He was always crazy though. You just weren't paying attention then. No one remembers him going wild and calling the Thai rescue divers pedophiles to their face and all that?
The rescue divers were the first real public turning point. He has always been crazy, but he tried really, really, really hard to project a cool-uncle, anti-establishment persona online before that.
I think he eventually just realized he was rich enough to stop caring and so he stopped pretending.
I try not to judge Tesla drivers too much since plenty of them bought in before Elon went full mask-off in support of fascism, but if you own a Cybertruck you were 100% aware of what you were supporting when you bought it and I will absolutely judge you for that poor financial decision. Fucking Cyberdorks.
The idiots who've spent the past decade slobbing all up and down his knob have just willfully turned a blind eye to it cause they subjugated themselves to his derranged cult of personality, that was built all around the idea of his "saviour of humanity" bullshit with regards to his stupid rockets and electric cars.
Some people never heard. I see a lot of people accusing people of not listening, but for the first couple years I heard anything about Musk I didn't hear any negatives. I wasn't looking him up, I'd just see a joke or meme, and since I didn't care much I probably didn't even go into comments. I think the first real negative news I heard was the sub pedo incident.
Maybe the Model E Model 3 S3X thing, but at worst I considered that an immature joke and didn't think much further about it, nor heard anyway say anything seriously negative about it.
I'll always remember how surprised most of us were when he turned out to be a shitbag while those kids in Thailand were stuck in a cave. I had no opinion on him until then.
It may be unfair, but I've been increasingly judgemental of Tesla drivers, especially over the past 4 or 5 years. He used to just be a joke when he was tweeting edgelord stuff like his nightstand and trying to have images scrubbed from the internet of when he was still bald. Model S, model 3, model X (s3x, hur dur). Then I was made angry by the hyperloop and his distracting, unproductive impact of the way America thinks about mass transit. Then I got mad about Starlink, first as extremely expensive, dystopian sky litter. Then as a frightening glimpse at communication control in places with civil unrest/protest. Then he bought twitter, and did a hilariously bad job at running it. Installing a cartoonishly bad sign on his building and whatnot. Naming it something idiotic. Then helping bring Trump back from the dead. Then everything he has done in the 2024 election cycle. I don't know how people can stand to be associated with Elon and all the he represents in any way. It would be like driving around in a Jimmy Savile-mobile.
I acknowledge that it's unfair, but I'm judging you. Everyone driving in a Tesla looks like a rube at best, tacky and vain at least, or a contributor to fascism at worst. Perhaps you might consider a bumper sticker, haha.
He pushed Hyperloop such that they build more roads btw. since other forms of transit were just fine or however it went back then. Goal achieved, idiots loved him and argued for this nonsense a lot.
It was an attempt to derail California (and other) High Speed Rail.
Why would you build HSR if there's something way faster/better/cheaper, you just need to wait 5 years? You're going to look really dumb if you spend tens of billions on infrastructure intended to last more than a century, and then it's obsolete before it's complete.
Similar story with Toyota perpetually claiming to have amazing batteries 3-5 years away, making every EV look like an expensive waste with no resale value.
And a hydrogen economy, small nuclear reactors, or fusion power being 5/10/20 years away, removing the need to invest in transmission and generation.
A major paradigm shift being right around the corner makes people choose short-term solutions, because you want to wait for the new thing to arrive before investing in 'old tech'.
The problem is most of it is lies, perpetuated by those selling the short-term-fix old tech.
I judge people in Tesla's, especially 3 and y the same way I used to judge bmw drivers. I must assume they are a dumbass and going to do something dangerous because they often do. Wonder what percentage of Tesla drivers used to have beamers.
I bought one when no other option for an EV really existed for reasonable range batteries.
I have never owned a luxury car. My other car is a Honda accord from 2016.
I would be happy to have any other car brand, but the cost to replace the car with a different EV of similar range would cost us $30k. Is it really that important to harm yourself financially to signal to others your preferences for a person?
Or just sell them. But let's keep driving the free advertisements for a fascist dipshit, because we have a bumper sticker that goes "Haha, I totally didn't give money to the man who helped Trump win!!"
He's gotten worse, but people also used to be more charitable. I thought he sounded like a pretentious know-nothing CEO when I heard him talking about the Hyperloop in 2012, and it's been an impressive downhill run from there.
He used to depend on that climate money and press for his car business.
Now he can shovel tax money directly into his own pocket, so he doesn't need to pretend anymore.
I mean... the subscription is just for internet service and it's really cheap. But yeah, I get it. It's quite dumb that they don't just support the standard because "they're different"
I remember a Telsa sale rep telling me “Telsa’s software was better.” In the parking lot I proceeded to show them how much better voice control on in my CarPlay vehicle was with media, messaging, etc.
There are many things that Telsa’s experience is absolutely better at, but when it comes to voice control and integration with a phone’s OS, their software still feels dated.
Not defending Tesla, but standalone Android Auto/CarPlay units are a thing and work in every car. They even make devices designed for Teslas that connect to the existing screen. Or you can stick with a standalone that matches the interior of the car.
Never understood why people complain about sound systems in their cars, when it's one of the easiest components to replace (other than your tires or an air filter, of course). All you need is a screwdriver, a wiring harness, and maybe a mounting kit (depending on the car). I have yet to run into a vehicle that couldn't have its stereo upgraded or replaced, even modern ones that are integrated into the vehicle. (Look up a device called "Maestro".)
Those standalone units take what feels like a full minute to boot up though when you turn on the car. I looked into the Tesla ones, and they have tiny 9-10” screens that are meant to be mounted behind the steering wheel -as a touch screen-. At that point you’re better off using an iPad or a Galaxy tab.
Problem is, most Telsa owners still have cars that have many good years left in them, and buying a different new or pre owned EV will be a hit to the pocket book. Especially after selling a rapidly depreciating Tesla.
I get why people are saying “fuck it, I’ll put a sticker on it.” Selling and buying a new car isn’t a thing many people want to do at the drop of a hat. I
Let's be real - all the car companies are owned by terrible people. If it's not Elon, it's some other soulless capitalist who pushed subsidies and lower efficiency standards for mega trucks that speed up global warming just as we're supposed to be slowing it down.
This is often my thought process when I have to interact with a big company. If I never did any business that would benefit a bad person, I’d basically have to live in a hut in the woods.
However, there are degrees. For years I was sure a model 3 performance would be the perfect next car for me, but now like many people I don’t think I’ll ever be able to stomach owning a Tesla. The Musk connection has blown way past being embarrassing, and now buying one of those damn cars feels like supporting or at least accepting some horrible parts of humanity.
It’s not even a matter of hurting Musk’s bottom line, even though that would be nice. It’s about self respect, trying to put positivity into people’s lives instead of negativity, and being able to look my kid in the eye when he’s an adult and remembers the fucked up years we’re about to endure. I want absolutely zero to do with normalizing fascism and bigotry, even when it comes to something so mundane as the logo on my car.
All the CEOs are assholes. The American car companies should’ve collapsed, but instead took a bailout and wasted it. The American consumer benefited basically nothing from the bailout.
Elon owns and profits off Tesla, but otherwise, he's not very special. He's rich, and he can win games of marketing chess, and intellectual property theft. I can never help but point out at al opportunities that he's not much of an inventor, but no wonder he's buddy buddy with Trump, they both are great at claiming credit for things they had little to do with. Its also fascinating, every venture Elon is in, is actually pro-leftist pro-environmentalist pro-deepstate, yet he's hated by leftists for 'being mean', and loved by Trumpsters despite his true intentions being to help the government take freedoms away. That dynamic, is worthy of study in my opinion.
I live in an area where it seems like 50% of the cars are Teslas. Half my neighbors have them. Only stickers I’ve ever seen on a Tesla are “Student Driver”
Yeah, I bought mine in 2019 back when Musk just seemed like a dorky edgelord. I'm definitely not going to buy a new car just because Tesla's CEO is a tool, though when I AM ready, it's certainly not going to be another Tesla.