Twitter under Musk....

[C R]

Plus, Musk with Twitter managed to drive away a lot of income/advertisers before he started getting involved in politics so he'd already developed that toxic association from his actions at Twitter, now add his far-right political campaigning and it's just adding toxicity.

And now Musk seems to be interfering with Romanian politics, pushing Georgescu

And interfering in Spanish politics pushing Abascal (far-right leader of Vox).

Ian

Am I the only one that never found Musk, or Jobs for that matter, worthy of their cult status?

 

[AuroraSaab]

They're really not far off the Chinese offerings. Within 10% in a lot of instances. A car built by a million communists is a more appealing prospect than a Tesla to me. People like Musk and owners like Andy put me off, anyway... But, I agree Teslas range of cars is becoming outdated they're bland and now Aliens won't visit us because Elon put one in space to bore potential visitors to death...

I don't like the Tesla styling personally but I think it'll be the putting all their eggs in one basket that will harm them most. You could say Aston Martin or Ferrari do the same but they are small volume producers whereas Tesla aim at the mass market, albeit the top end.

Tesla need a Golf sized car that's more conventional because as ev's become more mainstream the novelty of niche, spaceage styling and techiness wears off a bit. Not everybody wants to turn the indicators on via a touchscreen.

 

[Psamathe]

Am I the only one that never found Musk, or Jobs for that matter, worthy of their cult status?

It is weird. I can recognise somebody as very capable but can't think of anybody I'd regard as "cult status". Recognise tallent and ability but it does seem to have got out of hand.

nb I don't see talent nor ability in Musk, can't even see what his cult following think he is capable at.

Ian

 

[AuroraSaab]

Am I the only one that never found Musk, or Jobs for that matter, worthy of their cult status?

Society does tend to over lionise successful innovators, especially tech ones. They have feet of clay like the rest of us. When Jobs returned to Apple he shut down all their charitable activities.

 

[Psamathe]

Tesla need a Golf sized car that's more conventional because as ev's become more mainstream the novelty of niche, spaceage styling and techiness wears off a bit. Not everybody wants to turn the indicators on via a touchscreen.

I don't know or understand the car market, particularly in the US but wouldn't a smaller sized model be primarily targetted at and sold outside the US, those countries where Musk is becommingly increasingly toxic and tarnishing Tesla by associoation.

Ian

 

[C R]

Society does tend to over lionise successful innovators, especially tech ones. They have feet of clay like the rest of us. When Jobs returned to Apple he shut down all their charitable activities.

But neither of those two ever innovated anything, they got involved with the right people and built their success off of others work and ideas.

 

[icowden]

I don't know or understand the car market, particularly in the US but wouldn't a smaller sized model be primarily targetted at and sold outside the US, those countries where Musk is becommingly increasingly toxic and tarnishing Tesla by associoation.

Ian

They have announced a new smaller Tesla. It won't be aimed at techphobes though. Tesla is still a world leader in EVs. Their software development is unparallelled, but they have failed to deliver on autonomous driving and interest is dwindling in FSD as most countries won't allow it to be used. They still provide regular software updates and listen to their users when developing new features.

The old school like VW are incredibly pedestrian in comparison. My ID4 Pro 2023 edition will not be getting significant software updates because they have updated the software and screen tech for the ID2025 and have no plans to retrofit the new screens / processors. So that's a new £50k EV rendered software end of life in just 2 years.

 

[AuroraSaab]

Possibly. They have a German plant I think so could make it there just for European consumption. It depends how much of the sales downturn is genuinely due to the Musk effect or to other factors. It might be that the initial turn off doesn't persist, or doesn't affect the used market which might be a different type of buyer (eg simply looking for good value rather than making a statement) to those purchasing new.

 

[AuroraSaab]

So that's a new £50k EV rendered software end of life in just 2 years.

Which is why it's mad to buy any brand new ev. Our was bought used at the same price as the petrol equivalent. The price premium on new ones is ridiculous.

 

[HMS_Dave]

I don't know or understand the car market, particularly in the US but wouldn't a smaller sized model be primarily targetted at and sold outside the US, those countries where Musk is becommingly increasingly toxic and tarnishing Tesla by associoation.

Ian

Smaller cars are definitely part of the US car market, and are growing, ford did OK with a number of their mid to smaller models but large cars still dominate the market there. Mind you it puts in mind how much Europeans really valued small cars in times gone and how small cars today would have been rather on the larger side then. The Mini for example and a number of Renaults and Peugeots and VWs of that era compared to today.

 

[matticus]

Meanwhile the toe-sucking brothers are in hot water. Judge has bitten them on the bottom and they are retreating in humiliation ...


View: https://youtu.be/kegqLSZi7o8

Could you have found a more irritating presenter?!? Still, it appears to be good news. Here's one of the early key points (in picture form, for the ... special members of our community):

(I haven't played it all, ... )

EDIT: oh, there's a precis on the YT page:

Rachel Maddow reports on the walk back taking place shortly after a withering rebuke from a federal judge for not complying with an order to allow (USAID) funding to continue, all amid the embarrassment of having to un-fire federal workers recklessly let go without consideration for the necessity of their role.

 

[CXRAndy]

Keep up with the outrage. All will be forgotten in a little while 👍

 

[AuroraSaab]

The current Polo is the same size as a Mk 1 Golf. Manufacturers are much better at optimising inside space but the size of old cars is really jarring when you see them now - a Granada doesn't look like a big car anymore and a Capri seems tiny.

 

[icowden]

The current Polo is the same size as a Mk 1 Golf. Manufacturers are much better at optimising inside space but the size of old cars is really jarring when you see them now - a Granada doesn't look like a big car anymore and a Capri seems tiny.

Of course. The main difference is that the modern versions are much, much safer (well for the occupants anyway). If you crash an old Granda or Capri it's unlikely that you are walking away from it. When you add side impact bars, roll frames, airbags etc, the size has to go up.

 

[Ian H]

Am I the only one that never found Musk, or Jobs for that matter, worthy of their cult status?

I think everyone's hero ought to be Clem Atlee* who, with a much poorer financial hand than the current government, managed to significantly change UK society for the better.

(*"A modest little man, with much to be modest about". -W. Churchill)