Elon Musk - Time's person of the year

[Mr. Tightwad]

Some people feel better about themselves by tearing down others who’ve accomplished more in a month than 99.99% of us will in our lifetimes. If they can find something questionable or controversial about a famous person, they feel that discredits everything else the person has accomplished - proof by exception. It’s how so many experts are discredited these days, often by people with little to offer themselves. It’s become a national sport in the US.

Would we actually be better off without Musk, Jobs, Gates, etc.?

Truer words were never spoken.

 

[travelover]

Some people feel better about themselves by tearing down others who’ve accomplished more in a month than 99.99% of us will in our lifetimes. If they can find something questionable or controversial about a famous person, they feel that discredits everything else the person has accomplished - proof by exception. It’s how so many experts are discredited these days, often by people with little to offer themselves. It’s become a national sport in the US.

Would we actually be better off without Musk, Jobs, Gates, etc.?

The flip side of that is white washing grievous acts because (usually) he was "such a great person." We are adult enough to accept that even people that have accomplished a lot are human. And pointing out those flaws does not discredit everything else the person has accomplished, but it does keep us on the path of truth and credibility.

 

[kgtest]

So there is a website called "Fixed it for ya".

Apparently this popped up today. Mods feel free to remove this post if it violates any rules, but humor should be worth something around these parts.

 

[Chuckanut]

Some people feel better about themselves by tearing down others who’ve accomplished more in a month than 99.99% of us will in our lifetimes. If they can find something questionable or controversial about a famous person, they feel that discredits everything else the person has accomplished - proof by exception. It’s how so many experts are discredited these days, often by people with little to offer themselves. It’s become a national sport in the US.

Would we actually be better off without Musk, Jobs, Gates, etc.?

Your comment reminds me of this quote from Teddy Roosevelt:

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

 

[lucky penny]

So there is a website called "Fixed it for ya".

Apparently this popped up today. Mods feel free to remove this post if it violates any rules, but humor should be worth something around these parts.

View attachment 41162

 

[Ready]

Some people feel better about themselves by tearing down others who’ve accomplished more in a month than 99.99% of us will in our lifetimes. If they can find something questionable or controversial about a famous person, they feel that discredits everything else the person has accomplished - proof by exception. It’s how so many experts are discredited these days, often by people with little to offer themselves. It’s become a national sport in the US.

Would we actually be better off without Musk, Jobs, Gates, etc.?

Very true. Musk has done a lot of crazy things but you can’t look at a guy who has accomplished so much without finding a few things to roll your eyes at.

But you can’t ignore what he did to revolutionize the EV market. EV’s were pretty much non existent before Musk came along and he put his own money up to build Tesla and turn it into the world’s most valuable auto maker by market cap. He’s made a lot of millionaires out of Tesla stock holders. And he’s given me a car that is so much better than anything else I’ve ever owned that it has truly made it enjoyable for me to drive again.

 

[Scuba]

Famed science fiction writer Isaac Asimov had a wise observation about that --

“There is a cult of ignorance in the United States, and there has always been. The strain of anti-intellectualism has been a constant thread winding its way through our political and cultural life, nurtured by the false notion that democracy means that 'my ignorance is just as good as your knowledge.”

Sad but true!

 

[Gumby]

Not directed to anyone on this thread, just a general observation -- it seems to me that a little more humility with respect to our own greatness and a little more tolerance for the imperfections of others would go a long way toward making this a better world.

 

[mpeirce]

As for Time magazine, I didn’t know they were still a thing.

As far as I can tell, they exist exclusively to come out with the Time Person of the Year. So yes, basically a propaganda channel for those who own it.

As to Musk, reasonable pick for their criteria.

Anyone who affects real change in this world is going to be quirky and disliked by some. It comes with the territory.

If someone is “nice” and “conventional” and liked by all, they really aren’t going to make a dent in the world.

 

[Chuckanut]

If someone is “nice” and “conventional” and liked by all, they really aren’t going to make a dent in the world.

Nice Girls Don't Change the World.

Apparently, nice South Africans don't either.

 

[gcgang]

Elon monologue on SNL. “So I reinvented electric cars and am committed to sending man to Mars. So I’m also supposed to be a chill dude?”

He makes good fun of himself, his shortcomings and tweets.

Glad he was recognized by Time, how ever irrelevant that is in today’s world.

 

[OverThinkMuch]

Musk is a con artist.

And your source of information is this person?

"I've lately seen CommonSenseSkeptic pop out more and more presented as a "awesome" source of informations, it's not.

He's just driven by bias (and hate, screenshot) and has no clue on what he's talking about (and he's pretty arrogant when he's corrected/called out). Here's some examples:"
https://www.reddit.com/r/EnoughMusk...e_stop_considering_commonsenseskeptic_a_good/

I get the impression this "skeptic" makes false claims often, and then tries to cover his tracks when wrong. That's not the mark of good journalism.

 

[Chuckanut]

SpaceX has just completed 100 successful booster landings. Of its 31 launches this year only two were using new boosters. What other rocket company comes close? Ummm.... None, Nessuno, Rien, Nikto, Méiyǒu rènhé, etc. etc. etc.......

You can't argue with success.

 

[easysurfer]

Interesting choice.

If I was to make a top ten list, he wouldn't even make the cut.

But maybe I'm not paying enough attention .

 

[Chuckanut]

Interesting choice.

If I was to make a top ten list, he wouldn't even make the cut.

But maybe I'm not paying enough attention .

You may also have different priorities.

 

[audreyh1]

A quirky hard driving visionary who gets things accomplished. I like him and cheer for him to succeed in his ventures. The fact he’s not always in lock step with the powers that be, only makes him more admirable in my book. As for Time magazine, I didn’t know they were still a thing.

He has a personality that turns off a lot of people. I think he’s brilliant and incredibly effective. He started from nothing and built very valuable companies starting in early adulthood. Amazing what he had accomplished so far.

 

[Fermion]

I'm just about at the point myself where I can also make apartment building land on a autonomous boat in 10 foot seas after it has delivered a school bus into outer space, so I feel justified in saying Musk is a con artist.

 

[Chuckanut]

He has a personality that turns off a lot of people.

That's why he hired Gwen Shotwell as COO to run SpaceX on a day-to-day basis. Give Musk credit for knowing he needs a cool-headed, sharp person to smooth over his rough spots. IMHO, SpaceX would be years behind where it is if Ms. Shotwell had not been part of it.

An American businesswoman and engineer. She is the president and chief operating officer of SpaceX, an American space transportation company, where she is responsible for day-to-day operations and company growth.[1] As of 2020, Shotwell is listed as the 49th most powerful woman in the world by Forbes.[2] She is included in Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People of 2020.[3]

 

[Gumby]

As a smart fellow once observed:

"Only great men have great faults."

-- Francois de La Rochefoucauld (Maximes, 1665 (no.190)

 

[audreyh1]

That's why he hired Gwen Shotwell as COO to run SpaceX on a day-to-day basis. Give Musk credit for knowing he needs a cool-headed, sharp person to smooth over his rough spots. IMHO, SpaceX would be years behind where it is if Ms. Shotwell had not been part of it.

SpaceX needed a smart capable person to run it anyway. Musk has his fingers in many pies.

 

[NW-Bound]

As a smart fellow once observed:

"Only great men have great faults."

-- Francois de La Rochefoucauld (Maximes, 1665 (no.190)

My comment here has nothing to do with Musk, but terrible persons in history all had terrible faults. In fact, their notoriety or claim for infamy came from their vicious faults.

 

[Gumby]

My comment here has nothing to do with Musk, but terrible persons in history all had terrible faults. In fact, their notoriety or claim for infamy came from their vicious faults.

I don't think he meant great in the sense of good, but rather in the sense of being a large presence in the world or being important to events.

This is the original French:

Il n'appartient qu'aux grands hommes d'avoir de grands défauts.

 

[clifp]

That's why he hired Gwen Shotwell as COO to run SpaceX on a day-to-day basis. Give Musk credit for knowing he needs a cool-headed, sharp person to smooth over his rough spots. IMHO, SpaceX would be years behind where it is if Ms. Shotwell had not been part of it.

Yup, Gwen is very much responsible for the operational excellence of SpaceX.
Yesterday, SpaceX launched it 31st mission, up from 26 last year and making SpaceX the dominate provider of rocket launches.

On the other hand, Elon is the crazy visionary who insisted that rockets be usable. They have now become so routine they aren't even news.
Yet, no other entity has even attempted to reuse an orbital launcher. In fact to the best of my knowledge, they weren't even on the serious plans for anyone rocket manufacturer before Elon.

The same thing is true for Tesla, no car manufacturer had plans for making high-performance eclectic cars that were world class before Elon rolled out the Model S. It is really unprecedented for any company to make the best of anything, computer, blue jean, airplane, dishwasher, etc on their second product launch. (The Tesla roadster being the first).

 

[NW-Bound]

I don't think he meant great in the sense of good, but rather in the sense of being a large presence in the world or being important to events.

Then, I agree.

And being in the headlines all the time is one of the criteria for being selected Time's Man of the Year. And I will not disagree with that.

Here are some past choices for Man of the Year.

Adolf Hitler - 1938
Joseph Stalin - 1939
Joseph Stalin - 1942
Ruhollah Khomeini - 1979

For businessmen, we have the following.

Jeff Bezos - 1999
Bill Gates - 2005
Mark Zuckerberg - 2010
Elon Musk - 2021

It should be noted that Gates was chosen for his philanthropic activities, and not for his business acumen, which he arguably also possessed.

About Musk, I think the choice is not surprising. His name has been constantly on headlines of Web sites the last couple of years. Musk can certainly claim the credit for popularizing the long-range EV, and the creation of the supercharging network to promote the EV as a viable vehicle for cross-country drives.

And recently, one has to be living under a rock to not know his status as the richest man on earth. Of course, his notoriety from his frequent Tweets also helps keep him in the spotlight. It is appropriate to choose the guy who's talked about the most to be Time's Man of Year.

 

[MRG]

Very true. Musk has done a lot of crazy things but you can’t look at a guy who has accomplished so much without finding a few things to roll your eyes at.



But you can’t ignore what he did to revolutionize the EV market. EV’s were pretty much non existent before Musk came along and he put his own money up to build Tesla and turn it into the world’s most valuable auto maker by market cap. He’s made a lot of millionaires out of Tesla stock holders. And he’s given me a car that is so much better than anything else I’ve ever owned that it has truly made it enjoyable for me to drive again.

This is the truth. As folks get to experience what driving an EV is like they're converted. As companies offer EVs ICE sales will plummet. I love DW'S Rubicon but it's a POS compared to driving our Y.

Yeah Musk is controversial, folks who bring about massive change generally are. Has he delivered everything? Absolutely not.