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Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel stepping down

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101–110 of 166 posts

Re: Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel stepping down

#101
post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Like the saying goes: 'when someone shows you who they really are, believe them'. The whole Thai cave rescue really showed who Elon Musk is: an incorrigible sociopath who's shortcomings make it difficult to celebrate any success he has.

We need to stop this culture of taking single sentences and vilifying people over them. People get tired, they get mad, temporarily confused, and can be good people 95% of the time, and a bit of a jerk other times. But the internet never forgets, so we as a people need to learn to forgive a bit more.

95% of people aren't billionaires whose social media presence is followed globally and whose every public comment is repeated by the media, and 95% of people don't accuse someone else of being a pedophile because they're tired or mad or "momentarily confused."

Like it or not, we live in a society in which words have social and occasionally legal ramifications. Elon Musk trying to ruin someone's life for bruising his ego isn't something society should shrug off and forgive simply because "people aren't perfect."

Re: Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel stepping down

#102

Why do some many people hate Tesla and want them to fail? Do they also want SpaceX to fail? Elon can be an asshat sometimes, and he oversells and is over-optimistic. But even if the short sellers are right and Tesla will go bankrupt (which, btw, does not equal failure in many ways), why are so many people excited about that? Most tech giants of recent times have done things I would consider to have made the world a m…

Building a handful of electric cars while milking investors is not doing a lot for humanity.

Re: Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel stepping down

#103
post #56

Earlier quoted context omitted.

To be honest it really disturbs why people hate Tesla so much. Citing your reason for them being over-optimistic or over-promising, how else do people change the world? I don't mean this message as an attack but something to think about. These guys are working on something No one has EVER done in the history of mankind and we require them to stick to timetables and if they don't the punishment is we wish them failure…

All that is great. I just wish they could do it without lying through their teeth. Elon is still claiming with a straight face that fully autonomous, L5 Teslas are coming next year. This is a lie. Everyone knows it is a lie. Why is this necessary? Couldn't he change the world without engaging in that sort of behavior?

Lying is perhaps the wrong word here. Sharing self-delusion is probably a more accurate way of describing it. He genuinely believes many of his own exaggerations. But to be fair without a big dose of self delusion no one would be crazy enough to try these things in the first place.

I take his claims with a massive pinch of salt, while also appreciating that trait is somewhat necessary to solve the problems he's trying to solve.

Re: Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel stepping down

#104

> His departure is the latest in a long string of high-profile executives to leave Tesla in the past year, most recently Steve McManus, a vice president in charge of engineering for car interiors and exteriors at Tesla, who joined Apple. Two other former Tesla executives, Michael Schwekutsch, and chief engineer Doug Field, have also left to join Apple. Not to understate the significance of Tesla losing Straubel, but…

There is only one executive left from their proxy filing one year ago: Elon Musk.

Re: Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel stepping down

#105

"His role cannot be understated" Is this a typo or another think you crazy Americans do backwards, like "I can hardly wait"

If his role is important, this should read, "his role cannot be overstated." Just like people they don't care at all should be saying "I couldn't care less." It annoys me, too!

I would argue that overstated would be wrong because you could surely overstate his role. "He was the only reason Tesla existed, would be overstating his role.

I think "his role shouldn't be understated" would be the correct phrase given the context.

Re: Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel stepping down

#106
post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Since January 2018: Jason Mendez, director of manufacturing engineering Will McColl, manager of equipment engineering Jon McNeill, president of global sales and services Eric Branderiz, chief accounting officer Susan Repo, corporate treasurer and vice president of finance Jim Keller, head of Autopilot hardware engineering Georg Ell, director of Western Europe operations Matthew Schwall, director of field performance…

30 people leaving Tesla with job titles as low as "manager" over the course of a year and a half is almost meaningless without seeing how this stacks up against other tech companies of a similar size.

This is no normal company though right? They are going to have a million robotaxis on the road in a year,Solar tiles,semis, news models,FSD and the stock is going to the moon.

Yet everyone is leaving?

Re: Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel stepping down

#107
post #77

Why do some many people hate Tesla and want them to fail? Do they also want SpaceX to fail? Elon can be an asshat sometimes, and he oversells and is over-optimistic. But even if the short sellers are right and Tesla will go bankrupt (which, btw, does not equal failure in many ways), why are so many people excited about that? Most tech giants of recent times have done things I would consider to have made the world a m…

Of the top of my head, these are a few things that if Tesla can get away with while having a huge fanbase and no repercussions, every future startup is going to try: 1) Tesla Had 3 Times as Many OSHA Violations as the 10 Largest US Plants Combined[1] 2) Elon Musk personally doxxing a market analyst who provided in-depth analysis of Tesla financials, by calling his boss and threatening to sue if he continued his side…

This is a great post summarizing why I could care less if Tesla folds. And when some of this stuff is settled,there are going to be many in the tech influencer world with egg on their faces.

Re: Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel stepping down

#108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They all will. Volkswagen is doing it for its electric cars. But that level of connectivity is not necessarily a good thing: https://www.thedrive.com/tech/29120/top-ota-expert-shows-how...

i wouldnt count on it bosh has a choke hold on any innovation in the auto software space , at this point its no secret that auto software is in the state it is because of bosch choke hold on the whole market .

Volkswagen must have missed that particular memo:

https://www.automotivelinux.org/announcements/2019/04/08/vol...

https://europe.autonews.com/automakers/vw-exec-kick-starts-b...

https://www.digitaltrends.com/cars/2020-volkswagen-id-3-elec...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8cHHNPRg-c

Re: Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel stepping down

#109
post #100

Why do some many people hate Tesla and want them to fail? Do they also want SpaceX to fail? Elon can be an asshat sometimes, and he oversells and is over-optimistic. But even if the short sellers are right and Tesla will go bankrupt (which, btw, does not equal failure in many ways), why are so many people excited about that? Most tech giants of recent times have done things I would consider to have made the world a m…

> Why do some many people hate Tesla and want them to fail? My feeling is that the overwhelming majority of Tesla critics do not hate Tesla, and do not want Tesla to fail. Rather, they see Tesla as a small, unimportant, poorly run company that gets far more press (positive and negative) than it deserves, and who respond by needling Tesla super-fans. The super fans, in turn, react by treating this as shocking, but it'…

Tesla has advanced the advent of BEV by something like 10y. There are multiple statements by old car CEOs who admit that Tesla forced their hand to finally take electric cars seriously. So no, Tesla is not unimportant. At all.

Re: Tesla co-founder and CTO JB Straubel stepping down

#110
post #100

Why do some many people hate Tesla and want them to fail? Do they also want SpaceX to fail? Elon can be an asshat sometimes, and he oversells and is over-optimistic. But even if the short sellers are right and Tesla will go bankrupt (which, btw, does not equal failure in many ways), why are so many people excited about that? Most tech giants of recent times have done things I would consider to have made the world a m…

> Why do some many people hate Tesla and want them to fail? My feeling is that the overwhelming majority of Tesla critics do not hate Tesla, and do not want Tesla to fail. Rather, they see Tesla as a small, unimportant, poorly run company that gets far more press (positive and negative) than it deserves, and who respond by needling Tesla super-fans. The super fans, in turn, react by treating this as shocking, but it'…

> Rather, they see Tesla as a small, unimportant, poorly run company (...)

> (...)

> Tesla is just another car company making just another car.

Definitely false. Q2 revenue was 25% of Nissan's (which crossed my radar recently due to layoffs). That may be small, for some definition of small, but it's definitely not "small, unimportant". I won't comment on poorly run -- a qualitative assessment that does not lead to a definitive conclusion. I'd challenge with a comparison to a well run startup in the automotive space, but there is none to compare it with.

As for another car company making just another car, I don't understand how can you even write those words together. A Tesla may be a good car, a poor car, depending on who you ask. What it is definitely not is your average Volkswagen.

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