General Election 2024: Gone on the 4th of July

[Lofty]

I mean, you can't seriously believe this. You might think he's a twat, but that doesn't mean he's bad at business (which Spikey has covered).

Tesla build quality is dogshit and their EVs are worse than the offerings from traditional car companies. Their output is worse, google about the bumpers falling off in the rain. He bought Twitter for a ludicrous amount, rebranded to something no-one except him cares about, reinstated all the stuff that is cancer to advertisers and said 'fuck them' then cried when they left his platform.

Aformentioned hyperloop being crap. Paypal he was twice ousted from the board for being shit and only when he fucked off was it sold for a profit.

He is a guy born into wealth who has landed on his feet, now cultivating his image as a genius to people who don't understand what he is talking about. He delegates the real work to cleverer subordinates and takes the credit (see taking everyone else's name off the Neuralink research).

I wouldn't trust him to wire a plug.

[Spikey M]

I firmly believe that the surplus of nonces amongst the elites is similar to the various rich fuckers dying climbing mountains or climbing into shitty submarines.

It tends to be risk takers that get rich and successful, and the thing with risk takers, is they have to take bigger and bigger risks that are more and more extreme to get the buzz they're chasing. Now, surround those same people with people that only ever say yes to them and it's a race to depravity and suicidal behaviour of one form or another.

[Magic]

It tends to be rich arseholes that spawn even richer arseholes, to clarify that for you.

Musk isn't a risk taker, nor is he a visionary. He's a cunt.

[Yevrah]

Tesla build quality is dogshit and their EVs are worse than the offerings from traditional car companies. Their output is worse, google about the bumpers falling off in the rain. He bought Twitter for a ludicrous amount, rebranded to something no-one except him cares about, reinstated all the stuff that is cancer to advertisers and said 'fuck them' then cried when they left his platform.

Aformentioned hyperloop being crap. Paypal he was twice ousted from the board for being shit and only when he fucked off was it sold for a profit.

He is a guy born into wealth who has landed on his feet, now cultivating his image as a genius to people who don't understand what he is talking about. He delegates the real work to cleverer subordinates and takes the credit (see taking everyone else's name off the Neuralink research).

I wouldn't trust him to wire a plug.

He's worth $228bn, he wasn't born into wealth of anything like that. And you don't need to trust him to wire a plug, he's overseeing/running businesses, not working on a production line.

As for him being a genius or not, it's irrelevant, he's worth $228bn dollars, which doesn't just happen through luck or hard work, despite what people may claim - There is clearly some very high form of talent there, which is obvious when one takes the politics/personality out of it and looks at it objectively.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Tesla build quality is dogshit and their EVs are worse than the offerings from traditional car companies. Their output is worse, google about the bumpers falling off in the rain. He bought Twitter for a ludicrous amount, rebranded to something no-one except him cares about, reinstated all the stuff that is cancer to advertisers and said 'fuck them' then cried when they left his platform.

Aformentioned hyperloop being crap. Paypal he was twice ousted from the board for being shit and only when he fucked off was it sold for a profit.

He is a guy born into wealth who has landed on his feet, now cultivating his image as a genius to people who don't understand what he is talking about. He delegates the real work to cleverer subordinates and takes the credit (see taking everyone else's name off the Neuralink research).

I wouldn't trust him to wire a plug.

None of this is at all important if he wants to chuck several million into some investment here.

[Lofty]

Yes Yev it's definitely not related to him manipulating unregulated crypto markets by posting Doge memes periodically.

[Spikey M]

He's dripping with money, the thicker he is the better, frankly. Fleece him.

[Yevrah]

He delegates the real work to cleverer subordinates

And to focus in on this bit (as I see this terrible take time and time again) that is literally a very valuable skill to possess as a leader and certainly not a stick to beat him with.

He takes the credit as he's the public face of his organisations and if the people involved perceived him to be unduly taking the credit then presumably they'd have left his organisations ages ago.

[Yevrah]

Yes Yev it's definitely not related to him manipulating unregulated crypto markets by posting Doge memes periodically.

Fuck, if only I'd realised sooner that he'd built all of his two hundred and twenty-eight billion dollar net worth from doing that.

[Spikey M]

The problem with Musk, is that he does say alot of retarded shit. HOWEVER, this seems to be the key to grifting the Right. As far back as George Bush, this was the case. The geezer made a reputation for himself being a decent politician, but he only broke through when he dialled up the accent and started deliberately mispronouncing words. I think the same is probably true of Trump. I highly doubt he's as stupid as he pretends to be. Over here, Boris Johnson obviously played the same part.

It's probably linked to the left being so aggressively academic. The right is now anti that and, here we are.

[Yevrah]

Indeed. Not a chance Musk is actually stupid and you can see as much when he isn't trolling for the lols, like when he eviscerated that BBC interviewer.

[randomlegend]

Indeed. Not a chance Musk is actually stupid and you can see as much when he isn't trolling for the lols, like when he eviscerated that BBC interviewer.

I mean if you read accounts from people who've worked for him he does sound like a genuine moron. His companies sound like they are entirely structured to placate him whilst allowing others to get on with the actual work. He seems to just flounce about demanding completely impossible things he doesn't understand whilst people try to pander to it without letting him destroy what they're doing.

Luck is a bell-curve. Someone has to be the person who fell on the far, far right of the curve. Musk seems to be that person.

[Magic]

He's worth $228bn, he wasn't born into wealth of anything like that. And you don't need to trust him to wire a plug, he's overseeing/running businesses, not working on a production line.

As for him being a genius or not, it's irrelevant, he's worth $228bn dollars, which doesn't just happen through luck or hard work, despite what people may claim - There is clearly some very high form of talent there, which is obvious when one takes the politics/personality out of it and looks at it objectively.

I'm not sure if that was tongue in cheek, but just in case it wasn't:

In February 2018, Musk made headlines when he referred to his wealth during Elon's teen years in an interview with Business Insider South Africa. Musk described having "so much money we couldn't even close our safe" and mentioned his emerald dealings. Snopes confirmed that Errol at some point owned "a stake in an emerald mine near Lake Tanganyika in Zambia".

[Yevrah]

I mean if you read accounts from people who've worked for him he does sound like a genuine moron. His companies sound like they are entirely structured to placate him whilst allowing others to get on with the actual work. He seems to just flounce about demanding completely impossible things he doesn't understand whilst people try to pander to it without letting him destroy what they're doing.

Luck is a bell-curve. Someone has to be the person who fell on the far, far right of the curve. Musk seems to be that person.

There will always be people who're out to knock you (particularly those who've left under a cloud) and it's good copy to read about his eccentricities (which he clearly has). I just really struggle to believe that his businesses work in spite of him, time and time again, if he's actually useless. I've seen enough shit leaders to know that it'll actively harm the business if they're that bad.

[Yevrah]

I'm not sure if that was tongue in cheek, but just in case it wasn't:

In February 2018, Musk made headlines when he referred to his wealth during Elon's teen years in an interview with Business Insider South Africa. Musk described having "so much money we couldn't even close our safe" and mentioned his emerald dealings. Snopes confirmed that Errol at some point owned "a stake in an emerald mine near Lake Tanganyika in Zambia".

I don't know if you and others are innumerate, but you understand the difference between $100m, which a lot of people have and $228bn, which only he has, right? One is 0.04% of the other.

[Pepe]

Criticizing his businesses and ignoring SpaceX, which ushered a new era of private space exploration is pretty lol. Also, I've been talking shit about Tesla for a long time, but without it, electric cars would be way behind where they currently are. No traditional company had any interest in them until Tesla started selling them at a decent rate.

Becoming the single wealthiest person in the world by sheer luck would be like breaking the 100m world record by luck.

[Yevrah]

Becoming the single wealthiest person in the world by sheer luck would be like breaking the 100m world record by luck.

A spot on analogy that.

[Pepe]

I don't know if you and others are innumerate, but you understand the difference between $100m, which a lot of people have and $228bn, which only he has, right? One is 0.04% of the other.

Nah mate, if random TTHer had inherited one million he would be even more successful.

[Magic]

I don't know if you and others are innumerate, but you understand the difference between $100m, which a lot of people have and $228bn, which only he has, right? One is 0.04% of the other.

You said he wasn't born in to wealth lol...

[Pepe]

There is wealth and wealth. Like saying someone who won a Nobel prize has no merit because their mother taught at the local community college.

[Yevrah]

You said he wasn't born in to wealth lol...

Innumerate and illiterate. Congratulations.

[Yevrah]

There is wealth and wealth

Indeed and is exactly what I said. I despair sometimes, I really do - I'm old now, it shouldn't be this easy.

[randomlegend]

A spot on analogy that.

Completely stupid analogy actually.

[Yevrah]

Completely stupid analogy actually.

Only if one doesn’t understand how much $228bn actually is. It’s obviously built up over a lifetime so this comparison needs that context but it’s more than the GDP of three quarters of the countries in the World.

[Shindig]

SpaceX is wild and Tesla's given the electric a visibility (and viability... ish) that otherwise wouldn't have happened. Part of that is down to business sense and his ability to get people onboard. Tesla especially feels like a market leader rather than a bandwagon jumper.

He is also names his kids stupid names, has a shit Elden Ring build and thinks an underground tunnel full of lithium-powered cars has no downsides.

EDIT: Also PayPal. I'm of the opinion his mate did most of the coding but Musk had to sell that and that's now part of the banking fabric.

[Magic]

There is wealth and wealth. Like saying someone who won a Nobel prize has no merit because their mother taught at the local community college.

Ok I'll add that $100,000,000 isn't wealth to my notes.

[Yevrah]

Ok I'll add that $100,000,000 isn't wealth to my notes.

I’m trying to understand here, so.. is the perspective that past a certain point all wealth is the same? If so, what’s that point?

[Magic]

I’m trying to understand here, so.. is the perspective that past a certain point all wealth is the same? If so, what’s that point?

You made it out like he's a self made man. He's not. He's got immense privilege and is a massive cunt. The two exact things you need to become an extremely rich, massive cunt.

[Yevrah]

You made it out like he's a self made man.

I absolutely did not, I said he didn’t come from wealth of anything like $228bn, which he didn’t.

[Kikó]

I think they should have invited him because responses like this proves he's a very normal human.

"I don’t think anyone should go to the UK when they’re releasing convicted pedophiles in order to imprison people for social media posts," Mr Musk claimed on X.

[Pepe]

Jimmy nailed it really. He might be whatever you want, but you should be trying to get him to toss some money your way. Not like all of Britain's allies and partners are vetted for being 'normal', are they?

[niko_cee]

Mostly the last part. It seems a bit petty and only then leads to whataboutery when the list of actual invitees is scrutinized, which wouldn't have happened had they not gone for this snub.

[randomlegend]

Only if one doesn’t understand how much $228bn actually is. It’s obviously built up over a lifetime so this comparison needs that context but it’s more than the GDP of three quarters of the countries in the World.

No, it just makes no sense.

You can make "good" investment decisions purely by luck. If a trillion people with zero knowledge or skill were all given a load of money and all asked to make a series of investment decisions, some would get all the decisions right and get extremely rich by chance.

You cannot run faster than your physical limit by chance.

[Spikey M]

That's some outrageous cope right there.

[niko_cee]

Marr, who was born in Glasgow, highlighted the signs at Edinburgh’s Haymarket train station as an example. Since 2010, it has had signs declaring it to be “Margadh an Fheoir”, which translates as “market of hay”.

He also attacked Scottish “exceptionalism”, describing it as “one of the most offensive loads of tripe in modern politics”.

The former BBC political editor criticised “the Scottish Nationalist view that if you’re Scottish, you’re a better person; because you’re Scottish you’re more innately liberal; because you’re Scottish you’re more progressive”.

Andrew Marr's coming for the Magics of the world.

[Yevrah]

The point is that it's just as impossible to win the 100m by luck as it is to accrue a net worth of $228bn by luck.

There's also a difference between being extremely rich and having a net worth of $228bn, which he hasn't made solely through investment decisions. He's not just investing, he's heavily involved in running things.

[randomlegend]

That's some outrageous cope right there.

It's actually just FACHTs.

[Spikey M]

Nah Yev, he just starts companies and then poof... instabillions, completely out of nowhere. Pure luck

[randomlegend]

The point is that it's just as impossible to win the 100m by luck as it is to accrue a net worth of $228bn by luck.

This is a stupid argument, but no, it isn't. One is literally impossible. The other is not literally impossible.

[Yevrah]

This is a stupid argument, but no, it isn't. One is literally impossible. The other is not literally impossible.

Agreed it's a dumb point to get stuck on. So given he isn't just an investor, do you genuinely think he has accrued his net worth through luck?

[Yevrah]

And who else in the World's rich list has relied on luck, either exclusively or heavily?

[Yevrah]

Nah Yev, he just starts companies and then poof... instabillions, completely out of nowhere. Pure luck

I do find discussing him fascinating as you can nearly always tell instantly as soon as you know someone's political leanings what they will think of Musk. If you're more left he's a lucky fucker who has done nothing to achieve his position, whereas if you're more right he's a genius who is worth listening to on every subject going. Both of which are stupid takes, but the left sided one more so.

[randomlegend]

If we're being sincere then I obviously have no idea.

[Pepe]

Giving credit to a rich/successful person for anything is akin to joining the KKK nowadays.

[Jimmy Floyd]

Here's the test: if Elon Musk wanted to donate £10 billion to the NHS (which admittedly would only fund it for 16 days, but let's run with it), and in return he wanted an A3 photo portrait of himself installed in every hospital wing in the country for those 16 days, would we do it?

[randomlegend]

The NHS managers would find a way to pay £10 billion for the A3 pictures.

[Pepe]

Tell him to shove his money up his arse and put a portrait of a minority nurse up instead.

[Yevrah]

Yeah, some of the things he says hurt my feelings. He can keep his money.

[Pepe]

The NHS managers would find a way to pay £10 billion for the A3 pictures.

One of these days one of those managers will get lucky and solve all of the NHS's issues by accident.

[Yevrah]

The NHS managers would find a way to pay £10 billion for the A3 pictures.

My first response was going to be yes, if he pays for the picture installs too.