Farewell for Now • Hacker News Board

Re: Farewell for Now

#21

Post by mitchoneill1 » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 2:03 PM UTC

mistersquid wrote: post #14

ubernostrum wrote: post #5

Earlier quoted context omitted.

In summary: * Author wrote a number of articles analyzing Tesla from a financial perspective. Some of them critical of Tesla. * Elon Musk contacted author's employer, threatening to sue if author continued to write. * Author announces in response to this threat he will no longer write. Not just "no longer write about Tesla", no longer write, period. * Author indicates this is in some ways a relief, as he has had poor…

Noted elsewhere: [0] * Author is director at company heavily invested in oil industry * Author has published false stories regarding Tesla. * Author has incited social media attacks on Tesla advocates, bulls, and fans. Basically, the author was using pseudonymity and relative anonymity to manipulate the market in which he and his employer are heavily invested. I am not a lawyer. Given his company's position and his o…

Muddy waters did a similar thing (posting research anonymously), Matt Levine wrote about it : https://www.bloomberg.com/view/articles/2018-02-09/can-noisy...

Re: Farewell for Now

#22

Post by GW150914 » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 4:35 PM UTC

ricardobeat wrote: post #20

GW150914 wrote: post #10

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It’s good news that because you don’t like what this guy has to say, Musk threatened him through his employer to shut him up? Jesus.

If he doesn’t believe Tesla’s official financial reports, I think it’s fair for me to not believe this episode - there is no evidence of this profile being a person. I’m just glad to have less noise regardless, don’t have enough invested in TSLA to really care.

there is no evidence of this profile being a person.

Sure there is, it’s in TFA and it was doxxed elsewhere. You’re welcome to believe otherwise of course, especially if that makes you feel better, but understand the difference between “no evidence of,” and “choosing not to believe.”

Re: Farewell for Now

#23

Post by fixermark » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 5:19 PM UTC

ubernostrum wrote: post #17

mistersquid wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Noted elsewhere: [0] * Author is director at company heavily invested in oil industry * Author has published false stories regarding Tesla. * Author has incited social media attacks on Tesla advocates, bulls, and fans. Basically, the author was using pseudonymity and relative anonymity to manipulate the market in which he and his employer are heavily invested. I am not a lawyer. Given his company's position and his o…

Whether you like what he says or not, he's got freedom of speech and shouldn't be bullied into silence. I think the standard response here is "the cure for bad speech is more speech", yes?

Freedom of speech is constrained regarding financial market manipulation. I don't know of any laws this specific individual might be breaking by criticizing a third-party they are market-bet against, but in the general category of such law: there's all kinds of things I could say about my employer that would be considered insider trading and put me at risk of fines or jail time, my frozen peaches be damned. ;)

Re: Farewell for Now

#24

Post by Diederich » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 5:33 PM UTC

n_t wrote: post #13

Earlier, I use to admire Elon and companies like Google, FB, etc. But as I learn more and as their behaviors are being exposed, I feel they are modern villains of society. Elon particularly has been very disappointing. Anyone willing to buy a pre-owned Tesla?

> Anyone willing to buy a pre-owned Tesla?

Perhaps! Stats? Asking price?

Re: Farewell for Now

#25

Post by jessaustin » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 7:58 PM UTC

ubernostrum wrote: post #17

mistersquid wrote: post #14

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Noted elsewhere: [0] * Author is director at company heavily invested in oil industry * Author has published false stories regarding Tesla. * Author has incited social media attacks on Tesla advocates, bulls, and fans. Basically, the author was using pseudonymity and relative anonymity to manipulate the market in which he and his employer are heavily invested. I am not a lawyer. Given his company's position and his o…

Whether you like what he says or not, he's got freedom of speech and shouldn't be bullied into silence. I think the standard response here is "the cure for bad speech is more speech", yes?

More speech? It sounds like Elon has a very specific idea of what sort of speech that is: pick up the phone and threaten the speaker's employer.

Re: Farewell for Now

#26

Post by ricardobeat » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 8:19 PM UTC

GW150914 wrote: post #22

ricardobeat wrote: post #20

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If he doesn’t believe Tesla’s official financial reports, I think it’s fair for me to not believe this episode - there is no evidence of this profile being a person. I’m just glad to have less noise regardless, don’t have enough invested in TSLA to really care.

there is no evidence of this profile being a person. Sure there is, it’s in TFA and it was doxxed elsewhere. You’re welcome to believe otherwise of course, especially if that makes you feel better, but understand the difference between “no evidence of,” and “choosing not to believe.”

Sorry, what’s TFA?

Re: Farewell for Now

#27

Post by ubernostrum » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 8:25 PM UTC

fixermark wrote: post #23

ubernostrum wrote: post #17

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Whether you like what he says or not, he's got freedom of speech and shouldn't be bullied into silence. I think the standard response here is "the cure for bad speech is more speech", yes?

Freedom of speech is constrained regarding financial market manipulation. I don't know of any laws this specific individual might be breaking by criticizing a third-party they are market-bet against, but in the general category of such law: there's all kinds of things I could say about my employer that would be considered insider trading and put me at risk of fines or jail time, my frozen peaches be damned. ;)

Freedom of speech is constrained regarding financial market manipulation

Sure. But the Musk fanboys seem to be under the impression that if you're shorting Tesla it should be illegal to say why, or even to write about Tesla. Or if for some reason the SEC won't go after people for that, they think it's OK for Musk to use the threat of well-funded litigation to shut up the critics, and will endlessly spin justifications for that based on what they perceive the critics' sins to be.

AFAICT the author discloses his short position and the short position of whomever he represents. Which is... what responsible people do when writing about companies. Bullying him into silence because Musk and his sycophants don't like his writing is a horrible thing (especially given how much overlap there is between Musk fans and people who think of/describe themselves as free-speech advocates).

Re: Farewell for Now

#28

Post by [deleted] » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 8:28 PM UTC

ricardobeat wrote: post #26

GW150914 wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

there is no evidence of this profile being a person. Sure there is, it’s in TFA and it was doxxed elsewhere. You’re welcome to believe otherwise of course, especially if that makes you feel better, but understand the difference between “no evidence of,” and “choosing not to believe.”

Sorry, what’s TFA?

[deleted]

Re: Farewell for Now

#29

Post by thephyber » Wed, Jul 25, 2018, 10:18 PM UTC

Is there any competing reporting about what Musk said to the employer (not summarized by a financial adversary of Musk)?

I read this as hearsay by a bitter rival who can get in one last parting shot to help his short position.