@pzmyers Self driving cars have already been invented. There's no need to reinvent the wheel.

I'm talking of course about trains.

but what billionaire can make a profit out of efficient mass transport?

@trapezius @[email protected] None, because in places where efficient mass transport can make a profit, either it's been done by the public sector already (e.g. Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Berlin...) or the government is so dysfunctional that if a private firm did start such a line the city would extract all profits through bullshit regulations.

EDIT: I wrote about it 2.5 year ago: https://pedestrianobservations.com/2020/06/14/the-problem-of-infrastructure-profits/

The Problem of Infrastructure Profits

I’m sometimes asked about the private sector’s role in infrastructure. I’ll cover this more broadly in the future, but for now, let me pour some cold water on the idea that a priv…

Pedestrian Observations

@Alon @pzmyers Thank you for this! Now that you mention it, it totally makes sense.

I appreciate you expanding my train knowledge as i am a huge fan of trains

@trapezius @[email protected]
I was gonna say something about Vanderbuilt & Rockefeller & then I remembered car companies monkeywrenching the streetcar companies & got depressed.
@trapezius @pzmyers railroad executivese seem to do OK, on the backs of their employees
@trapezius @pzmyers
Might be less "can't make $$$" and more "I don't want to share a space with *those* people." If you cast what Musk does in that light he makes more sense.