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Trevor Milton is raising funds for a new jet he claims will transform flying

wsj.com

41–50 of 221 posts

Re: Trevor Milton is raising funds for a new jet he claims will transform flying

#41
post #30

I struggle to understand the psychology of how founders who are clearly incompetent charlatans get second+ chances -- they couldn't do fraud successfully but investors have a faith they could do business successfully. But they still get funding (like adam neumann of wework fame) and full on "narrative tongue baths" by the business media community (like this wsj article on trevor milton). Why? I struggle to understand…

The past failure is in the abstract, and in the past. And anyway, they were unfairly maligned. There is an inside version of the story that they will be happy to tell you, which was clearly not their fault. But that is neither here nor there. What is important is the now, and in the now you are in the presence of someone who is Good At Making Money. And you too, by joining forces, will be Making Lots Of Money with th…

This guy is a crook. Every adjective you could use to describe this guy goes against my core values.

Re: Trevor Milton is raising funds for a new jet he claims will transform flying

#42
post #15

> Trevor Milton’s conviction for defrauding investors in truck company Nikola was wiped away Best justice money can buy. > He’s now raising funds for a new jet he claims will transform flying With his history building the "truck that can roll unpowered down a hill" I shudder to think just how his jet would transform flying.

they're going to pioneer "AI flight" :D

Re: Trevor Milton is raising funds for a new jet he claims will transform flying

#43

The President has plenary authority to grant pardons and I imagine a time, in the near future, when questioning any authority of this administration would he deemed an act of treason. Therefore, I wish only the best of luck to never-committed-a-crime Trevor Milton and to the infallibility of our dear leader in his wise and judicious use of the power he has been given by God and the Constitution.

[flagged]

Re: Trevor Milton is raising funds for a new jet he claims will transform flying

#44

Earlier quoted context omitted.

'We Can Trust You Now' is a quote in the story from the subject. The subject himself claims: “I walk into meetings now, and I’ll get high-fives from the most wealthy people in the world,” he said. “They’re like, ‘Welcome to the club. You can withstand the fire. We can trust you now.’” The WSJ interviewed him and is reporting information about his past. I think the article portrays him as extremely shady and untrustwo…

There's a school of thought that reporting on a bad person without coming out and saying "this is a bad person" is akin to endorsing that person. Myself, I think people are mature enough to be able to read past a headline and come away from this with a clear eyed view of this fraudster.

My rule has always been, forgive people, but never forget what they did. After they've made restitution, help them back to their feet, but don't let them ever get to the place where they can fail the same way. And whatever you do, don't let them get into a leadership position. They've already proved they can't help themselves when the pressure in on.

Re: Trevor Milton is raising funds for a new jet he claims will transform flying

#45

I struggle to understand the psychology of how founders who are clearly incompetent charlatans get second+ chances -- they couldn't do fraud successfully but investors have a faith they could do business successfully. But they still get funding (like adam neumann of wework fame) and full on "narrative tongue baths" by the business media community (like this wsj article on trevor milton). Why? I struggle to understand…

I recently invested a small amount of money in an early stage company where I had to declare I was either a 'high net worth individual' or a 'sophisticated investor'. The mutually exclusive clause seemed important to me.

Re: Trevor Milton is raising funds for a new jet he claims will transform flying

#46
post #37
post #25

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't this also in line with recent proclamations by at least two venture capitalists that they do not reflect / introspect / dwell on consequences in any way?

No because you don't understand what Andreessen means by reflection / introspection. He obviously thinks you should learn from your mistakes and that you must be an avid and quick learner. But learning skills is not what introspection / dwelling is. It's spending times on thoughts like "what should I be doing with my life". "I can't believe how much of a victim of the system I am". And he specifically contrasted it a…

> introspection / dwelling

It's surprising to me that you consider these equivalent.

Introspection is a process of discovery, to uncover a deeper cause why you did something.

Dwelling is when you can't let go.

Introspection is important. Dwelling is problematic.

Re: Trevor Milton is raising funds for a new jet he claims will transform flying

#47

I cannot fathom the thinking of any party investing in the new company of a convicted fraudster.

> In August [2022], it was announced that Andreessen Horowitz had invested in Neumann's new residential real-estate company, Flow.

source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adam_Neumann

Re: Trevor Milton is raising funds for a new jet he claims will transform flying

#48

I struggle to understand the psychology of how founders who are clearly incompetent charlatans get second+ chances -- they couldn't do fraud successfully but investors have a faith they could do business successfully. But they still get funding (like adam neumann of wework fame) and full on "narrative tongue baths" by the business media community (like this wsj article on trevor milton). Why? I struggle to understand…

I just can't comprehend the mental process or discussion that happened which led to this guy getting a pardon. It's just hard to imagine that anybody would give a f about this fraudster. Only explanation is he must know some dirt on someone. It's clear now. Modern society runs on blackmail. There's a blackmail hierarchy all the way to the top. I bet there are many people out there just making a living from just knowi…

[deleted]

Re: Trevor Milton is raising funds for a new jet he claims will transform flying

#49

I struggle to understand the psychology of how founders who are clearly incompetent charlatans get second+ chances -- they couldn't do fraud successfully but investors have a faith they could do business successfully. But they still get funding (like adam neumann of wework fame) and full on "narrative tongue baths" by the business media community (like this wsj article on trevor milton). Why? I struggle to understand…

I recently invested a small amount of money in an early stage company where I had to declare I was either a 'high net worth individual' or a 'sophisticated investor'. The mutually exclusive clause seemed important to me.

Maybe you become both by not investing in such a company.

Re: Trevor Milton is raising funds for a new jet he claims will transform flying

#50

The President has plenary authority to grant pardons and I imagine a time, in the near future, when questioning any authority of this administration would he deemed an act of treason. Therefore, I wish only the best of luck to never-committed-a-crime Trevor Milton and to the infallibility of our dear leader in his wise and judicious use of the power he has been given by God and the Constitution.

[flagged]

You seem a bit... political. What's your favorite tech stack?
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