Loge Posted January 18, 2023 Share Posted January 18, 2023 More Tesla fun: Tesla staged 2016 self driving video It has always puzzled me how they got away with selling a "full self driving" feature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 18, 2023 Author Share Posted January 18, 2023 2 hours ago, Loge said: It has always puzzled me how they got away with selling a "full self driving" feature. In the NY Times Magazine, so a long read, above and below the quoted material. Elon Musk’s Appetite for Destruction A wave of lawsuits argue that Tesla’s self-driving software is dangerously overhyped. What can its blind spots teach us about the company’s erratic C.E.O.? The many claims of the pending lawsuits come back to a single theme: Tesla consistently inflated consumer expectations and played down the dangers involved. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/17/magazine/tesla-autopilot-self-driving-elon-musk.html? Quote ... Musk wrote an email to Jim Riley, whose son Barrett died after his Tesla crashed while speeding. Musk sent Riley his condolences, and the grieving father wrote back to ask whether Tesla’s software could be updated to allow an owner to set a maximum speed for the car, along with other restrictions on acceleration, access to the radio and the trunk and distance the car could drive from home. Musk, while sympathetic, replied: “If there are a large number of settings, it will be too complex for most people to use. I want to make sure that we get this right. Most good for most number of people.” It was a stark demonstration of what makes Musk so unusual as a chief executive. First, he reached out directly to someone who was harmed by one of his products — something it’s hard to imagine the head of G.M. or Ford contemplating, if only for legal reasons. (Indeed, this email was entered into evidence after Riley sued Tesla.) And then Musk rebuffed Riley. No vague “I’ll look into it” or “We’ll see what we can do.” Riley receives a hard no. Like Key, I want to resist Musk’s tendency to make every story about him. Tesla is a big car company with thousands of employees. It existed before Elon Musk. It might exist after Elon Musk. But if you want a parsimonious explanation for the challenges the company faces — in the form of the lawsuits, a crashing stock price and an A.I. that still seems all too capable of catastrophic failure — you should look to its mercurial, brilliant, sophomoric chief executive. Perhaps there’s no mystery here: Musk is simply a narcissist, and every reckless swerve he makes is meant solely to draw the world’s attention. He seemed to endorse this theory in a tongue-in-cheek way during a recent deposition, when a lawyer asked him, “Do you have some kind of unique ability to identify narcissistic sociopaths?” and he replied, “You mean by looking in the mirror?” But what looks like self-obsession and poor impulse control might instead be the fruits of a coherent philosophy, one that Musk has detailed on many occasions. It’s there in the email to Riley: the greatest good for the greatest number of people. That dictum, as part of an ad hoc system of utilitarian ethics, can explain all sorts of mystifying decisions that Musk has made, not least his breakneck pursuit of A.I., which in the long term, he believes, will save countless lives. Unfortunately for Musk, the short term comes first, and his company faces a rough few months. In February, the first lawsuit against Tesla for a crash involving Autopilot will go to trial. Four more will follow in quick succession. Donald Slavik, who will represent plaintiffs in as many as three of those cases, says that a normal car company would have settled by now: “They look at it as a cost of doing business.” Musk has vowed to fight it out in court, no matter the dangers this might present for Tesla. “The dollars can add up,” Slavik said, “especially if there’s any finding of punitive damages.” The many claims of the pending lawsuits come back to a single theme: Tesla consistently inflated consumer expectations and played down the dangers involved. Slavik sent me one of the complaints he filed against Tesla, which lists prominent Autopilot crashes from A to Z — in fact, from A to WW. In China, a Tesla slammed into the back of a street sweeper. In Florida, a Tesla hit a tractor-trailer that was stretched across two lanes of a highway. During a downpour in Indiana, a Tesla Model 3 hydroplaned off the road and burst into flames. In the Florida Keys, a Model S drove through an intersection and killed a pedestrian. In New York, a Model Y struck a man who was changing his tire on the shoulder of the Long Island Expressway. In Montana, a Tesla steered unexpectedly into a highway barrier. Then the same thing happened in Dallas and in Mountain View and in San Jose. .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gaston de Foix Posted January 18, 2023 Share Posted January 18, 2023 This reminded me of a passage on a book on grand strategy by Gaddis: When Xerxes and his uncle-advisor Artabanus were discussing how best to attack Athens in 480 BC, they ended up talking past each other. Xerxes saw potential for glory and expansion on the battlefield, but Artabanus saw logistical nightmares in realizing those dreams: supply chain issues, topographical challenges, transportation problems. Whether Xerxes’ Persian army really was over 1 million men as one ancient estimated, or if it was “merely” 100,000, the questions of how to feed and keep up morale were not simple ones. Xerxes listened to his uncle’s council, but in the end offered the rebuttal that “if you were to take account of everything…you wouldn’t do anything…Big things are won by big dangers.” Musk is definitely a Xerxes type. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 18, 2023 Author Share Posted January 18, 2023 2 hours ago, Gaston de Foix said: Big things are won by big dangers.” Particularly when the big dangers are always for others, not oneself. Which brings to mind, in my case! -- figures like Magellan and Drake, who faced dangers such as no one now living can even begin to imagine, and Magellan almost survived, and Drake did survive, both being in the think of those unthinkable ordeals and perils from every quarter, Spanish, Indigenous, weather, oceans, mutiny, etc., while so many of their men perished? But the thing about figures like Magellan and Drake is they were in the thick of all of it themselves. Podgy muskey just stands around in a private box at the World Cup while others die. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadlines? What Deadlines? Posted January 18, 2023 Share Posted January 18, 2023 So, the ability to browse hashtags by "Latest" has returned, but has anyone else noticed that playback of videos on Twitter has become somewhat jankey lately? also, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade1865 Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Apparently, Twitter is the #1 top free (Apple) app for news. Don’t know how rankings are determined (e.g., recent downloads or all-time or something else). Otherwise it’s ranked #12, overall. Open Apple’s App Store Scroll down to Top Free Apps Select, See All Select, All Apps Scroll down; select News Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wade1865 Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Mastodon went from .5 to 2.5 million active users in response to Elon’s actions. Since its peak in early December, the number of active users has dropped significantly, and continues to trend slowly downwards. It’s complexity is one reason why so many are abandoning it, but another is that it fails (more so, in my opinion) to satisfy people’s need for drama and conflict. “The number of active users on the Mastodon social network has dropped more than 30% since the peak and is continuing a slow decline …” Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadlines? What Deadlines? Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Seriously If youtube isn't working on their own version of Twitter, they're doing it wrong. They're Half way there already and most prominent twitter users already have youtube channels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGP Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 19, 2023 Author Share Posted January 19, 2023 Elon Musk and the Sad Mod Theory of Social-Media CEOs You may technically run the place, but most users see you as a glorified moderator. https://nymag.com/intelligencer/2023/01/elon-musk-and-the-sad-mod-theory-of-social-media-ceos.html Quote .... A mature social-media platform is, in other words, pretty hostile to its leaders, in particular to any CEO who wants to make big bold changes. You may technically run the place, but most of your users just see you as a glorified mod, and nobody likes mods. You’re not running an insurgent start-up. You’re not even running a conventional company. You’re overseeing a system and administering a marketplace. It’s a position suited for optimizers, rent seekers, and peacemakers. It’s not a launchpad because the firm has already achieved escape velocity and your magical network effect has been thrown into reverse, trapping people on your platform rather than enticing them to join. Social-media turnaround stories are rare, but they’re also boring and fleeting. This is, again, an obviously desirable and lucrative state of affairs for the people in charge. It’s also brutally incompatible with the notion that any one leader can matter very much, at least in a good way. In the corporate theology of Silicon Valley, the social-media founder is a blessed figure, while the social-media executive — who might have been a founder to start with — is cursed. .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mormont Posted January 19, 2023 Share Posted January 19, 2023 2 minutes ago, Zorral said: nobody likes mods Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 19, 2023 Author Share Posted January 19, 2023 11 minutes ago, mormont said: I didn't say that -- but I'm not a user of a vast social media empire! Besides, as this isn't a vast social media empire, we'd all happily have a beer wich ya! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 19, 2023 Author Share Posted January 19, 2023 What Exactly Is Going On With Tesla? https://slate.com/technology/2023/01/tesla-stock-elon-musk.html Quote .... As a beat reporter, is this the sort of thing that you hear mutterings about, either from inside the company or from investors, a sort of, “Oh man, he’s distracted by Twitter?” Absolutely. And the other thing that’s happening is that there’s a group of activist shareholders that are ESG investors. They care a great deal about corporate governance, environmental issues. They want to see more transparency about sustainability and supply chain, racism at the factory, how much money Tesla spends on arbitration and solving legal suits. And this whole group of shareholders were strategizing for what they would bring before the board this year. Then, Tesla very quietly announced that they were changing the date of the shareholder meeting. Last year it was in the fall; this year, it’s going to be May 16. Everybody missed it. So there may not be any shareholder resolutions on the proxy this year at all. The only person that I know who managed to file before the deadline is a small investor in Reykjavik, Iceland. She wants Tesla’s board to prepare a key-person risk report, because she wants to know that there is a succession plan if Elon should ever leave. This is something that has come up before the board before, the question of what would Tesla do without Elon Musk. Do they have a plan? If you look at their filings, they only have three named executive officers. Elon Musk, Zachary Kirkhorn, who’s the CFO, and Drew Baglino, who’s the SVP of engineering and the de facto CTO. So that’s only three people for a company of over 100,000 employees globally. In their filings, they always talk about how they’re highly dependent on Elon, but they have not spelled out any kind of succession planning. And, we have very little insight into the board. No one on the board returns calls, nobody talks. They are very close to Elon personally, and it’s kind of like a lockbox system. The brand is very much intertwined with him, by design, but it comes with risks. He is so much a part of the company culture that it is hard to imagine the company existing in the same way without him at the helm. At the same time, because they have matured into this big company, it would probably behoove them to try to separate Elon and the brand. But to do that they would need to have a real reckoning about what does this company look like if and when he steps aside. It’s not just the Tesla and Elon brands that are intertwined—so are their finances. The vast majority of Elon Musk’s wealth is tied up in Tesla stock. When he has sold that stock, as he’s done over the past year, the company’s share price goes down. How much of a concern are his stock-selling tendencies? That’s the other reason why investors are upset. He has unloaded $40 billion worth of Tesla stock. We don’t know why. We don’t know if it’s because he got a margin call. We don’t know if it was to fund Twitter. He said in the spring that he was done selling, then he sold again. That is a big concern. Then, what’s interesting is that because he has sold, he owns less of a stake in Tesla than he used to. There are more shares that are now on the public market. So if there was ever a year when investors could actually make a push to change corporate governance or to add a retail voice to the board or to get more transparency, this was the year to do it. And this is the year that they basically didn’t announce the date change and the filing deadline for the shareholder meeting. .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 21, 2023 Author Share Posted January 21, 2023 Elon Musk Sold Tesla Shares Before Company Acknowledged Weakness The stock tumbled after the CEO’s sale and fell further when electric-vehicle maker said it had delivered fewer cars than expected https://www.wsj.com/articles/elon-musk-sold-tesla-shares-before-company-acknowledged-weakness-11674177642? Quote .... Late last year, after a wave of news reports pointing to sagging demand for his company’s vehicles, Tesla Inc. Chief Executive Elon Musk sold almost $3.6 billion of his shares in the electric-car maker. On Jan. 2, Tesla announced fourth-quarter vehicle deliveries that were significantly below the company’s most recent forecast to investors. The news sent Tesla’s stock price plunging when markets opened the next day. The timing of the stock sales raises a crucial question: Did Mr. Musk know that business had slowed when he sold his shares? Tesla hadn’t updated investors on its outlook in nearly two months. “This should be of great interest to the SEC,” said James Cox, a securities-law professor at Duke University who has testified before Congress about insider trading. “The issue here is, what did he know and what was the market anticipating when he sold? That’s a critical moment.” .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcbigski Posted January 22, 2023 Share Posted January 22, 2023 On 1/18/2023 at 1:08 PM, Zorral said: Particularly when the big dangers are always for others, not oneself. Which brings to mind, in my case! -- figures like Magellan and Drake, who faced dangers such as no one now living can even begin to imagine, and Magellan almost survived, and Drake did survive, both being in the think of those unthinkable ordeals and perils from every quarter, Spanish, Indigenous, weather, oceans, mutiny, etc., while so many of their men perished? But the thing about figures like Magellan and Drake is they were in the thick of all of it themselves. Podgy muskey just stands around in a private box at the World Cup while others die. Sailling around the globe in that era isn't quite as reckless as sending a massive army beyond its supply chain. Continuing to feed a couple hundred sailors where trade is an option seems possible, if admittedly ballsy if you're going to boldly go where to be sure plenty of people have been, even if no one had gone all the way through before. That's way less crazy than a situation where everyone thinks it's a bad idea but I'm especially talented so I've got this. Don't get wrong, I'm all for that sort of derring do when it's just your own ass on the line, but if you're going to risk hundreds of thousands minions that's a different story. On 1/19/2023 at 2:51 PM, mormont said: I wanted to give the hug emoji response but Ran hasn't enabled it. I blame him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 22, 2023 Author Share Posted January 22, 2023 Gibberish. Gobbly Gook. No content Blah blah blah. Which is all anyone can expect from those whose greatest peril and danger ever faced was on a Game Boy. Shyte, growing up on a working farm I faced greater dangers every frackin' day than any Game Boy grifter born to Big Daddy's fula ever has. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadlines? What Deadlines? Posted January 23, 2023 Share Posted January 23, 2023 This is utterly delusional. He even showed his math. A market cap of $23.1 Trillion is equal to the entire US GDP. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 24, 2023 Author Share Posted January 24, 2023 Elon Musk Says He Could Have Raised Funds to Take Tesla Private Mr. Musk testified in a lawsuit filed by investors who claim his 2018 statements about a plan to buy up the carmaker’s stock cost them billions. https://www.nytimes.com/2023/01/23/business/elon-musk-tesla-trial.html? Quote .... Mr. Musk testified that “funding secured” referred not just to financing from the Saudi fund but also to his stake in SpaceX, the rocket company where he is also chief executive. Mr. Musk could theoretically have borrowed against his stake in SpaceX or sold some of that stock to come up with the money needed to take Tesla private. “This is an extremely important point, and you seem to be deliberately avoiding it,” Mr. Musk said to Nicholas Porritt, a lawyer for the plaintiffs. But under questioning from Mr. Porritt, Mr. Musk acknowledged that he had not mentioned his SpaceX shares as a potential funding source in a 2021 deposition. He later said he had mentioned using those shares in a deposition that was part of an investigation by the Securities and Exchange Commission into Mr. Musk’s efforts to take Tesla private. When asked whether he had priced Tesla at $420 per share because it would be “a joke your girlfriend would enjoy,” Mr. Musk said, “There is some karma around $420, though I should question whether that is good or bad karma at this point.” He then added that he had picked $420 because it was about 20 percent more than Tesla’s share price at the time. .... .... In testimony on Friday, Mr. Musk acknowledged that his Twitter account provided important information about Tesla and that it had to follow S.E.C. rules. But he said his social media posts did not necessarily cause swings in Tesla’s share price. He also said he couldn’t be as comprehensive on Twitter as Tesla could be in S.E.C. filings and news releases. Mr. Musk also said his friends, as well as Tesla’s executives and investors, had suggested that he take a break from Twitter before he posted about taking Tesla private. In 2018, Mr. Musk and Tesla settled a separate lawsuit with the S.E.C. about his proposal to take Tesla private. They paid fines to the S.E.C., and Mr. Musk agreed to resign as Tesla’s chairman and to allow a lawyer to review certain statements about the company before Mr. Musk posted them on social media. The trial started three months after Mr. Musk acquired Twitter. Since then, he has fired most of its employees, changed its content rules and allowed previously barred or suspended users back onto the platform. Soon after efforts to take Tesla private ended in 2018, the company began to produce large numbers of cars, which drove its stock higher and made it easier for Tesla to raise billions of dollars by selling shares. But the company’s share price plunged last year as Mr. Musk sold shares to finance his acquisition of Twitter and as Tesla faced stiffer competition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Varysblackfyre321 Posted January 24, 2023 Share Posted January 24, 2023 @Heartofice genuine question would you concede perhaps the fears of musk turning Twitter into a Nazi hellhole weren’t (at least entirely) misplaced? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 25, 2023 Author Share Posted January 25, 2023 Neo-Nazi Nick Fuentes suspended from Twitter one day after Elon Musk let him back on https://www.rawstory.com/nick-fuentes-twitter/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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