kissdbyfire Posted December 22, 2023 Share Posted December 22, 2023 8 hours ago, Liffguard said: Tesla blamed drivers for failures of parts it long knew were defective A good long-from article about Tesla's extremely sub-standard design, manufacturing and customer service practices. In short, Tesla seems to operate as if it must "innovate" everything from first principles, ignoring established best-practice. And then, when things inevitably go wrong, it tries to blame its own customers and then offload the costs on to them. Kind of similar to fElon’s approach to managing Twitter. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tywin et al. Posted December 22, 2023 Share Posted December 22, 2023 You have to wonder when his house of cards comes crashing down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kissdbyfire Posted December 22, 2023 Share Posted December 22, 2023 11 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said: You have to wonder when his house of cards comes crashing down. There was an article on BI last week (I think) titled “Elon Musk’s luck has finally run out” (or something along those lines), so maybe soon? Sooner rather than later? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kalbear Posted December 22, 2023 Share Posted December 22, 2023 18 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said: You have to wonder when his house of cards comes crashing down. 4 minutes ago, kissdbyfire said: There was an article on BI last week (I think) titled “Elon Musk’s luck has finally run out” (or something along those lines), so maybe soon? Sooner rather than later? This is very wishful thinking. The main way that people like him fail is by doing something incredibly illegal. There's no real sign that Musk is doing that. Now, his companies might fail, but rich people rarely lose out when that happens to any massive degree. And in terms of his companies and how well they're doing - Twitter is obviously sucking and will probably end up dying (mostly due to competition at this point, honestly), but Tesla shows very little sign of failing any time soon and still has a 5-year head start on the rest of the EV world, and SpaceX is by all accounts very successful and continuing to be more and more successful. I could see Tesla dying in the same way Cruise did - by launching some autopilot that ended up killing a lot of people. But that still wouldn't bring down Elon Musk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tywin et al. Posted December 22, 2023 Share Posted December 22, 2023 7 minutes ago, Kalbear said: This is very wishful thinking. The main way that people like him fail is by doing something incredibly illegal. There's no real sign that Musk is doing that. Now, his companies might fail, but rich people rarely lose out when that happens to any massive degree. And in terms of his companies and how well they're doing - Twitter is obviously sucking and will probably end up dying (mostly due to competition at this point, honestly), but Tesla shows very little sign of failing any time soon and still has a 5-year head start on the rest of the EV world, and SpaceX is by all accounts very successful and continuing to be more and more successful. I could see Tesla dying in the same way Cruise did - by launching some autopilot that ended up killing a lot of people. But that still wouldn't bring down Elon Musk. I'm sure you understand this better than me, but wasn't a huge part of Tesla's business model based on regulatory credits they could sell and that's not as viable anymore? Or at least to not keep the gap that far apart anymore? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 Tesla Strike Is a Culture Clash: Swedish Labor vs. American Management https://www.nytimes.com/2023/12/27/business/tesla-sweden-strike-labor.html Quote .... But as the strike moves into its third month, it is having an outsize impact on the Nordic region. At least 15 other unions have taken action to try to force Tesla to negotiate a collective bargaining agreement to set wages and benefits that reflect industrywide norms in Sweden. Daniel Ives, an analyst at Wedbush Securities, warned that the dispute was becoming “an important lightning-rod issue around unions globally” for Tesla and its chief executive, Elon Musk. Polls show a majority of Swedes support the strike, widely viewed as a defense of the country’s consensus-based way of doing business. Nine in 10 people in Sweden work under a labor agreement, and strikes are relatively rare. But as the walkout continues, questions are being raised about whether Sweden’s reliance on labor-management agreements denies businesses flexibility and agility. That divide can be seen in the reactions of some of the country’s roughly 50,000 Tesla owners, who see the walkout as a power play by a wealthy, politically influential union. Mr. Musk has pushed back against efforts by his 127,000 employees around the world to unionize. The company has declined repeated requests for comment. At a service center in Malmo this month, workers wearing Tesla shirts were busy moving cars in and out. Strikers on the picket line said some of those working appeared to be recent hires. There is talk that some Tesla owners have been unable to find anyone to change their tires for winter — essential for driving in Sweden this time of year. But fearing that the walkout has been little more than a nuisance for Tesla, IF Metall has called for support from other unions. Unions in Denmark, Norway and Finland, as well as Sweden, have rallied around IF Metall. This means dockworkers have stopped unloading Teslas arriving by ship; union members at independent repair shops have stopped servicing Teslas; postal workers have quit delivering Tesla’s mail, including license plates; and electricians have pledged to no longer repair Tesla’s charging stations. .... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erik of Hazelfield Posted December 27, 2023 Share Posted December 27, 2023 The union strike at Tesla Sweden has something of a clusterfuck from both sides. Tesla for refusing to sign a deal that is all but mandatory (Sweden has very few work regulations and no minimum wage, for example - such things are instead being regulated through collective agreements). IF Metall (the union) has, on their part, failed to organise more than about ten percent of the mechanics at Tesla Sweden and the rest continue to go to work, which renders the strike quite ineffective and dependent on sympathy strikes from other unions in order to get anywhere. This is basically unheard of for the last 100 years or so. Tesla owners are complaining about mafia methods and about the fact that third parties are getting hurt by the strike (owners having their cars stranded at repair shops etc). Meanwhile Tesla sells more cars than ever in Sweden, the Model Y being the best selling vehicle in the country for the full year. It’s been very difficult to understand what difference the collective agreement would bring compared to the contracts Tesla workers in Sweden currently have. It’s not clear just what will happen. The union is very large and can afford to pay the fee striking workers hundreds of years if need be. Tesla, on the other hand, also has deep pockets and Tesla Sweden has no authority whatsoever to strike a deal without consent from higher up, probably Elon himself. I’m not sure what to think. The labour-employer relations in Sweden are kind of like the US political system - it’s dependent on some unwritten rules being obeyed, and when someone refuses to follow those rules but instead push the matter as far as the legal limits allow, then the system breaks down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Anti-Targ Posted December 28, 2023 Share Posted December 28, 2023 So, if mega corps can break the unions and eliminate collective agreements in Sweden there's not much by way of regulation workers can fall back on. So the potential for worker exploitation is baked into the employment regulation, but it generally doesn't happen because Swedish employers usually compensate their workers fairly; because it's part of the culture to look after people(?) So what happens when companies not imbued with Swedish cultural norms come along? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted December 28, 2023 Share Posted December 28, 2023 1 minute ago, The Anti-Targ said: So what happens when companies not imbued with Swedish cultural norms come along? Colonization and ethnic cleansing? Civil war? Apartheid? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tywin et al. Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 Kind of surprising this thread is so quiet:https://www.cbsnews.com/news/jeffrey-epstein-list-names-released-unsealed-documents/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JGP Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 'More than 900 pages of mostly unredacted documents were released Wednesday.' [brow quirks] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deadlines? What Deadlines? Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 How 'bout that Prince Andrew, huh? I just threw up in my mouth a little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Anti-Targ Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 Interesting article about Nobel laureate economist Robert Solow. https://www.interest.co.nz/economy/125843/brian-easton-reviews-work-robert-solow-nobel-prize-winning-economist-who-transformed This dig at neoliberalism was particularly amusing. Quote It is difficult to identify any New Zealand government that has really changed the growth rate (with the possible exception of the neoliberal policies of the late 1980s and early 1990s which stagnated the economy; we still have not recovered from their damage). Short-term burst, such as the upswing of a business cycle, can be identified by judicious choices of end points which may satisfy those with an ideological bent. A scientist is less able to find a significant long-term change. (A change of 0.1 or 0.2 percentage points in the growth rate is difficult to identify because of noise in the data.) I would say the bolded misses the point that the reason we've still not recovered is because we are still heavily influenced by that same neoliberal thinking. kissdbyfire and Rippounet 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crixus Posted January 15 Share Posted January 15 Shocker: World’s five richest men double their money as poorest get poorer | Inequality | The Guardian This, along with the ongoing wars around us, is the sort of disheartening, depressing shit that makes me feel utterly hopeless and helpless, and relieved beyond measure that I stayed firm on my instinct not to procreate, despite a shit-ton of pressure due to the sort of society I grew up in. Martell Spy, Zorral, kissdbyfire and 2 others 5 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 Tesla Disaster As Cars Won't Charge in Freezing Cold https://www.newsweek.com/tesla-disaster-cars-not-charging-freezing-cold-chicago-1861396 kissdbyfire 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kissdbyfire Posted January 17 Share Posted January 17 https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/avanti-trains-free-money_uk_65a70655e4b041f1ce63cf0f Quote Avanti West Coast has been accused of “taking passengers and taxpayers for fools” after managers referred to government funding as “free money” at an internal meeting. The meeting, which reportedly took place on January 12, described how train operators are given performance-based bonuses even if services are below par. ADVERTISEMENT Novara Media, which first reported the incident, said the meeting was attended by managing director Andy Mellors. It published an image showing a slide with the title: “Roll-up, roll-up get your free money here!”. Zorral 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 25 Share Posted January 25 Tesla shares plunge to wipe out $73 billion in market value, after dour earnings call https://www.cnn.com/2024/01/25/investing/tesla-stock-drop-china-sales/index.html maarsen, kissdbyfire, Martell Spy and 2 others 1 4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zorral Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 Read the caption out to Partner, who responded, "I can't effing believe anybody would drive a Tesla." Tesla recalls almost 200,000 vehicles over rearview camera issue An over-air-software update has been issued for 2023 Model S, X and Y vehicles equipped with Tesla’s full self-driving technology, federal regulators said https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2024/01/26/tesla-recall-rearview-camera/ Guess Musk will have to figure out how to get more US taxpayer funding reinstated for Starlink service now (as if taxpayer money didn't pay for its development anyway!). https://www.fcc.gov/document/fcc-reaffirms-rejection-nearly-900-million-subsidy-starlink Spockydog 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tywin et al. Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 I'm no expert here, but I heard a report this morning that in general the EV market is in a lot of trouble (at least in the US). They said Tesla was the one brand that was still holding up, but that could be crashing too, Musk or no Musk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ran Posted January 26 Share Posted January 26 55 minutes ago, Mr. Chatywin et al. said: I'm no expert here, but I heard a report this morning that in general the EV market is in a lot of trouble (at least in the US). They said Tesla was the one brand that was still holding up, but that could be crashing too, Musk or no Musk. Chinese EVs are going to be eating some lunches. I've started seeing BYDs here in Sweden over there last year or so. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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