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Musk to review all of Tesla's expenses in new cost cutting plan

reuters.com

111–120 of 248 posts

Re: Musk to review all of Tesla's expenses in new cost cutting plan

#111
post #86
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, the current competition is largely a reaction to Tesla's accomplishments.

The domestic oil boom and the fact that we are now a net exporter of oil makes the transition to electric cars less urgent.

This ignores the fact that EVs are currently the only viable path towards road-based transport that is compatible with the continued existence of our species.

The transition isn't urgent due to oil prices. It's urgent due to greenhouse gases making the planet inhospitable for humans.

Re: Musk to review all of Tesla's expenses in new cost cutting plan

#112
post #72

Traditional car companies must be damn scared to have to publish this FUD. Tesla cannot be possibly dying out. Don't you see Tesla cars everywhere in the US? yes they are spending money, buying things to grow as they are so incredibly successful they cannot satisfy demand. Dying out? you make me laugh. If you spend 10M dollars buying equipment that in a year is worth 100M dollars, you are not dying out.

> Don't you see Tesla cars everywhere in the US?

No I don't, might see one once a week or month. They're common in Silicon Valley but that's a small fraction of the US.

edit: Tesla has sold something like 300k cars in the US which comes out to under 0.15% of all cars in the US. So basically, negligible. And a third to a half of that seems to have been in California. So in most of the US you'd need to look at on average 2000 cars before you see a Tesla.

Re: Musk to review all of Tesla's expenses in new cost cutting plan

#113
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> With relatively low gas prices at the moment, decreasing federal subsidies for electric cars, and more players entering the market, it seems like Tesla is in a pretty tough spot. Nothing you couldn't see coming 5 years ago, however.

To be fair, the current competition is largely a reaction to Tesla's accomplishments.

Self driving and electric cars have been in development for a long time. Mercedes Benz in the 1980s was testing automated driving on empty streets in Munich.

The difference between Tesla and others isn't that Tesla somehow was the first to come up with these ideas, they were the first to attempt to run a car company like a startup and marketing themselves as a disruptor.

Which in a sense is true because it brought the products to the forefront, but there's a reason that hadn't happened before, because a car manufacturer actually needs to make money on the existing markets. No use in pushing a good idea before the time is right.

Re: Musk to review all of Tesla's expenses in new cost cutting plan

#114

Suppose you buy a Tesla and in 10 months they fold. Who then maintains the proprietary software that keeps the vehicle running?

Are there historical examples of this happening in other companies? It's scary to think the answer to ops question is not immediately obvious.

When Daewoo left the US market 20 years ago they pretty much just upped and left.

Re: Musk to review all of Tesla's expenses in new cost cutting plan

#115
post #57
post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be fair, the current competition is largely a reaction to Tesla's accomplishments.

I question that CW. If that were true, the competitors would be making sporty sedans like Tesla. But almost none are. The competitors—the Bolt, Kona, etc., are all totally different form factors. The alternative, potentially better, theory is that everyone is reacting to the same incentives and market structures. Governments are pushing electric vehicles through subsidies and mandates. Meanwhile, exploding use of por…

The Model 3 and even the X can barely be considered expensive sport sedans. The first is a low end lux compact, the second is an expensive SUV or crossover. Only the model S is in that category.

In Beijing, I saw a lot of Model S’s on the road in the year before I left. These people would have been driving Audi A5+ or an S-class if it wasn’t for Beijing’s plate lottery (you can get a car quicker if it’s an EV). As far as that goes, the Model S is a good strategy outside of the USA where people aren’t so SUV crazed.

Re: Musk to review all of Tesla's expenses in new cost cutting plan

#116
post #86

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The domestic oil boom and the fact that we are now a net exporter of oil makes the transition to electric cars less urgent.

This ignores the fact that EVs are currently the only viable path towards road-based transport that is compatible with the continued existence of our species. The transition isn't urgent due to oil prices. It's urgent due to greenhouse gases making the planet inhospitable for humans.

Maybe less urgent now? And let’s not forget many other countries with 2030 commitments to going pure EV.

Re: Musk to review all of Tesla's expenses in new cost cutting plan

#117
post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Neither of those companies lost billions before reaching break-even or profitability.

Even buying the burn rate in the title, Tesla's losses are like 8% of revenue. That's not at all far off from where Amazon and Google were in their early years. Again, it's not that there isn't an accounting worry here, what concerns me is the... hate. Just the visceral hate about this company that wants it to fail so badly that it leads people to apply these crazy double standards.

In your endeavour to rake people you perceive as internet haters over the coals, you also target people like me who genuinely wants Tesla to succeed but is the kind of person who loves asking questions and understanding how things work. And that really diminishes your credibility as perceived by everyone who reads the thread.

Also it just kind of stings and discourages me from participation because then I have to deal with comments like yours.

Re: Musk to review all of Tesla's expenses in new cost cutting plan

#118

Suppose you buy a Tesla and in 10 months they fold. Who then maintains the proprietary software that keeps the vehicle running?

What kind of car are you driving??? My Acura 2016 doesn’t support AppleCar and never will. I don’t think there are any other cars out there that get updates anyways!

Re: Musk to review all of Tesla's expenses in new cost cutting plan

#119
post #85

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"Who then maintains the proprietary software that keeps the vehicle running?" There are a number of Tesla vehicles out in the wild that for various reasons no longer connect to Tesla and do not receive over-the-air software updates. Some of them are running software versions that are now several years old. Sure, they don't get the latest software features or UI design, but as a car they still work just fine.

So, pretty much like every other car in the universe that never gets a single update for its decade+ lifespan after it leaves the factory.

ECU and TCU firmware updates are not uncommon.

Re: Musk to review all of Tesla's expenses in new cost cutting plan

#120
post #110

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Neither of those companies lost billions before reaching break-even or profitability.

Even buying the burn rate in the title, Tesla's losses are like 8% of revenue. That's not at all far off from where Amazon and Google were in their early years. Again, it's not that there isn't an accounting worry here, what concerns me is the... hate. Just the visceral hate about this company that wants it to fail so badly that it leads people to apply these crazy double standards.

How many shares do you own bro?
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