehicles; what is really needed right now is a way to get more plentiful and cheaper batteries. He has pissed away billions in pursuit of self driving because his ego doesn't want to admit it's a prohibitively difficult and expensive problem to solve. Imagine if he had been spending that money on ACTUALLY working on ways to source lithium more cheaply and to find better and safer chemistries.

Finally, he has become exceedingly wealthy off of his "mission". Last year in particular he intentionally had incomplete or poorly assembled cars sent out to customers to ensure that the sales quotas were met, which was necessary for his giant bonuses. He had no compunction putting people in those cars and letting them deal with the problems of having to get their cars fixed.

So yes, the man did manage to make BEV's cool and desirable, but let's not pretend he's anything more than a ludicrously rich guy looking to make a buck.

Sponsored

 

[MachE1977]

Yes, that is all absolutely true. The Mach E likely wouldn't exist without Tesla, but it ALSO wouldn't exist if 4 years ago the inner circle at Ford wasn't willing to take the leap. If you recall at that time Tesla was deeply cash strapped and looked as if it was faltering - so it still required faith on Ford's part to devote the resources to scrapping the compliance car they were going to build and turn it into the great car we get to drive now.

The problem that I (and probably others) have with Musk is what he's done since being proved right. Tesla would have been a footnote in the history books if it weren't for California and the Federal government doing everything they could to keep Tesla going. Now that Tesla is out of the woods and enjoying success, Musk not only abandoned California he is doing his best to shut out other makers by lobbying to have the government funding squashed. His wanton disregard for his employees is also not particularly pleasant.

Let's also not forget that he has abandoned his early mission of bringing BEV's to the masses". Mass adoption of BEV's is not dependent on autonomous vehicles; what is really needed right now is a way to get more plentiful and cheaper batteries. He has pissed away billions in pursuit of self driving because his ego doesn't want to admit it's a prohibitively difficult and expensive problem to solve. Imagine if he had been spending that money on ACTUALLY working on ways to source lithium more cheaply and to find better and safer chemistries.

So yes, the man did manage to make BEV's cool and desirable, but let's not pretend he's anything more than a ludicrously rich guy looking to make a buck.

To be fair, Musk isn't the only one leaving California. I do see Musk feeling the pressure of the Big Boys especially with federal incentives.

 

[ARK]

Your on a forum for an amazing electric vehicle that very likely never would have existed if Musk did not build out a product and a business model around it that proved everyone else wrong when they said:

- no one wants an electric car
- electric cars are too slow
- electric cars are goofy looking glorified golf carts
- electric cars don't have the range needed
Etc.. etc..
- the technology is not there yet

I am absolutely not a Tesla fan boy, but I am humble enough to acknowledge that without someone like Elon, all the big auto makers would still be staying all of that and the only electric vehicles they would be making today would likely still be the goofy looking crippled compliance vehicles that were intentionally designed that way such that they could tick off a box on compliance, and never have to build them in volume.

With all of that said, when it came time to buy my next vehicle I made damn sure it was going to be electric, and I wanted it to be from a traditional auto maker so that I could vote with my dollar. Corporations don't give a damn about tree huggers and well though out letters, what they care about is dollars and cents. So when Ford decided to throw the weight of the Mustang badge behind their REAL FIRST attempt, I made sure to vote YES to this course of action by buy buying one!

But it was only because a tiny little nothing Silicone Valley start-up came along and decided to start swimming in a pond filled with really big fat fish, proving them all wrong and actually growing big enough in the process that they all were FORCED to follow in Teslas footsteps, or risk this being their last 5 - 10 years in business.

I find it odd that you don't see that.

Couldn’t agree more. Even if there are some things I don’t agree with, his jumpstarting of electric vehicle production and the private space industry plainly shows he’s made a massive contribution to society worthy of a ‘person of the year’ award.

 

[KevinS]

He seems like a horrible person based on his public statements, but I can't disagree with him receiving the award. Take SpaceX alone in 2021 (per Wikipedia)

24 January 2021 Most spacecraft launched into space on a single mission, with 143 satellites.

23 April 2021 First reuse and reflight of a crewed space capsule.

17 June 2021 First reused booster launch for a 'national security' mission. (National security missions had previously only used new boosters.)

16 September 2021 First orbital launch of an all-private crew.

 

[timbop]

To be fair, Musk isn't the only one leaving California. I do see Musk feeling the pressure of the Big Boys especially with federal incentives.

Yes, but he's pulling out of california because the county shut him down (for a couple of days) during the worst peak of covid. They didn't want him to reopen until he had adequate protection for his staff, and he needed to build enough cars that quarter for his bonus. He reopened anyway (without the PPE) and the county caved, but texas is more than willing to let a manufacturer do what ever it wants without being inconvenienced in any way.

 

[ChasingCoral]

To ease the pain many are feeling:


https://www.motortrend.com/news/2022-motortrend-person-year-ford-ceo-jim-farley/

??

Unlike the Time Person of the Year, Motor Trend limits their picks to positive choices. Time chooses heroes and despots alike.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Your on a forum for an amazing electric vehicle that very likely never would have existed if Musk did not build out a product and a business model around it that proved everyone else wrong when they said:

- no one wants an electric car
- electric cars are too slow
- electric cars are goofy looking glorified golf carts
- electric cars don't have the range needed
Etc.. etc..
- the technology is not there yet

I am absolutely not a Tesla fan boy, but I am humble enough to acknowledge that without someone like Elon, all the big auto makers would still be staying all of that and the only electric vehicles they would be making today would likely still be the goofy looking crippled compliance vehicles that were intentionally designed that way such that they could tick off a box on compliance, and never have to build them in volume.

With all of that said, when it came time to buy my next vehicle I made damn sure it was going to be electric, and I wanted it to be from a traditional auto maker so that I could vote with my dollar. Corporations don't give a damn about tree huggers and well though out letters, what they care about is dollars and cents. So when Ford decided to throw the weight of the Mustang badge behind their REAL FIRST attempt, I made sure to vote YES to this course of action by buy buying one!

But it was only because a tiny little nothing Silicone Valley start-up came along and decided to start swimming in a pond filled with really big fat fish, proving them all wrong and actually growing big enough in the process that they all were FORCED to follow in Teslas footsteps, or risk this being their last 5 - 10 years in business.

I find it odd that you don't see that.

It is absolutely true that Elon led a company that brought BEVs into the mainstream faster than any company before or since -- yet! At the same time, his lack of interested in quality control and styling have made the Mustang Mach E a much stronger competitor in the market.

 

[Mach Daddy]

Not disagreeing with that at all, but I don't see what he did in 2021 that makes him the honoree.

I feel that this year is too late. Last year or the prior would have been appropriate...but you know, pandemic.

 

[Mach Daddy]

Considering Hitler, Stalin, Kruschev, and Ayatollah Khomeini made the cover I agree with you.

It still feels like it is throwing gasoline on a fire with that guy's ego (and his cult), though.

Just wait until FSD becomes a punishment for various crimes and then becomes a way to control the population and he'll rank up there with them.

 

[ChasingCoral]

Class:

 

[DaMeatMan]

It is absolutely true that Elon led a company that brought BEVs into the mainstream faster than any company before or since -- yet! At the same time, his lack of interested in quality control and styling have made the Mustang Mach E a much stronger competitor in the market.

100% whole heartedly agree with that statement.

Which is why as much as I love what he did for the industry, I chose to spend my hard earned $83k on a Premium 4x Mach-E, and not a similarly spec'd model Y. Those are Canadian ?? dollars by the way in case anyone is scratching their head about that price. ?

 

[67 Stang Convertible]

Yes, but he's pulling out of california because the county shut him down (for a couple of days) during the worst peak of covid. They didn't want him to reopen until he had adequate protection for his staff, and he needed to build enough cars that quarter for his bonus. He reopened anyway (without the PPE) and the county caved, but texas is more than willing to let a manufacturer do what ever it wants without being inconvenienced in any way.

Most auto manufacturers are relocating to "Red" states. He is the absolute face of Tesla so it's easy to single him out. Toyota, Kia, VW, ect.... All opening up in states that promote business and are less regulatory (Gerogia, Tennessee, TX, ect....). His leaving California was inevitable; that may have just been the straw that broke the camel's back. A lot of the these blue states with their high taxes and regulations most likely will continue to drive business out of their states.

 

[All Hat No Cattle]

Oh, come on guys! This is too easy, LOL.

So time picks the Technoking as person of the year.

By coincidence, today's Wall Street Journal listed "The 250 Best-Managed Companies of 2021".

General Motors came in at #16.

Ford came in at #26.

Guess who came in at #249, out of 250? I kid you not!! TESLA!

So who do you trust? Time, or the Wall Street Journal? Your choice.

Link may not work. https://www.wsj.com/articles/best-m...-the-top-11639168146?mod=management_lead_pos1

 

[MachE1977]

Yes, but he's pulling out of california because the county shut him down (for a couple of days) during the worst peak of covid. They didn't want him to reopen until he had adequate protection for his staff, and he needed to build enough cars that quarter for his bonus. He reopened anyway (without the PPE) and the county caved, but texas is more than willing to let a manufacturer do what ever it wants without being inconvenienced in any way.

He was moving regardless because of Space X and it just made sense given the Tax situation. I say good for him, it's not like Fremont or Hawthorne is going anywhere.

 

[IamIA]

If I was the richest person in the world, you can be sure I'd hire a barber that wasn't legally blind. I would have no problem hiring people with a handicap for things they are suited for, but hair cutting clearly requires sight...

Or, I wouldn't take a bet where losing required me to shave the sides of my head with my eyes closed and inebriated.

those are f..g hair plugs.

here is his true bald head. those hair plugs clearly provide him with inferiority complex boost.

Sponsored