• ShittyBeatlesFCPres@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Maybe his politics are complicated. Did y’all consider that? That a white South African industrialist who dabbles in eugenics, treats employees like shit, and thinks catturd2 is funny might be a complex enigma?

  • BlameThePeacock@lemmy.ca
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    5 months ago

    Just pointing out that Musk is an immigrant.

    Born in South Africa, immigrated to Canada to avoid military service, then used Canadian citizenship to apply for and obtain US citizenship.

    • DogPeePoo@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      Unwashed deviant asshole who Putin holds kompromat over forced to help another pedophile, who Putin also holds kompromat over.

      Both met with Jeffrey Epstein and Ghislaine Maxwell…

      • LustyArgonian@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Don’t forget about Elon’s significant financial ties to Saudi Arabia

        https://www.axios.com/2022/11/01/elon-musk-twitter-saudi-arabia

        “The Saudis could have cashed out, like most everyone else. That would have been the financially sound thing to do. Instead, they allied with Musk … There’s a clear political motivation to their decision, and CFIUS should get to the bottom of it.”

        A source familiar with the situation adds that Murphy’s concern is exacerbated by the large amount of debt that Musk/Twitter now must service, and what demands that may enable Saudi to make. Particularly given that Musk, at least for the moment, is Twitter’s sole director.

        Murphy on Monday asked the Committee on Foreign Investment in the U.S. (CFIUS) to investigate “potential national security concerns” arising from Saudi Arabia and Qatar’s involvement in Elon Musk’s takeover of Twitter.

        Saudi Arabia and members of its extended royal family are regular investors in U.S. tech companies, both directly and via private equity and venture capital funds. But they’ve been largely ignored by CFIUS, which investigated just six Saudi-involved deals between 2019 and 2021. CFIUS is empowered to recommend to the President that mergers be blocked on national security grounds, including for transactions that have already closed. Many of its recent recommendations to that effect have involved China.

        https://fortune.com/2023/01/23/elon-musk-says-he-had-saudi-backing-tesla-trial-testimony/

        Elon Musk returned to federal court Monday in San Francisco, testifying that he believed he had locked up financial backing to take Tesla private during 2018 meetings with representatives from Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund

  • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    At this point, how is owning a Tesla car not just like walking around wearing one of those stupid red hats?

    • AlecSadler@sh.itjust.works
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      5 months ago

      I agree and I drive a Tesla, unfortunately it’s paid off so for the time being it just makes sense to keep driving it because it costs me basically nothing.

      But I feel like a POS in public and it sucks.

      • M500@lemmy.ml
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        5 months ago

        I’m sure there is a bumper stick that’s says “I got this before musk was crazy”

        • v_krishna@lemmy.ml
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          5 months ago

          Those bumper stickers are bullshit. Musk was a nut job who profited from apartheid and then bought his way into the public mind as some kind of low rent Tony Stark from the get. San Francisco 2012 people thought I was nuts for claiming he was a huge charlatan and now those same people rock those bumper stickers.

          • Mnemnosyne@sh.itjust.works
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            5 months ago

            Despite Musk, Teslas did have some positive effect as they helped push electric car adoption. The big automakers were not interested in taking risks, and nobody was eager to build out large charger networks.

            I certainly don’t credit Musk himself for it, but no one should feel ashamed of having bought one of those cars back then. Today there are other good options for electric vehicles from companies run by slightly less bad people, but let’s not kid ourselves. Everything we buy comes from some company that is enriching monsters…it’s just that some of them are more monstrous than others.

            • EarthShipTechIntern@lemm.ee
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              5 months ago

              True enough.

              Just because shitheads run companies didn’t mean you can’t enjoy & appreciate the actual work, design, creation of brilliant, hard working people that made the actual product.

              Musk never made anything. Nothing new, anyway. He made a hostile collar workplace noose and roped a group of companies into our modern, uncontested (except by unions) version of slavery.

              The people at Tesla are groundbreakering pioneers of the future of transportation. Unfortunately, they’re not geniuses about how to properly deal with a strangling grifter owner.

              That kind of terrible management, terrible treatment of people, workers is rampant across (most?) all companies. Musk just screwed the best of the brightest lights on the road to the future. Fucked everybody harder than the other CEOs cause, well, as others mention, he was born to it (Emerald apartheid slave driver heritage).

              • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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                5 months ago

                What’s sick is that what he did at Twitter was something many in the C-suite were in some cases privately cheering, and, in places where they were permitted, wanted to openly emulate. Sure, the excuse was that (some) companies overstaffed in the early covid days, but at X, they cut things to the bone and beyond when Musk took over, and it mostly seemed to be ideologically driven (“own the libs” but also, and this is the part others want to do as well, and in some cases, did: “crush those uppity tech workers”). This, combined with AI, was providing a beacon of hope to the corporate overlords eager to make even more undeserved money.

          • die444die@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            Ok so people didn’t know, that doesn’t make them bad people and it doesn’t make you as smart as you think you are.

              • dev_null@lemmy.ml
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                5 months ago

                I’m sorry but I have no idea who is the CEO, of say, Nissan or whatever, and I’m sure 99% of buyers don’t research that.

      • Jarix@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Well fucking stop feeling like a POS.

        Please?

        Its just a car, and regardless of who elon turned out to be.

        And ya know what? Elon is the reason they arent better cars. He is not the reason they are as good as they are.

        Take politics out of it for a minute and just remind or consider, how is your tesla a better car than the ICE car you did and/or would have instead.

        You can feel good about that. Its okay. Elon is a piece of shit. He didnt always seem that way and that does suck. You dont, he does.

        When you decide to get a new car you are going to have so many awesome options next time.

        And you wouldnt have those options then, if Teslas werent/hadnt pushing everyone else in the world into getting away from ICE

        • Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works
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          5 months ago

          Yes. They should be. Fuck the downvotes, I’m done with this shit.

          Sell your fucking Tesla if you own one. It’s a dog whistle.

          • dev_null@lemmy.ml
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            5 months ago

            In many countries outside of the US, Musk isn’t a well known figure, and people buying a Tesla don’t have to know who is the CEO any more than who is the CEO of any other car manufacturer.

          • Skeezix@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            Effecting change in this world sometimes requires personal sacrifice. Things are the way they are because too many don’t want to inconvenience themselves. Downvote away.

    • synae[he/him]@lemmy.sdf.org
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      5 months ago

      I have a friend with a tesla who put on a bumper sticker along the lines of “I got this before he became a raging asshole”

    • BarbecueCowboy@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      He’ll turn back to the left as soon as the he gets too clingy with his current audience and they turn on him.

      Musk is worse, he doesn’t care about his political leanings, he only cares about where he can have the most people simping for him.

      • idiomaddict@feddit.de
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        5 months ago

        He used to be different politically, because that was cool. Now he has enough money that people will tell him he’s cool no matter what his politics are, so he now supports the causes that benefit him. I don’t think he’s ever going back.

    • halcyoncmdr@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Could say the same about any American made truck, except they’ve had the association with stupid rednecks for decades so it’s just not talked about as much.

      • vaultdweller013@sh.itjust.works
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        5 months ago

        Please dont associate us stupid rednecks with those wannabe rich fucks with the brand new rams. We much more prefer Toyota trucks or old Fords from the 90s backwards. Im personally also partial to Kei trucks and old Jeep trucks personally.

    • Jarix@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Because you seem to think, and my apologies if im mistaken, that people think about politics as much as your question suggests. Most people just dont really dont have the capacity to also factor in other peoples politics when making large practical purchases.

      A minority of people vote in the us. I believe its around 39%

      And slightly more than half of those people are deciding who the president of the US is.

      You might be surprised to learn that most of the time, a car isnt a political statement or adorsement. It could be, and can be, sometimes it even is.

      If you want an EV because you care about the environment you still want a good vehicle. Teslas are seen as the best EVs that most people have access to and are comfortable with… Inspite of why they might not be.

      Maybe its a surprise to hear that practical benefits of EV ownership, whether it’s due to not having to pay for gas, they want to support fighting climate change, or just enjoy cool new tech are likely why someone owns a tesla, not because they are fans of elon

      How is owning a tesla car not just like walking around wearing one of those stupid red hats?

      Because more than 90% of owners didnt buy their car to be political statements, but 90% of owners of those stupid red hats did buy them and wear them for the sole purpose of being political statementa

      • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        I’m just stating the reality of things. At one point, a Tesla was maybe a signifier for the left, or most likely neutral. Given how much Elon keeps inserting himself into the public eye, and not in a good way, the brand is now a signifier for things a lot of people despise.

        I realize he didn’t even start Tesla, and I realize many people bought their cars long before all this came to light. But I also remember when it was considered risque to buy “foreign”. People absolutely DO think about what a car says about them when they buy a car, and people do make snap judgements about who is driving that car.

        I’m just lamenting the fact that one of the most common EVs is now associated with a shithead like Elon. Which is unfortunate, because we need things like EV more than ever…

      • lolcatnip@reddthat.com
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        5 months ago

        How much does one have think about politics to feel shame at driving around in a car sold by a Nazi?

    • CableMonster@lemmy.ml
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      5 months ago

      Do you understand where it leads to when there are two seperate economies? Its amazing how you dont realize we are in the “fucking around” point in american history.

      • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Are you talking to me? I’m just noting the situation. I think people like Rush, Newt, Elon, and donnie have driven us to this point, and I don’t think it’s good at all. I’m quite worried about my country.

        • CableMonster@lemmy.ml
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          5 months ago

          It takes two parties to tango, and if you dont want to interact with people products due to their non controversial beliefs, then you are completely part of the breakdown. And if you were really worried you would actually learn things, not just repeat propganda.

          • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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            5 months ago

            Shrug. Do you know anyone that has purchased a Tesla? If so, I suggest you talk to them about the car. I bet you can confirm what I’ve said above.

            I know I have. It’s not something I’ve made up - the owners sought a way to get away from ICE, and/or just liked the vehicle, wanted to get a jump on the future, or whatever. Now they are getting side-eye for being associated with this brand because of this loud mouth jerk at the helm. On the flip side of things, I’ve been in groups where someone points out a Tesla and someone mutters something about Musk.

            I don’t know what the answer is to this problem, but Musk sure doesn’t seem to have it. If you think that is a problem I am responsible for, I’m not sure what to tell you.

            Besides voting, about the only viable option most people have in America is to “vote” with their wallet. So while you won’t find liberals doing dumb stuff like shooting their Tesla or putting it in a shredder (unlike the freakouts we have from the other side), I bet more than a few are finding ways to divest themselves of their Teslas and/or not buy a new one, and seek out other options. Right now, if they buy a Tesla, they are signifying that they are okay with Musk funding donnie, who is clearly a fascist. That is not a problem that liberals have created, by the way.

            • CableMonster@lemmy.ml
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              5 months ago

              The issue is that you are in some kind of bubble where everyone is the same. I don know someone that owns a tesla, and elon has not come up one time, its usually about how cool the car is and some of the things that make it hard. My spouse has been looking to buy one due to its advanced technology and safety feature that would benefit her, and not one has it come up what elons politics are.

              Your community has serious issues if they cant buy things from people of different beliefs, its a nail in the coffin that is 100% a you guy problem.

              • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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                5 months ago

                I guess I’m trying to understand how Elon doesn’t come up at all when talking about Tesla. And I’m not sure what community you are talking about.

                • CableMonster@lemmy.ml
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                  5 months ago

                  I dont get why Elon should come up, outside of his goofy naming system, I dont know where his politics are pertinent to the cars he sells. The community of left side people that are always on line and make everything about identities and teams.

    • Lucidlethargy@sh.itjust.works
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      5 months ago

      It’s the same. I can them Muskmobiles in my small town. Fuck anyone who owns them. I don’t care when you bought your Tesla… Fuck you.

      • qarbone@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Yeah! Fuck you if you jumped onboard and invested in one of the earliest, popular, commercial EVs.

        If you can’t find the funds to get a different car, you’re a shithead according to this guy. Switch back to petrol if you have to! This guy will hate you for continuing to own those vehicles!

      • Serinus@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Tesla is still the best EV sedan. Maybe the Ionic 6 will be good in a couple years, but it doesn’t qualify for the tax credit.

      • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        TBF - Tesla was not even started by him. Unfortunately, he cannot seem to keep his disgusting politics to himself, and now the Tesla brand is as tarnished as a red hat.

        Someone I know who works for Tesla gave me a Tesla shirt some time ago. I would never wear such a shirt now in public. It is a dogwhistle, just like the car itself.

        Sadly.

  • ulkesh@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    The world will be much better off without these pieces of cum-flavored shit on the planet. I hope to see the day.

  • LustyArgonian@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Conservatives own at least 2 media companies (X, Truth Social), Trump got reinstated with Meta… Imagine doing all this for a man who raped a 12 year old

    • TurtleJoe@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I was going to start listing other examples, like Rupert Murdoch and Sinclair broadcasting, but in reality billionaire conservatives own and operate all major legacy media outlets at this point. That includes CNN and NYT.

  • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Of course he did.

    Musk just substituted “free speech absolutist” for “billionaire absolutist”…a world where nothing stands in his way.

  • NutWrench@lemmy.zip
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    5 months ago

    Move demonstrates Musk’s growing influence in Washington

    It demonstrates the growing influence of EVERY billionaire in Washington DC ever since the courts accepted the “corporations are people / money is speech” arguments.

    When that happened, the government stopped representing the needs of ordinary people and only represented the needs of billionaires and their lobbyists. It’s taking a long time to play out, but it’s going to end badly.

    • mPony@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      “corporations are people / money is speech”

      I don’t know when they stopped teaching the novel 1984 in U.S. high school curriculum but that evidently happened a while ago.

  • مهما طال الليل@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    Elon Musk peddles the racist replacement theory among other things. It is absurd a white settler from South Africa is afraid to be replaced by the indigenous people.

  • Ghostalmedia@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Putting this guy’s shitty politics aside for a moment, Trump and the GOP have be shitting on EVs extra hard over the past year. Tesla is hurting right now, and if Trump wins the dead heat, that company could be fucked. Moreover, he also has a bunch of government contracts keeping Space X and Starlink alive.

    If Musk doesn’t pay up and kiss the ring, he could be screwed if Trump wins.

    • Tinidril@midwest.social
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      5 months ago

      Elon will be fine with his massive bonus that he totally earned for all the great work he’s done for Tesla.

    • LustyArgonian@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Elon doesn’t care if Tesla succeeds, he’s just using it as a way to launder financial gifts from other billionaires/millionaires and using poor people to help subsidize.

      Eg if his friend, MBS from Saudi Arabia, has 2-5 people with trading algorithms and a few million dollars, they can inflate the stock. This makes it look appealing to regular buyers who think the stock is actually organically reaching that price. Then they invest more, increasing the price, and MBS can start to withdraw some of his money out, but Elon will still have that funding/money from the real investors. If the stock starts to deflate, they can just pump it again.

      At some point, the stock will correct. Either when Elon stops convincing rich people (eg MBS) he can deliver on his promises, or when it becomes clear to the public it was a grift the whole time. I think Elon assumes it will be soon, which is why he took out so much recently (like 40 billion, right?) and risked removal from the company.

      It’s entirely possible Elon is worried about crimes he’s committed and supports Trump explicitly for a pardon (which we know Trump is selling).

  • jpreston2005@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    Ah, well that just flipped the switch in my head from “wow that musk guy is an egotistical asshole devoid of even the most fleeting sense of altruism,” to “I actively hate this dude now.”