Elon Musk

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Fri Sep 29, 2023 12:01 am

The man keeps cropping up in many threads and is a political player, if only by virtue of having more money than God. So let's give him a thread, shall we?

To kick off, the Guardian asks "What makes Elon Musk tick?"

He has 155 million followers on Twitter/X (we’ll call it Twitter from now on for simplicity’s sake), which is more than anyone else. Only a very few people – Barack Obama (132 million), Justin Bieber (111 million) – can have any idea of what that is like.

However, unlike Obama, who follows 550,000 accounts on Twitter, Musk follows only 415. That anyone can copy (or at least they could, before the platform recently changed its code so you can now only see a small handful of users’ followers rather than the full list). So that’s what I did, spending this past summer following the exact same accounts Musk follows and no one else, to see what the world looks like from inside his personal Twitter bubble. I wanted to be a fly on the wall in the room with the people who are shaping the thoughts of one of the most influential, and unpredictable, individuals on the planet. I should add that I’ve never followed anyone else on Twitter before – I’ve never even had a Twitter account – so it was all new to me. What can I say? It’s pretty mind-blowing.

What follows at length is certainly interesting and worth the time to read. This part surprised me:

Still, it’s worth saying what Musk’s Twitterverse is not. It’s not Trumpy. There are very few Trump enthusiasts here and Musk himself – who says he voted for Clinton in 2016 and Biden in 2020 – for a while seemed to favour Ron DeSantis, whose campaign he helped to launch with a disastrous interview on Twitter Spaces that was memorable only for the catastrophic failure of the tech. There is little or no climate scepticism. Tesla describes itself as a clean energy company, and Musk does not seem to doubt that radical action on global warming/heating/boiling is needed. ... when lockdown pushback tips over into outright vaccine denialism, Musk sometimes tries to set the record straight in his inimitable deadpan style: “To be frank, we’re lucky to have modern medicine.”

He is covid-skeptical, but not vaccine-skeptical.

To cut right to the author's conclusion for those who won't read it (spoilered for those who will):

Spoiler:

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Fri Sep 29, 2023 8:15 am

I wonder if this (and this kind of thing) is possibly indicative of future political plans:

EAGLE PASS, Texas, Sept 28 (Reuters) - Billionaire Elon Musk waded into the U.S. immigration debate on Thursday, paying a visit to the Texas border with Mexico to meet with local politicians and law enforcement and obtain what he called an "unfiltered" view of the situation.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Sep 29, 2023 9:05 am

Funny how he goes to EP to worry about border security. EP is glaring success story of the US opening the borders of Mexico. In 1998, EP was small border crossing town. It had Pizza Hut, "the Kettle",WalMart, HEB, and a bar in tiny mall, La Quinta Inn... And that was the whole town. When I last went there nearly 10 years ago, the metro area is huge. Border crossing is lined for miles with trucks and railroad is a place you don't know want to get near in a car. Piedras Negras is full manufacturing.

Crime there has always been bad. It's nothing new. It's probably not as bad with employment being higher and higher and higher on both sides of the border.

It's main artery for parts for his Tesla production, so I can see where he'd take an interest that way.

Alefroth · Post by **Alefroth** » Fri Sep 29, 2023 4:24 pm

It must have suffered quite a downturn. I was stationed there in 82 and it was fairly sizeable then.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Fri Sep 29, 2023 4:31 pm

Stationed for what? I don't remember any military installation anywhere around there. Lots of border patrol, though.

To the Internet!!!!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eagle_Pass_Army_Airfield

There we go...

The facility was finally closed in 1991 when the United States Air Force ended its use of the airfield, having designated the field as Laughlin Air Force Auxiliary Landing Field #1 in 1962, using it as part of the pilot training school at Laughlin AFB.

I suppose that's how PN got its reputation for being a "boy's town" even as I couldn't see it whenever I was there.

Alefroth · Post by **Alefroth** » Fri Sep 29, 2023 11:48 pm

Fort Bliss. A misnomer if there ever was one.

waitingtoconnect · Post by **waitingtoconnect** » Sat Sep 30, 2023 2:01 am

Alefroth wrote: ↑Fri Sep 29, 2023 11:48 pm Fort Bliss. A misnomer if there ever was one.

Funny US fort names could be a whole thread.

Seriously though Elon is dangerous. He certainly has major issues controlling himself in the same way Donald trump does.

https://thehill.com/opinion/civil-right ... mites/amp/

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Sat Sep 30, 2023 8:00 am

Google say that's around El Paso. I've never been to El Paso. Eagle Pass is a bit of drive from there south east from there. San Antonio is much closer. That's where we always flew in to and then drove for three hours to get to our hotel. I know there military bases there, as multiple family have moved in and out there one reason or another.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Sat Sep 30, 2023 8:29 am

https://reddit.com/r/EnoughMuskSpam/s/TXGEn4noAj

Elon Musk

@elonmusk
Just for the record, my boots are 20 years old and my hat is ten years old.

And I have an arsenal of weapons, most of which I bought in California before they changed the law to make it impossible to do so.

I’ve hip-fired a 50 cal while walking. Might have the video somewhere.

Ultimate "cool story, bro" material.

I'm actively avoiding linking to Twitter now but he also posted a dumb video of him shooting a Barrett .50 like a typical influencer.

Alefroth · Post by **Alefroth** » Sat Sep 30, 2023 1:48 pm

LordMortis wrote: ↑Sat Sep 30, 2023 8:00 am Google say that's around El Paso. I've never been to El Paso. Eagle Pass is a bit of drive from there south east from there. San Antonio is much closer. That's where we always flew in to and then drove for three hours to get to our hotel. I know there military bases there, as multiple family have moved in and out there one reason or another.

My mistake. I thought the EP was El Paso.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Sat Sep 30, 2023 3:08 pm

Musk has been openly attacking Soros and cheering an end to US funding for Ukraine. Now he's pretending to be a border cowboy and posting pictures of himself firing weapons, claiming that he doesn't "start fights" but he "ends them."

This guy is unraveling fast. I would have assumed that being the wealthiest person on earth would be more... comforting.

Freyland · Post by **Freyland** » Sat Sep 30, 2023 3:57 pm

Holman wrote: ↑Sat Sep 30, 2023 3:08 pm Musk has been openly attacking Soros and cheering an end to US funding for Ukraine. Now he's pretending to be a border cowboy and posting pictures of himself firing weapons, claiming that he doesn't "start fights" but he "ends them."

This guy is unraveling fast. I would have assumed that being the wealthiest person on earth would be more... comforting.

Apparently stuffing a rolled up wad of bills in your pants does not, in fact, make you feel like you have a big penis.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Mon Oct 02, 2023 12:00 pm

He is already one of the biggest dicks I am aware of.

Apollo · Post by **Apollo** » Mon Oct 02, 2023 12:12 pm

I saw a news article a while back that reported he was taking Ketamine, according to someone who personally knew him, and that was what was causing his erratic behavior. I don't know if it was a reliable source or not but it has made me wonder. I sorta liked the guy until he started running his mouth a few years ago. Maybe it was the Person of the Year award from Time Magazine that pushed him off the cliff?

Unfortunately, I think it's most likely that his behavior is just calculated to appeal to Trump fans and draw them into his orbit.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Mon Oct 02, 2023 12:31 pm

It's so easy to be viewed as a decent person when you can own your own PR firm.

Yet many of these guys are clearly assholes. It's got to be a conscious decision to tell the world you're an asshole. To what end? I have no idea.

Apollo · Post by **Apollo** » Mon Oct 02, 2023 12:44 pm

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Mon Oct 02, 2023 12:31 pm ...Yet many of these guys are clearly assholes. It's got to be a conscious decision to tell the world you're an asshole. To what end? I have no idea.

A lot of folks are attracted to assholes. Just look at the modern GOP. And by letting the Assholes of the World know that you're one of them probably makes it a lot easier to sell them on your new social media platform.

I think Elon is jealous of Trump's following and wants to be the new King of the world's angry idiots. After all, Trump's old and Elon wants to be at the head of the line to grab the crown when Trump finally disappears from the public spotlight.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Mon Oct 02, 2023 5:48 pm

GreenGoo wrote: ↑Mon Oct 02, 2023 12:31 pm It's so easy to be viewed as a decent person when you can own your own PR firm.

Yet many of these guys are clearly assholes. It's got to be a conscious decision to tell the world you're an asshole. To what end? I have no idea.

There's a theory that he's trying to replicate Trump's old role on Twitter as hero to the right and hate-watch for the liberals and the left. After all, Trump was Twitter's main character for a long time. He was a big draw.

But Trump was always selling Trump, first and foremost. Elon seems to be selling bigotry and fringe-right for their own sake. It's not working, not least because Elon himself lacks Trump's raw charisma.

The more likely explanation is that he's just genuinely a racist asshole and that owning the playground makes him feel free to play how he wants.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Oct 02, 2023 7:25 pm

Holman wrote: ↑Mon Oct 02, 2023 5:48 pm The more likely explanation is that he's just genuinely a racist asshole and that owning the playground makes him feel free to play how he wants.

It definitely feels like he's trying to tap into the attention-whoring that people like Trump were able to achieve during the 2020 campaign. Not that Elon is running for something, but I genuinely get the impression he's trying to act like a good to feed off the attention he saw.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Oct 03, 2023 9:26 am

Oddly enough:

On the day that public records revealed that Elon Musk had become Twitter’s biggest shareholder, an unknown sender texted the billionaire and recommended an article imploring him to acquire the social network outright.

Musk’s purchase of Twitter, the 3,000-word anonymous article said, would amount to a “declaration of war against the Globalist American Empire.” The sender of the texts was offering Musk, the Tesla and SpaceX CEO, a playbook for the takeover and transformation of Twitter. As the anniversary of Musk's purchase approaches, the identity of the sender remains unknown.

The three texts were sent on April 4, 2022. In the nearly 18 months since then, many of the decisions Musk made after he bought Twitter appear to have closely followed that road map, up to and including his ongoing attacks against the Anti-Defamation League, a nonprofit organization founded by Jewish Americans to counter discrimination.

The text messages described a series of actions Musk should take after he gained full control of the social media platform: “Step 1: Blame the platform for its users; Step 2: Coordinated pressure campaign; Step 3: Exodus of the Bluechecks; Step 4: Deplatforming.”

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Tue Oct 03, 2023 9:39 am

The article is much more interesting than the quote.

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Tue Oct 03, 2023 9:43 am

Not a surprise. He has been telling us who he is.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Tue Oct 03, 2023 10:19 am

"Globalist American Empire"? Nick Fuentes, you cowardly anonymous shit, is that you?

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Wed Oct 04, 2023 10:23 am

I recall discussing that same material in the other thread several months ago.

El Guapo · Post by **El Guapo** » Thu Oct 05, 2023 7:49 pm

Also the SEC sued Musk again, this time for failing to appear for testimony as scheduled. The SEC appears to be investigating his late filing of required forms (and probably filing on the wrong form when he did) related to his Twitter takeover.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Tue Nov 21, 2023 12:50 am

Is Elon Musk still a green billioinaire?

Elon Musk was once lauded as a sort of green Tony Stark – the genius inventor who leads a double life as superhero Iron Man – for single-handedly tackling the climate crisis one Tesla at a time, helping to forge a clean energy future and pushing for new taxes to drive down fossil fuel use.

But the climate credentials of the world’s richest person have become clouded by his embrace of rightwing politicians, some of whom dismiss global heating, as well as by his management of X, formerly known as Twitter, during which many climate scientists have fled the platform amid a proliferation of misinformation about the climate crisis.

Those contradictions run deeply through his work and life. The man who sometimes seems to think of himself as a spartan-living, green thinker is actually one of the elite 1% of the world’s population who, according to a new Oxfam report, produce as much carbon pollution as the poorest two-thirds of humanity, comprising 5 billion people. Where does the reality lie?

Answers at the link.

LordMortis · Post by **LordMortis** » Tue Nov 21, 2023 10:14 am

Kraken wrote: ↑Tue Nov 21, 2023 12:50 am spartan-living, green thinker

Who doesn't want people tracking the movement of his children via the constant movements of his private jet...

Answers at the link.

you turned in to click bait so slowly I never noticed.

Kraken · Post by **Kraken** » Tue Nov 21, 2023 11:55 am

LordMortis wrote: ↑Tue Nov 21, 2023 10:14 am
Kraken wrote: ↑Tue Nov 21, 2023 12:50 am spartan-living, green thinker
Who doesn't want people tracking the movement of his children via the constant movements of his private jet...

Answers at the link.
you turned in to click bait so slowly I never noticed.

You won't believe #5!

malchior · Post by **malchior** » Tue Nov 21, 2023 2:53 pm

Don't scroll too much or you might get Nazi advertising isn't quite the devastating argument they seem to think it is.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Tue Nov 21, 2023 5:57 pm

LordMortis wrote: ↑Tue Nov 21, 2023 10:14 am Who doesn't want people tracking the movement of his children via the constant movements of his private jet...

Or the opposite of that:

Grimes resorted to tracking Elon Musk's private jets in attempt to serve him with custody papers

Alefroth · Post by **Alefroth** » Thu Nov 23, 2023 2:34 pm

It'll be interesting to see how he responds to this-

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/ ... e-on-tesla

Elon Musk has decried a wave of “insane” strikes focused on Tesla workshops in Sweden, as workers target the US electric car manufacturer in a strike calling for collective bargaining rights.

In what has been portrayed as the largest fight in decades to save Sweden’s union model from global labour practices, the powerful trade union IF Metall has been leading a strike across eight Tesla workplaces in Sweden for five weeks.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Thu Nov 23, 2023 4:18 pm

Sweden's labor laws mean that other unions have nearly free rein in supporting the Tesla workers. So, for example, the parcel delivery service that supplies Tesla with license plates (and is the only entity that can legally do so) will refuse to deliver them.

No plates, no legal sales. Tesla can't sell cars in Sweden until they satisfy the strikers.

Alefroth · Post by **Alefroth** » Thu Nov 23, 2023 5:08 pm

And also dock workers refusing to unload them.

Jaymann · Post by **Jaymann** » Thu Nov 23, 2023 6:18 pm

Will call girls refuse to service them?

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Thu Nov 23, 2023 8:25 pm

[Makes himself globally hated by the industrial workers upon whom his enterprises depend]

"Masterful gambit, sir."

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Fri Nov 24, 2023 10:32 am

Jaymann wrote: ↑Thu Nov 23, 2023 6:18 pm Will call girls refuse to service them?

If they are unionized.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Nov 24, 2023 11:29 am

Between Trump, Musk, and all the wannabe versions of both coming out of the woodwork, I have to ask: have politics and business *always* been dominated by narcissists and sociopaths?

I'm going to assume that the answer is Yes. So what is the mechanism that seems to be unleashing them to be their most obvious selves now?

Maybe social media? In the past, media gatekeepers dampened the degree to which a public figure's unhinged self-regard could shape and reshape public discourse. (Citizen Kane is a case-study here. And it's notable that Henry Ford found it necessary to establish his own newspaper in order to get his fascist and antisemitic views out there.)

But there must be a cultural element to it as well. It seems likely that there were narcissists among the Carnegies, Vanderbilts, Rockefellers, and their robber-baron peers, but they all saw benefit in building museums and galleries and concert halls with their excess wealth. Sure, these were monuments to themselves, but they were also gifts to the public. Trump and Musk, meanwhile, seem happier tearing down anything that isn't theirs.

We live in Weird Times.

Victoria Raverna · Post by **Victoria Raverna** » Fri Nov 24, 2023 4:37 pm

I think colonization of Mars is Musk's version of building museums, galleries, and concert halls. If he is successful in that, it'll be more important and bigger monument than museums, galleries, or concert halls.

Holman · Post by **Holman** » Fri Nov 24, 2023 4:42 pm

Victoria Raverna wrote: ↑Fri Nov 24, 2023 4:37 pm I think colonization of Mars is Musk's version of building museums, galleries, and concert halls. If he is successful in that, it'll be more important and bigger monument than museums, galleries, or concert halls.

That just reflects his stupidity and his God-complex.

Colonization of Mars is impossible with current levels of technology. Achieving the required level of technology is impossible without a massive effort to address the climate crisis. (Note that sending a handful of scientists to live in a hole on Mars until *they* die is not "colonization.")

Imagine being in a position to materially contribute to saving planet Earth and deciding to skip it because you just prefer Heinlein to hippies.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Fri Nov 24, 2023 4:50 pm

Agreed. Colonization of Mars is not possible with current or next gen technology. Probably not with the generation after that either.

I don't fault the guy for pushing. Someone has to push boundaries. But any belief he's going to see it is shockingly naive.

That said, we're refuting VR's claim that he suggested might be Elon's, not Elon's himself.

Victoria Raverna · Post by **Victoria Raverna** » Fri Nov 24, 2023 4:57 pm

It is impossible but if no one is pushing for it, it'll never be possible.