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SpaceX Is Now One of the World’s Most Valuable Privately Held Companies

nytimes.com

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Re: SpaceX Is Now One of the World’s Most Valuable Privately Held Companies

#71

Post by microcolonel »

sien wrote: post #66
microcolonel wrote: post #64

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is what you call a fluff piece. HN and the broader computer technology industry is sycophantic for Elon Musk, and will ignore that all of his companies would be dead in the water if it weren't for the questionable appropriation of government funds, at least if they spent and marketed the way that they do. The products are great, but the money comes out of everyone's pockets. You're all paying for some guy's Mode…

Sure. However, in space launch it's not like Lockheed Martin and Arianne didn't do the same. The difference with SpaceX is that for once a government got value for money on an Aerospace deal.

I agree, I'm not against it at all. SpaceX is definitely improving the ROI of NASA, and I love it.

Re: SpaceX Is Now One of the World’s Most Valuable Privately Held Companies

#72

Post by strictnein »

hariananth wrote: post #70
dbosch wrote: post #58

"World's most valuable privately held companies". Sounds weird, no? What about Vitol ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vitol ), Saudi Aramco, Koch Industries ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Koch_Industries ) ... etc ?

You're improperly editing... both the HN title and the NYT piece say "One of the (start your quote) World's most valuable privately held companies".

It's still kind of implying that it's up there with the big boys, but it's really not. Especially since this is just based on a round of funding which creates unreasonable valuations by design.

Re: SpaceX Is Now One of the World’s Most Valuable Privately Held Companies

#73

Post by icelancer »

BatFastard wrote: post #60
EduardoBautista wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon has a load of terrible products. Even their store is getting worse and worse. The fire phone was a complete flop. Amazon cloud drive and music are not at all at the same level as their competitors. Google Home is looking as though it's going to surpass the Echo. Amazon is successful because they are fine with taking losses, only just recently making a small amount of profit compared to their scale.

If you are not failing, then you are not trying enough new things. Amazon has been successful a lot, a LOT more often than they have failed.

I think that is probably false. They have way more failures than successes, but the successes far outpace the losses in output.

Re: SpaceX Is Now One of the World’s Most Valuable Privately Held Companies

#74

Post by icelancer »

Turing_Machine wrote: post #41
phkahler wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>> Bezos isn't playing, he's going all in, selling $1 billion of shares a year to fund Blue Origin [4]. One way to look at this situation is Musk and Bezos competing to be king of transportation infrastructure for the Solar System. High stakes indeed. I used to wonder what could happen if the guys with billions decided to do something interesting with all their money. This is some of the most interesting stuff I've e…

Yep. At one time a mark of being super-rich was owning a megayacht and a palatial estate. Nowadays you haven't really arrived until you can afford to fund your own space program. :-)

As stated in the show Billions, sports franchises are how people are knighted in today's society.

Space travel may be another level above that.

Re: SpaceX Is Now One of the World’s Most Valuable Privately Held Companies

#75

Post by boznz »

EduardoBautista wrote: post #55
BlackjackCF wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe not right now, but I wouldn't ever underestimate Bezos. Musk and Bezos are both people I wouldn't bet against, but they're so drastically different in their styles. Musk is flashy, but gets shit done. Bezos knows how to get shit done quietly... and suddenly he's dominated and bought everything around you.

Amazon has a load of terrible products. Even their store is getting worse and worse. The fire phone was a complete flop. Amazon cloud drive and music are not at all at the same level as their competitors. Google Home is looking as though it's going to surpass the Echo. Amazon is successful because they are fine with taking losses, only just recently making a small amount of profit compared to their scale.

Every book I've bought for the past 8 years has been on kindle.. I don't think they're doing that bad..

Re: SpaceX Is Now One of the World’s Most Valuable Privately Held Companies

#76

Post by narrator »

EduardoBautista wrote: post #55
BlackjackCF wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe not right now, but I wouldn't ever underestimate Bezos. Musk and Bezos are both people I wouldn't bet against, but they're so drastically different in their styles. Musk is flashy, but gets shit done. Bezos knows how to get shit done quietly... and suddenly he's dominated and bought everything around you.

Amazon has a load of terrible products. Even their store is getting worse and worse. The fire phone was a complete flop. Amazon cloud drive and music are not at all at the same level as their competitors. Google Home is looking as though it's going to surpass the Echo. Amazon is successful because they are fine with taking losses, only just recently making a small amount of profit compared to their scale.

Amazon can fail a lot because money for private companies is a lot more expensive and harder to get than for public companies. Musk is playing on hard mode because he wants to retain control.

Re: SpaceX Is Now One of the World’s Most Valuable Privately Held Companies

#77

Post by grondilu »

loeg wrote: post #4

> Mr. Musk faces competition from another billionaire. Blue Origin, a rocket company founded by Jeff Bezos, the chief executive of Amazon, aims to send tourists and supplies into space. Is that line even close to true? Last I heard Blue Origin was years away from revenue and far behind SpaceX in terms of capability and manufacturing.

BO's New Sheppard is far advanced into sending tourists into space, albeit not in orbit.

Re: SpaceX Is Now One of the World’s Most Valuable Privately Held Companies

#78

Post by rl3 »

troyastorino wrote: post #56
BlackjackCF wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe not right now, but I wouldn't ever underestimate Bezos. Musk and Bezos are both people I wouldn't bet against, but they're so drastically different in their styles. Musk is flashy, but gets shit done. Bezos knows how to get shit done quietly... and suddenly he's dominated and bought everything around you.

Blue Origin has turtles in it's coat of arms because the strategy is slow and steady...Bezos doesn't feel the need to compete on speed here.

I'm neither an Amazon nor Bezos fan, but that ethos is something I respect. Rocketry isn't something you rush.

Frankly I'm surprised SpaceX hasn't had more mishaps given the breakneck speed at which they operate.

Re: SpaceX Is Now One of the World’s Most Valuable Privately Held Companies

#79

Post by valuearb »

boznz wrote: post #75
EduardoBautista wrote: post #55

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Amazon has a load of terrible products. Even their store is getting worse and worse. The fire phone was a complete flop. Amazon cloud drive and music are not at all at the same level as their competitors. Google Home is looking as though it's going to surpass the Echo. Amazon is successful because they are fine with taking losses, only just recently making a small amount of profit compared to their scale.

Every book I've bought for the past 8 years has been on kindle.. I don't think they're doing that bad..

The Kindle is good and Echo is great. Every other hardware product they've ever made has been complete dogshit, which is why the packaging for most of them advises buyers to set them on fire.

Re: SpaceX Is Now One of the World’s Most Valuable Privately Held Companies

#80

Post by valuearb »

troyastorino wrote: post #56
BlackjackCF wrote: post #36

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Maybe not right now, but I wouldn't ever underestimate Bezos. Musk and Bezos are both people I wouldn't bet against, but they're so drastically different in their styles. Musk is flashy, but gets shit done. Bezos knows how to get shit done quietly... and suddenly he's dominated and bought everything around you.

Blue Origin has turtles in it's coat of arms because the strategy is slow and steady...Bezos doesn't feel the need to compete on speed here.

Well he's not competing on anything here, not yet.
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