Taylor LorenzNov 29, 2023
At the Dealbook summit, with X CEO Linda Yaccarino sitting in the room, Elon Musk just told advertisers who have pulled out of X — including Disney CEO Bob Iger — to go fuck themselves.
Show threadTaylor LorenzNov 29, 2023

"If someone is going to blackmail me with advertising, blackmail me with money, go fuck yourself. Go fuck yourself," he said.

He then called out Disney CEO Bob Iger in the audience, which paused advertising on Twitter saying, "Hi Bob!"

Show threadTaylor LorenzNov 29, 2023
"Just because it came out of my mouth, doesn't mean it's true," Elon Musk later said at the Dealbook summit.
Show threadTaylor LorenzNov 29, 2023

Andrew Ross Sorkin asks Musk about his mental state and Musk dove into how his mental state is admittedly stormy, not in a good way, then said:

"My life is finite, really a flash in the pan in a galactic timescale."

PolemicintentNov 30, 2023
Show threadTaylor Lorenz
You can watch the whole fiasco via this link. As my colleague noted, people who like Musk, like Trump, will eat this up. But Musk is running a business, not for political office. https://www.nytimes.com/live/2023/11/29/business/dealbook-summit-news
Elon Musk, Kamala Harris and More to Speak at DealBook Summit: Live Updates

Kamala Harris; the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog; President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan and Elon Musk headline the 2023 DealBook Summit. Follow along and watch select interviews.

The New York Times
Nov 29, 2023 at 11:11pmWeb
Show threadAngry CentristNov 29, 2023
@taylorlorenz "Musk is running a business" seems way more charitable than he deserves. It seems more like Musk is running a long, complex con and the businesses are just set pieces in the con.
Show threadeestileib (she/hers)Nov 30, 2023

@dkbgeek @taylorlorenz

His rocket company has a very reliable rocket (Falcon 9 is a workhorse).

His car company turned out some good cars (although that's kinda not the case so much any more).

My guess is that he's currently on drugs all the time, but likely not the ones he would be prescribed by a psychiatrist.

Show threadAngry CentristNov 30, 2023
@eestileib @taylorlorenz 1/2
1) His car and rocket companies have teams to mitigate the damage he does when he's "managing by walking around."
2) He lies about every project, every deadline, every list of deliverables, and already-delivered projects.
3) The Orwellian way in which he creates Newspeak is shocking... Rockets disintegrating because he pushes launches and tests capriciously even though they're already years behind schedule are called "successful tests" because of failure data, etc.
Show threadAngry CentristNov 30, 2023

@eestileib @taylorlorenz 2/2
4) He lies about the range of his cars.
5) He lies about the capabilities of his cars.
6) He lies about the viability of technology he pushes to market.
7) He overrules actual experts to do things "his way" that make his cars worse (demanding optical-only sensors, e.g., when optical+radar worked better in all conditions.

He's a narcissistic charlatan.

Show threadeestileib (she/hers)Nov 30, 2023

@dkbgeek @taylorlorenz

I don't disagree with any of the criticisms you have of his morals or behavior. I've worked for an untreated bipolar narcissistic tech visionary before, it's an awful experience and you leave knowing the warning signs. But you also sometimes deliver some shit that surprises people.

And the fact remains that his companies at some points _actually did groundbreaking work_. I could be convinced to say "yeah it was dumb luck" for one company (work in the valley and you'll see plenty of dumb lucky people). But being the guy in charge for _both_ the Falcon 9 and Roadster does not happen by accident.

Compare to Elizabeth Holmes or SBF, they never delivered anything of value at all, pure manipulators.

I wouldn't bet on him having another major breakthrough unless he kicks the drugs.

Show threadIsaac RabinovitchNov 30, 2023
@eestileib @dkbgeek @taylorlorenz I'm sorry, but "groundbreaking work"? You cite his early cars and his rockets. I don't see how any of these break ground. They count as incremental improvements over existing tech, his design contribution is nil, and he does a very shoddy job of running the companies that make them. His one actual skill is persuading VCs that he's a genius so they should give him money.
Show threadeestileib (she/hers)Nov 30, 2023

@isaac32767 @dkbgeek @taylorlorenz

Orbit-capable rocket platform with a _fully-reusable self-returning tailsitter primary stage_?

That's not groundbreaking?

You're letting your hate for the guy (which, believe me, I share) cloud your judgment.

Show threadIsaac RabinovitchNov 30, 2023

@eestileib @dkbgeek @taylorlorenz Yes, that's incremental improvement. And it's improvement that he can take very little credit for, beyond raising the money to make it happen.

You're letting your hero worship color your judgment.

Show threadeestileib (she/hers)Nov 30, 2023

@isaac32767 @dkbgeek @taylorlorenz

I already told you I hate the guy and think he's currently a drug-addled mess but 🤷🏼‍♀️

Show threadRoo_44Nov 30, 2023

@eestileib @dkbgeek @taylorlorenz

Sorry he hasn’t delivers on the Roadster yet but you can reserve one today…

Show threadeestileib (she/hers)Nov 30, 2023

@roo_44 @dkbgeek @taylorlorenz

You are absolutely right, the original roadster was released while he was not with the company.

I was thinking about the Model S.

Show threadwwewNov 30, 2023
@roo_44 the roadster was Tesla’s first car. It was basically a Lotus they electrified. It looked cool and was fast unlike all other ecars and got Tesla tons of free media and arguably was the first step to to where we are today. The new roadster in development is the modern update.
Show threadRoo_44Dec 1, 2023

@wwew

Yes Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning should be commend for it, besides great way to monetize tax credits!

Show threadzendao42Dec 2, 2023
@dkbgeek @taylorlorenz
He's RUINING businesses, not running them
Show threadtechnumNov 29, 2023
@taylorlorenz Got help us if he gets a whim to run for office next.
Show threadDavid Benfell, Ph.D. (he/him/his)Nov 30, 2023

@technum @taylorlorenz

He seems sufficiently delusional that he might. I can't see him winning unless it's governor of Texas or something.

Show threadDavid NjokuNov 29, 2023
@taylorlorenz Why did we ever think that this man was clever? I'm ashamed of all of us.
Show threadMorgane deSivNov 30, 2023
@taylorlorenz He is running a business, not for political office... yet he can shut down the internet of a specific area during a war to favor the side he likes best.
Show threadTim PantonNov 30, 2023
@taylorlorenz I think you are wrong. Musk is pivoting X to a US based 'everything app - cf WeChat' - for which he needs the permission of the FTC, FCC and SEC . He'll only get that if he gets chairs in that feel they owe him. That's what the current antics are aimed to do.
Show threadRealStephanieVADec 3, 2023
@taylorlorenz i watched it live and it was really quite something. Musk comes across troubled, to put it mildly.