this post was submitted on 12 Jul 2023
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Risa
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Come on'n get your jamaharon on! There are no real rules—just don't break the weather control network.
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To be fair Elon/SpaceX revolutionized apace travel, even if you ignore Starship.
Doesn't really change that he is a dick, but Wernher von Braun also was a Nazi.
It kinda annoys me to see people say "Elon revolutionized electric cars and space travel"
No. No he didn't.
Tesla took full advantage of economies of scale. If you mass produce an item, you can sell it for cheaper and still make a profit. Elon did not create Tesla, he bought it. https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Tesla,_Inc. So it's fair to argue that Tesla's idea was likely not Elon's idea. He just bankrolled it
SpaceX created a reusable rocket. However that's not the first time they were created, https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reusable_launch_vehicle#:~:text=In%20the%201960s%20and%201970s,were%20reduced%20to%20prototype%20testing. So spaceX took an idea that had been proven as a proof of concept, productized it and... Took advantage of economies of scale, again.
Elon isn't a genius. He just has enough money and the right people who manage him to successfully pull off other people's ideas and take advantage of economies of scale.
Ps: to be faiiiiiir
But Tesla actually did it. Amd its not a money thing, VW also has the money.
You're right and wrong.
VW has money, but they have established themselves in the market. They sell cars and don't have all that much reason to switch over to EVs because they are a relatively successful company.
Telsa is a new comer on the block, with any new business your first challenge is determining what you'll be focusing your business on. What exactly will be your advantage over your competition.
Telsa decided to focus on EVs which were few and far between. To do this, they produced a large number of vehicles (almost definitely at a loss) combined that with a solid marketing strategy and would later reap the profits. To afford that strategy takes money and is not a position an established company will take only a new company.
Having worked in a startup I can guarantee you, that was the original owners thought and do it well enough they either break even and go for the IPO or get bought out. I would suggest working in a startup but startups suck and will rove years off your life from stress so maybe don't go work for one.