Can America be fixed?

Stredda

Runs naked through virgin scrub
i think youre trying to underplay what it actually takes to do a physics degree. One doesn't simply just "do the tings required to achieve the degree". This isn't early child hood learning or aged care which you can bumble through after leaving school at the age of 12. There is a hell of a lot of pre requisite knowledge and intelligence required to be able to even have a basic understanding of what the fuck is going on and how to apply it. Its not all dropping apples while standing on a chair and writing down your observations. The guy also actually understand what his engineers are doing and can have meaningful conversations about the work. That doesnt just happen.

As to not graduating when he claims, he graduated. I cant remember the exact year i finished my studdies either. I use a range of dates when having discussions with people and i KNOW I've used different years before, because i don't stop and count it out every time it comes up because i value the flow of discussion rather than trying to pin down a superfluous detail. But given his status in the world, people think of this as a "gotcha" moment. Its not. He graduated. theres record of it. What difference does it make when or what the requirments were? Requirments change all teh time in academia, and given the fluidity of physics, thats no surprise at all. You dont just walk in and get a physics degree. or pay for one. The guy isn't stupid. Making a donation to the school you graduated from many years after doing so? so what? I think most billionaires have done this because its a token of appreciation for what the eduaction the received has helped them achieve. Wouldn't you if you had so much money that money didn't actually matter to you anymore for the benefit of other future students?

Trump on the other hand is exactly the type of guy who would have paid somone do do his work for him and reaped the benefits. He is actually stupid. When you listen to these two individuals speak about their projects or passions or goals, you can very clearly tell who knows what they are talking about. Trump's success, if you can call it that, comes from questionable activities, deals and bribes, endorsements etc. with just as questionable people as himself. AND his followers are also actually stupid. We see this every time a MAGA card carying suporter opens their mouth. Trump is the walking unhinged dunning-Kreuger graph and ponzi scheme.

Elon on the other hand, for all his flaws, actually does shit that is valuable. Started an EV revolution, built the infrastructure to make it happen even when there was little demand for it at the time and continues to iterate on it. He moves fast, promises big and still deliveres something of value. Space x does shit that the most well funded governments haven't done or thought to do. The guy has a vision for a better future. Whether people share the same view or vision is highly contentious, but its a far brighter one than the vision Trump is touting, which is white, right and capitalist untill the world burns.

Elons getting a basting right now because of the twitter shit, and so he should, because he seems to have completely lost the plot. Still 1000% better than trump. I wouldn't even compare the two in a serious conversation, or kanye for that matter.

Elon - Aspergers (diagnosed)
Kanye - bi polar (diagnosed)
Trump - Narcisist with an anti social personality disorder (observed and commented on by many professionals in the mental health space - trump would never admit or seek a diagnosis for this in any case, just as many with these diagnoses would never willingly do - because you know, its not them, but everyone else)

You just cant put these people in the same bucket or compare. At least Kanye is "productive" in making music and fashion (if you can call these ventures that). Trump isn't even in the slightest productive. He is destructive and exploitative in almost everything he does. Also question marks around his association with epstein. Given his publically know attitudes towards women, I would not be surprised if he partook in epteins offerings. Not exactly a hallmark of someone i would consider intelligent or smart.
My boss is a lot like Elon in lots of ways.

He's well educated, very well read but also doesn't always have a grip on reality, especially when it comes to how long things will take, how difficult tasks really are, and he bounces from one new shiny interest to another, every day, knows a reasonable amount about many things but not the in-depth knowledge which causes him to have impossible expectations.
I can see this with Elon and all his claims that end up taking years longer than promised, but you have to hand it to him, they do more often than not, eventually achieve them.
My Boss is actually a fan of Elon, and I can see why.

If you can get a great team behind you, you don't always have to all that knowledgeable in all aspects of your product, you just need to let your team do their thing and provide an environment that encourages thinking outside the box and not following the norm. Tesla and Space X are definitely that, they are doing things that other companies wouldn't consider because "it's not how we have always done it".
I could see that he could be a nightmare to work for if you weren't as single goal focused as he is. He would expect you to be there 24/7 just as he is.
Unlike a lot of CEOs of big American companies, he does seem to have a pretty in-depth knowledge of his products, so he's better than most in that department.
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
My boss is a lot like Elon in lots of ways.

He's well educated, very well read but also doesn't always have a grip on reality, especially when it comes to how long things will take, how difficult tasks really are, and he bounces from one new shiny interest to another, every day, knows a reasonable amount about many things but not the in-depth knowledge which causes him to have impossible expectations.
I can see this with Elon and all his claims that end up taking years longer than promised, but you have to hand it to him, they do more often than not, eventually achieve them.
My Boss is actually a fan of Elon, and I can see why.

If you can get a great team behind you, you don't always have to all that knowledgeable in all aspects of your product, you just need to let your team do their thing and provide an environment that encourages thinking outside the box and not following the norm. Tesla and Space X are definitely that, they are doing things that other companies wouldn't consider because "it's not how we have always done it".
I could see that he could be a nightmare to work for if you weren't as single goal focused as he is. He would expect you to be there 24/7 just as he is.
Unlike a lot of CEOs of big American companies, he does seem to have a pretty in-depth knowledge of his products, so he's better than most in that department.
At the end of the day, there are millions of EVs on the road and routine regular launches of economic rockets that reverse parks themselves back on the pad that wouldn't exist were it not for his efforts. I dont really care if he is a loony or a god, the results sorta speak for themselves.
 

Squidfayce

Eats Squid
My boss is a lot like Elon in lots of ways.

He's well educated, very well read but also doesn't always have a grip on reality, especially when it comes to how long things will take, how difficult tasks really are, and he bounces from one new shiny interest to another, every day, knows a reasonable amount about many things but not the in-depth knowledge which causes him to have impossible expectations.
I can see this with Elon and all his claims that end up taking years longer than promised, but you have to hand it to him, they do more often than not, eventually achieve them.
My Boss is actually a fan of Elon, and I can see why.

If you can get a great team behind you, you don't always have to all that knowledgeable in all aspects of your product, you just need to let your team do their thing and provide an environment that encourages thinking outside the box and not following the norm. Tesla and Space X are definitely that, they are doing things that other companies wouldn't consider because "it's not how we have always done it".
I could see that he could be a nightmare to work for if you weren't as single goal focused as he is. He would expect you to be there 24/7 just as he is.
Unlike a lot of CEOs of big American companies, he does seem to have a pretty in-depth knowledge of his products, so he's better than most in that department.
does your boss build manufacturing plants for the next generation of vehicles, develop once in a generation technology and send rockets into space? No? Then he is not like alot like elon. He might think he is, and you may think they share similarities, but the really don't. They may have some personality traits they share, but they aren't "alot alike". Many of the personality traits you describe are shared by much of the population, those people are also not "alot like" elon.

Agree with the teams aspect, but there are plenty of wealthy people, smart even, intelligent too, that *could* be visionary with the"right team" but they arent. There is a reason for that. I'll leave that for you to ponder.

A lot of visionairies are difficult to work for. they have exacting standards. That's why they are who they are. It doesn't mean they couldn't be better people.
 
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Stredda

Runs naked through virgin scrub
does your boss build manufacturing plants for the next generation of vehicles, develop once in a generation technology and send rockets into space? No? Then he is not like alot like elon. He might think he is, and you may think they share similarities, but the really don't. They may have some personality traits they share, but they aren't "alot alike". Many of the personality traits you describe are shared by much of the population, those people are also not "alot like" elon.

Agree with the teams aspect, but there are plenty of wealthy people, smart even, intelligent too, that *could* be visionary with the"right team" but they arent. There is a reason for that. I'll leave that for you to ponder.

A lot of visionairies are difficult to work for. they have exacting standards. That's why they are who they are. It doesn't mean they couldn't be better people.
Well the company I work for builds drone launchers and retrieval systems for the military, designs and manufactures the only remotely operated mining scaler in the world, has its own driveline manufacturing plant. It’s not electric cars or rockets but once up a time Elon didn’t do that either ;)

Just because he hasn’t done exactly the same thing as Elon does mean he’s not similar to Elon in personality.

I can guarantee you that Elon couldn’t do what he has done without the team he has behind him. He’s not an expert in everything, no one is. What his is good at it, is having that vision and hiring the best people to achieve those goals.
 

johnny

I'll tells ya!
Staff member
Well the company I work for builds drone launchers and retrieval systems for the military, designs and manufactures the only remotely operated mining scaler in the world, has its own driveline manufacturing plant. It’s not electric cars or rockets but once up a time Elon didn’t do that either ;)

Just because he hasn’t done exactly the same thing as Elon does mean he’s not similar to Elon in personality.

I can guarantee you that Elon couldn’t do what he has done without the team he has behind him. He’s not an expert in everything, no one is. What his is good at it, is having that vision and hiring the best people to achieve those goals.
A number of key folk that he's worked with say that all he is good for is raising capital and that they actually have to keep him away from the tech.
 
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