Investors are having doubts about Elon Musk's grandiose ambitions

(economist.com)

29 points | by andsoitis 20 hours ago ago

22 comments

  • mapping365 20 hours ago ago

    I feel like if they just expanded this logic slightly they would realize that data centers as an investment class are uninvestable.

    • gfrecvh 16 hours ago ago

      Could expand? I don't see the connection with the link.

      • Zigurd 8 hours ago ago

        For example, Google ridiculously overpaid for SpaceX AI data center capacity, by something like more than an order of magnitude, both directly and via Anthropic.

        An inquisitively suspicious, not to say cynical, person might believe this was manipulation to keep SPCX from cratering completely before their lock ups expire.

    • andsoitis 19 hours ago ago

      that's why you also make chips... space access... robotics... energy solutions... etc.

  • djfergus 20 hours ago ago
  • trial3 20 hours ago ago

    masterful gambit, sir

  • rramadass 20 hours ago ago

    Yet Mr Musk does appear to have lunar ambitions for Tesla’s humanoids. He outlined a “super sci-fi” future in which they would operate factories on the Moon building solar panels and radiators for SpaceX’s satellites. Humans may be the advanced guard. Ms Shotwell said SpaceX’s aim was to put “boots on the Moon” as early as 2028.

    Do company executives really make these sort of claims with a straight face? More importantly, does anybody in the "public" really believe them?

    • andsoitis 19 hours ago ago

      > > Ms Shotwell said SpaceX’s aim was to put “boots on the Moon” as early as 2028.

      > Do company executives really make these sort of claims with a straight face? More importantly, does anybody in the "public" really believe them?

      Why do you think this is far-fetched?

      • Spooky23 19 hours ago ago

        I’m sitting here in my driveway in my Tesla Roadster after it autonomously drove me from Boston back home to NYC. My robot servants are folding the laundry

        I agree, totally not far fetched

      • skybrian 19 hours ago ago

        Seems like Starship has a ways to go before carrying human passengers?

        • Zigurd 8 hours ago ago

          No point in carrying humans until you can launch the 15 refueling missions to get it out of low Earth orbit.

          Elon hasn't got a single clue what a critical path is in a project plan.

        • andsoitis 19 hours ago ago

          > a ways to go before carrying human passengers?

          SpaceX has safely flown 78 crewmembers from 20 countries across 20 human spaceflight missions using its Crew Dragon spacecraft since May 2020.

          • londons_explore 17 hours ago ago

            Crew dragon was designed by smart minds.

            Those smart minds have mostly left spacex now, since musk changed political sides and became much less 'cool' for the brightest to work at.

            That's why the company is struggling now - few smart minds means little progress.

            • andsoitis 17 hours ago ago

              > Those smart minds have mostly left spacex now since musk changed political sides

              Care to name a few?

              • londons_explore 17 hours ago ago

                Tom Mueller, Chris Thompson, Hans Koenigsmann, Tim Buzza etc have all left.

                Makes sense - they had been there ~20 years and must have a huge pile of stock.

                But due to musks political aura (mostly right leaning), the smart minds from universities(which are mostly left leaning) are no longer joining spacex en-mass.

                In turn, that means the companies are merely ticking along, not racing ahead.

                • andsoitis 16 hours ago ago

                  > the smart minds from universities are no longer joining spacex

                  What data do you have to convince someone who is skeptical and suspicious of your claim?

          • skybrian 19 hours ago ago

            Yes I know, but how do they plan to get to the moon?

            • MarkusQ 17 hours ago ago

              On a rocket?

              They make and launch them. More, in fact than the rest of the world combined.

              At this point, anyone claiming "SpaceX can't do <generic space related thing>" is either 1) claiming that no one can or 2) blinded by some sort of ideological bias.

            • andsoitis 17 hours ago ago

              > how do they plan to get to the moon?

              With Starship. Is that a trick question?

          • cwillu 19 hours ago ago

            SpaceX, not Starship. While I don't agree with the “starship will never orbit” haters, the viewpoint itself is coherent.

            • Zigurd 8 hours ago ago

              I hate the mind-bogglingly incompetent approach to project management Elon takes. It's like a chess player who can't see even two moves ahead.

              TBF a starship will orbit the planet at least once, just with a fraction of the spec payload and therefore no chance of being refueled to get out of orbit to the Moon. Starship's project dependencies each have a clusterfuck of dependencies, and they each...

              It all has to go right or it fails. On top of all that his business strategies is brittle in the same way Tesla is crippled by not having a cheaper car instead of fantasy project like humanoid robots and cyber cab.