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Starbase, LA

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Re: Starbase, LA

#481

Post by stackghost »

WalterBright wrote: post #470
stackghost wrote: post #467

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just like Kyrie Irving is a talented basketball player but also a catastrophically-deluded flat-earther, it's just as possible for gifted software engineers to have flawed reasoning about the economy.

> it's just as possible for gifted software engineers to have flawed reasoning about the economy. Are you sure your reasoning is flawless? Free markets correspond with prosperity, in case after case.

A truly free market is also free of regulation and embraces predatory actions by monopolists. Think being paid in company scrip instead of dollars. Think a single food supply monopoly with patented seeds you can be prosecuted for propagating, and harmful additives in food because it's cheaper. Think better education inaccessible for those nincompoops who weren't born into wealth. Serves them right for choosing to be born poor, amirite?

Some amount of regulation is required if you want a just, healthy, society, with economic mobility.

People say they want 100% free markets but they don't really comprehend what that looks like.

Re: Starbase, LA

#482

Post by tasspeed »

adamtaylor_13 wrote: post #48
ianm218 wrote: post #34

It’s easy to be pessimistic about Musk timelines/ big tech but I am thrilled that ambitious, real world, hard projects are happening in the US again.

You're being down-voted (and so shall I) but I think you're right. Despite all the animosity towards him, Musk is doing things that are economically meaningful for our nation. We'll need a few more of "him" to dig us out of this situation I reckon, but overall I still hope it's possible. (Anyone asking antagonistic questions can go ahead and save their fingers, I won't respond to the petty comments.)

we need more nazis?

Re: Starbase, LA

#483

Post by _DeadFred_ »

nradov wrote: post #452
tootie wrote: post #391

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This is almost certainly false. The vast majority of government spending goes directly to people that need it or debt service. There is very little outright fraud as DOGE quickly learned. The only meaningful target for cuts is military. And the only solution to debt is higher taxes.

The only solution to debt is growth.

Any day now all those tax cuts are going to pay off and trickle down. Any day.

Re: Starbase, LA

#484

Post by sixothree »

ralfd wrote: post #270
fatal94 wrote: post #156

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This sums up my and many others timeline of his understanding of engineering diciplines: https://mastodon.social/@rodhilton/109572674700288958

That link is from 2022 presumably about the twitter purchase. People like the guy in the link thought Twitter would go offline hard after firing almost all of the company, instead Elon was right and there was so much fat to cut.

Yeah, twitter is doing great. /s

Re: Starbase, LA

#485

Post by WalterBright »

stackghost wrote: post #481
WalterBright wrote: post #470

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> it's just as possible for gifted software engineers to have flawed reasoning about the economy. Are you sure your reasoning is flawless? Free markets correspond with prosperity, in case after case.

A truly free market is also free of regulation and embraces predatory actions by monopolists. Think being paid in company scrip instead of dollars. Think a single food supply monopoly with patented seeds you can be prosecuted for propagating, and harmful additives in food because it's cheaper. Think better education inaccessible for those nincompoops who weren't born into wealth. Serves them right for choosing to be…

> company scrip

Did you know that paychecks are private money? They aren't legal tender. RSU's are company scrip, too. Besides, nobody can make you take a job you don't want.

> patented seeds

Patents are a government invention, and I'm on record opposing them.

> harmful additives

Harming and/or defrauding customers is against the law and is actionable.

> better education inaccessible

Government run schools are pretty much bottom of the barrel.

Re: Starbase, LA

#486

Post by sixothree »

cesarvarela wrote: post #450
adamtaylor_13 wrote: post #48

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You're being down-voted (and so shall I) but I think you're right. Despite all the animosity towards him, Musk is doing things that are economically meaningful for our nation. We'll need a few more of "him" to dig us out of this situation I reckon, but overall I still hope it's possible. (Anyone asking antagonistic questions can go ahead and save their fingers, I won't respond to the petty comments.)

I wish he kept a lower profile. His public behavior risks overshadowing the work SpaceX is doing, work that could benefit humanity in ways we can’t yet fully anticipate. I wish we had more Elons pushing us toward a "future that looks like the future," as he said.

If we just don't talk about the blatant racism, the nazi salute, or that rampage about removing brown people from jobs they didn't deserve, it might stop being such a huge problem. Sure buddy.

Re: Starbase, LA

#487

Post by [deleted] »

boplicity wrote: post #149
bko wrote: post #140

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't know, government waste and most policy sucks. But there's no reason we can't do stuff or even try. For instance, take Tesla. It wasn't anything revolutionary. Any auto manufacturer could have invested in battery technology and building a compelling EV, but they didn't. Same with manufacturing in America. Every manufacturer took as given that they have to outsource manufacturing to oversees and components to t…

It's easy to forget that Tesla was made possible almost exclusively through government incentives. This is something that most people seem to have forgotten: Tesla exists because the government created incentive programs that paid in cold hard cash. Musk took advantage of those programs, and Tesla absolutely would not have been nearly as successful (and likely not existed) without it.

[deleted]

Re: Starbase, LA

#488

Post by modeless »

wat10000 wrote: post #404
modeless wrote: post #345

Earlier quoted context omitted.

TBC is still pursuing government permits and contracts to build tunnels. Not having succeeded in every case is not the same as abandoning the project. The new roadster is delayed, not abandoned. It's known to be in active development and is very likely to be demoed this year. Wrong timeline but not abandoned. The Tesla semi is on the road daily and the factory to build large quantities is almost complete. They're hos…

Did TBC ever pursue government permits and contracts for the DC tunnel? The nonsense "verbal govt approval" they mentioned makes me skeptical of the whole thing. New Roadster is over six years late and has basically gone silent at this point. Maybe it'll still come, just extremely late, but I'm very skeptical. Semi might be real, we'll see. If cars that were built with AP2/2.5/3 get upgraded to unsupervised FSD, I'll…

I'd be happy to take a bet on Roadster or Semi. As for older AP versions, Tesla will either be upgrading those cars or providing significant compensation to owners who purchased FSD, and I'd bet on that too.

Re: Starbase, LA

#489

Post by sixothree »

testing22321 wrote: post #340
webdood90 wrote: post #253

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> you’re demonstrating how far your head is in the sand Interesting. Perhaps ironic? If only society cared about genuinely good people like they seem to care about Musk. It's puzzling.

I want to be clear: I don’t care about Musk as a person. I care about facts. I care about achievements. Just the same as saying Israel is committing genocide is not antisemitism, saying Musk has achieved incredible things is not caring about or supporting him. Both cases are simply stating facts without any judgement or show of support/not support.

> I don’t care about Musk as a person.

How convenient. You have to ignore him on a personal level to be a supporter like you are. Because you know he's a repulsive individual on every level. And if you didn't qualify your support for him you'd debase yourself.

Re: Starbase, LA

#490

Post by WalterBright »

watutalkinbout wrote: post #468
WalterBright wrote: post #372

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The Boring Company is profitable. > His companies making those achievements is not the same as he personally making those achievements. Those achievements wouldn't have happened without him. > He does have some talent in being a CEO of a company and inspiring employees and investors. SpaceX employees are top shelf engineers and scientists. Being able to do that makes Musk a great CEO. Can you name any other CEO who h…

Steve jobs was not a great engineer. He was ruthless, manipulative and lacking empathy - like Musk.

And Apple never would have existed without Jobs.

Apple was 90 days from bankruptcy when the Second Coming of Jobs occurred. He took the same company, with the same engineers, from near bankruptcy to $347 billion.

Again, same engineers. 90 days from bankruptcy to $347 billion. Jobs was the magic ingredient - like Musk.

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