> Boeing has entered the chat.
3 Likes
Like, ULA has 60% of national security launches, despite not having a launch vehicle that is certified to handle them (or having successfully tested their candidate), for the specific reason that they were dependent on Russian engines that were cut off as a result of the Ukraine conflict, and the investigation is going to be about how whether SpaceX wins too many contracts and whether that gives the Russians too much influence of US security?
When will the United States government give Elon Musk a break?
5 Likes
Boeing isn’t run by a meth-addled Nazi clown who will sabotage operations because of stuff he read on 4chan.
3 Likes
That would be better than their current leadership who can’t even build a safe capsule.
One day I hope to convince you all that it’s perfectly possible to hate Elon Musk and believe that he’s a psychotic reactionary nutjob while also accepting that he’s an exceptionally talented businessperson who’s started a number of genuinely revolutionary business enterprises. And on that fine day, you won’t have to force yourself to believe that the government contracting process favors iconoclastic weirdos over the military industrial complex. You won’t have to squint at the military awarding most of its launches to a prototype rocket over a lower-priced, more capable competitor with an unprecedented record of reliability and see a government handout to Elon Musk. And on that fine day, my friends, I think you’ll all be happier, more satisfied people.
But today is not that day, it seems.
5 Likes
It’s literally impossible to differentiate the lucky from the good. So you’ll never get skeptics to accept this as a fact.
I think it’s plausible that Musk had some good business sense, and like many other before him has been basically corrupted by unchecked power.
Do you remember that episode of the X-Files where there’s this crazy backcountry snake-handling preacher, and all throughout the episode, it’s strongly hinted that this preacher has some sort of demonic power over people. Then at the end it’s revealed that the devil is actually the reasonable, charming Methodist minister?
I will happily concede that Boeing is not run by crazy people though.
I’m not sure what you’re getting at. Is your thesis that Elon Musk is reasonable and charming?
or he’s a Methodist
2 Likes
I’m living proof.
1 Like
Why?
1 Like
It’s generally good to recognise when you believe things for emotional reasons rather than that they’re true.
His exceptional business qualities are literally those of Trump, world class narcissism plus an ability to lie relentlessly and shamelessly w/o consequence.
He is a degenerate gambler in that he reinvests every dollar he is paid out into a new risky enterprise, the latest being $10 billion he got for from selling Tesla stock into Twitter. It makes sense that the richest person on Earth would be a degen on an all time heater.
As far as designing rockets or whatever, no I don’t believe he is exceptional. I believe he is your cookie cutter hypercapitalist that is into stuff like crushing labor, treating employees as shitty as he can get away with, cutting corners and hoping for the best, etc.
Circling back to his world class narcissism of course all of this hypercapitalist stuff just comes natural to him. Already being the richest man on Earth isn’t going to stop him from trying to drink the milkshake of a Twitter employee trying to cash out a couple of million in stock options. Why would it? Musk is the GOAT that will save humanity and deserves every penny of his $267 billion whereas that Twitter employee is a worthless leech on society that must be crushed.
9 Likes
100%. He’s been on the doorstep of busto several times only to be magically bailed out by investors/the US government at the 11th hour.
Also 100% true but he’s built up a company of true believers at SpaceX that are good at designing rockets and stuff. Reusing rockets is a huge game changer that every other launch provider has to emulate going forward but the big competitors aren’t even attempting it because they’re happy to keep building and selling expensive single use rockets for now.
2 Likes
I would think that forging viewer numbers in order to trick advertisers into thinking the service is bigger than it is, is fraud. But what do I know
2 Likes
Re Elon/SpaceX being super duper exceptional
Can’t wait for the SpaceX implosion documentary in 2028 and Bobman still being here talking about how great Elon is.
1 Like
What if we accept that he’s an exceptionally talented capitalist while believing that capitalism is a scam?
Seems like this must be sarcasm, but just to be clear, this is the opposite of what I was saying.