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Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

ycombinator.com

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Re: Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

#361

Post by inopinatus »

MPSimmons wrote: post #318
falsestprophet wrote: post #296

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Perhaps not. Mr Downey's performance is not achieved by raw personal magnetism alone, but requires a substantial crew to deliver the fully polished product. The cost of creating Tony Stark runs at roughly $100m per hour. I doubt even the astronomical budgets of astronautical agencies could absorb that.

As for Mr Musk's personal style, I found this interview quite captivating. All the more so for his lack of bluster and posturing.

Re: Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

#362

Post by eli_gottlieb »

Paul_S wrote: post #278
iMuzz wrote: 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…

> What about all the people working in marketing, software patent lawyers, drug dealers? You want them to quit their jobs?

Yes, that would help a whole lot.

Re: Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

#364

Post by Kenji »

Paul_S wrote: post #278
iMuzz wrote: 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 think you're wrong about one thing. You see, you always think of the greater good as you define it. However, watching a football star is the desire of many, and they pay money for it, so the football star is in fact doing it for the greater good by entertaining many. Capitalism moves in the direction of where the money is - and the money is in things people want. So capitalism is a most efficient machine to produce things for the greater good. Any other definition of 'greater good', i.e. yours, would have to be forced on them by the force of law and ultimately, threats and violence.

Re: Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

#365

Post by odbol_ »

Paul_S wrote: post #335
lutorm wrote: post #319

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

The argument isn't about soul-sucking jobs, but about jobs that don't contribute to society. I'm sure there are people out there who enjoy cold-calling and scamming people. But to address your argument: you missed the "opportunity" bit. If you're a well-off, well educated person you can choose to do whatever you feel like and I'm sure some people do without worrying about money (perhaps they have lots already). Most…

HN's privilege is showing pretty badly here in these comments. Seem to be completely oblivious to the oppressive squalor that most the world lives in, only thinking about which high-paying cushy job they should take to "change the world."

Re: Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

#366

Post by proee »

aantix wrote: 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?

The speed of the line is important because it is directly tied to the output in the form of the "pipeline". The question then become how long is the pipeline? 1day, 2days, 20 weeks? In which case you wait x-amount of time for the first car and then the rest is gravy.

Re: Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

#367

Post by trhaynes »

johnloeber wrote: post #351

I am surprised that YC would make this page so remarkably mobile-unfriendly. I don't have the time to listen to the interview, I just want to read the transcript. They could have just pasted it in a reader-friendly format, but instead it's in an annoying Scribd applet. I don't want to sign up for their service or download the app, not to mention that it's a terrible mobile reader anyway. This was very disappointing.

Had the same issue. Wanted to add to Instapaper so I could read on the subway.

Re: Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

#368

Post by thaumaturgy »

sneak wrote: post #352
johnloeber wrote: post #351

I am surprised that YC would make this page so remarkably mobile-unfriendly. I don't have the time to listen to the interview, I just want to read the transcript. They could have just pasted it in a reader-friendly format, but instead it's in an annoying Scribd applet. I don't want to sign up for their service or download the app, not to mention that it's a terrible mobile reader anyway. This was very disappointing.

Yeah, kudos to Scribd for perhaps the maximum LOC codebase for "how to make plain text completely fucking unusable". There's real irony there in it being an article about delivering value to society through making useful technology.

...and copy-pasting it into a text editor gives you an unintelligible wall of text, and copy-pasting it into LibreOffice causes it to hang.

Ha, that's actually kind of impressive, in a really perverse sort of way.

I'm so glad Scribd is helping with the effort to carve the open web into a series of uncooperative fiefdoms.

Re: Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

#369

Post by thevardanian »

unusximmortalis wrote: post #273
grecy wrote: post #237

Earlier quoted context omitted.

While I understand and agree with the point you're making, I think it's also important to acknowledge we're all different, we're all good at different things and we all eventually fulfill some purpose. Some of us are great at spending time with our wives and taking the kids to soccer practice. We fill our lives with family and friends, and get immense joy from that. We're so busy, likely, we'll never do anything "not…

I believe the humanity moves on its way naturally anyway, those trying desperately to move mountains are simply wasting their lives here on Earth. A balanced way is a key to everything.

Why is it unnatural to desperately move mountains?

If humanity moves on its way naturally then surely desperation of humans comes into the fold as well.

Re: Elon Musk on How to Build the Future

#370

Post by dredmorbius »

PieterH wrote: post #274
djcooley wrote: post #228

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'…

Since the book is not free to read online, would you provide a tl;dr?

Many libraries worldwide have a copy: https://www.worldcat.org/title/elon-musk-tesla-spacex-and-th...

If you're willing to risk possible long-term legal consequences, there are ... sources online: http://book4you.org/book/2544878/9841ce

(Though your call for a TL;DR is valid.)

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