Live data from Hacker News

Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

ycombinator.com

311–320 of 542 posts

Re: Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

#311
post #301
post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What about all the people working in marketing, software patent lawyers, drug dealers? You want them to quit their jobs? --- Let me make my point in a less obtuse way. Most people make decisions about their careers based on opportunity and maximising profit. No one becomes a footballer to make the world a better place. This would all be fine as long as the capitalist market rewarded choices that make the world a bett…

It's a team effort, not necessarily an individual effort. The people in marketing are the ones helping to bring the positive utility-delta stuff to light, so the utility delta actually happens.

That strategy is similar to our current best strategy for bringing peace by killing more people than the enemy. It's proven to work but it is very wasteful on both sides.

Re: Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

#312
post #87

Why does Elon continuously talk about AI as if it's taking over the world? At this point, Siri can barely understand me saying the word 'salad'. Slow down Elon... slow down..

I guess Kurzweil and Elon spend some time on WhatsApp. But since Elon thinks in terms of first principles. He probably has this reasoning: 1. Are the any laws of physics that stop us from creating AI ? Answer is No. Nature already built it so its possible. 2. Is it possible to improve AI significantly ? Yes, because if we can build AI, AI can build better AI. 3. How soon can it happen? Since the trend is exponential.…

I guess the entire cognitive dissonance com from this line:

> How soon can it happen? Since the trend is exponential. It can happen within 100 years.

Some people think "well, it's likely to happen within 100 years -> it's up to us to be prepared".

Other people think "well, it's unlikely to happen within 10 years -> it's not worth it to begin to prepare".

I don't even know if one of those is wrong!

Re: Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

#313

Earlier quoted context omitted.

There are rational, non-envy-based reasons to object to all the hero-worship. For example, all the things "he" did above were actually done by big teams of people working together, but Elon gets all the credit. He deserves credit, but not all of it. And let's not forget the millions of people who worked to generate wealth that could be transferred via, and taxed by, PayPal, accruing the fortune with which to start al…

> Heck I'm a "visionary" too, just add one billion dollars and tons of free time and see what I come up with! Thread winner. There is little difference between a billionaire and anyone else except a billion dollars.

Many billionaire doesn't give a damn about humanity or earth in general. In fact this precise trait had made them billionaire in the first place.

Re: Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

#314
post #150
post #106

Why do they discuss the speed of the line? Isn't the finalized output a much more useful metric? (e.g. one car per hour)? If there's a ton of work done at the various checkpoints, the pace is slow but maybe the length of the line isn't very far?

It seemed to me the question was asked in the context of some closing small talk, and got a very Musk answer :) as far as I know, the Tesla assembly lines have nowhere near the amount of robotics of the much larger volume lines of for instance Honda, so very slow by those standards.

I toured the GM Lansing Delta Township assembly plant a few years ago where they make mid-size SUVs like the GMC Acadia, Buick Enclave, and Chevy Traverse. At the time, with a ton of robotic welders, sleds, etc. they were running 3 shifts and turning out 60 cars/hour.

Last year, Tesla sold 50,000 cars. It would take the Delta plant roughly a month to make that many. GM has ~15 equivalent plants worldwide.

I love Tesla and am glad to see the NUMMI plant up and running again, but even their most ambitious sales plans for the next 10 years pale in comparison to business as usual for the major manufacturers.

edit

Curiosity got the better of me, so I looked up the 2015 sales figures for those 3 vehicles from that one plant. Acadia: 96,393; Traverse: 119,945; Enclave: 62,081. So roughly 280,000 SUVs produced at the one assembly plant last year without much fanfare.

Re: Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

#316

I have all the respect in the world for what Mr. Musk has accomplished, but it has come at an amazing cost to the people around him. He is worshiped from afar but reviled by many the closer you get to his inner circle. Go read "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future." The question I always ask myself with the people who move mountains is what cost did that progress come at? What would someone'…

Yet those people chose to be around him? No one has ever forced anyone to work for Elon Musk.

Re: Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

#317
post #234

I have all the respect in the world for what Mr. Musk has accomplished, but it has come at an amazing cost to the people around him. He is worshiped from afar but reviled by many the closer you get to his inner circle. Go read "Elon Musk: Tesla, SpaceX, and the Quest for a Fantastic Future." The question I always ask myself with the people who move mountains is what cost did that progress come at? What would someone'…

People that worship another person generally aren't well informed. For example, people look at Elon Musk like he's a pop culture icon -- I see people talking about him on my news feed all the time, yet these people aren't even technical. It's just a way for someone to identify to some type of group. Oh look what Elon's doing, he's so great. My reaction is, why are you sharing press articles about this person? Does it…

Are you accusing Elon Musk of being the thinking man's Kim Kardashian?

Re: Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

#318
post #225

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Plus he is a pretty mediocre public speaker...yet puts himself out there & makes an impact

He is a captivating public speaker. He accessibly expresses new ideas of considerable importance and complexity. What else do you want from him? SpaceX doesn't need Vince Offer.

I've often thought that if Elon had the stage presence of Robert Downey Junior as Tony Stark, we'd already be on Mars.

Re: Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

#319
post #278
post #2

Question/Answer I found interesting: Sama> How should someone figure out how they should be useful? Elon> Whatever this thing is you are trying to create.. What would be the utility delta compared to the current state of the art times how many people it would affect?

What about all the people working in marketing, software patent lawyers, drug dealers? You want them to quit their jobs? --- Let me make my point in a less obtuse way. Most people make decisions about their careers based on opportunity and maximising profit. No one becomes a footballer to make the world a better place. This would all be fine as long as the capitalist market rewarded choices that make the world a bett…

I actually don't think that most people make decisions about their careers based on maximizing profit at all. In fact, I think very few people would choose a soul-sucking job running against their values just because it pays more.

Re: Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

#320
post #213

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Are Tesla's energy storage solutions available anywhere outside their vehicles?

Yes. Tesla Powerwall, a home battery. https://www.tesla.com/powerwall

I don't think those are planned to ship until 2018.
Post reply on HN