SpaceX Falcon Heavy

[tower912]

Curious though - do you not think Ford and Edison also directed people based on a vision?

I view Musk as closer to Ford than to Edison.    Splitting very fine hairs, though.   Not worth fighting over.   

[Tugg Speedman]

I view Musk as closer to Ford than to Edison.    Splitting very fine hairs, though.   Not worth fighting over.

Do you think it is fair to put him the company of an Edison and/or Ford?  Or is this a reflection of our recency bias? (Musk is now and we overvalue current accomplishments versus old black and white images in history books.)

[ZiggysFryBoy]

at this point, Musk is more of a Nikola Tesla, than a Ford or Edison.  Nikola had some early success (AC) and some other minor triumphs (did he beat Marconi on wireless? Debatable.), but ultimately ended up chasing dreams.

Musk has a chance to move to the Edison/Ford level, but time will tell.

[tower912]

Musk has vision.    And because of PayPal, he has $.    Tesla lost $2 billion last year and is struggling with production.    I will let history judge.   

[Benny B]

Do you think it is fair to put him the company of an Edison and/or Ford?  Or is this a reflection of our recency bias? (Musk is now and we overvalue current accomplishments versus old black and white images in history books.)

I'll split the hairs....

Edison is known more for what he did, Ford is mostly known for how he did it.  Edison's greatest invention was either the elephant electrifier or the light bulb... in other words, a tangible thing.  Ford's greatest invention was the assembly line... in other words, a process.

Ignoring the societal impact of their respective accomplishments for a moment, outside of providing light (and "baking" brownies with a gooey center), the lightbulb doesn't really have much utilization.  In fact, none of Edison's inventions really have an utility except what they were designed for.  The assembly line, on the other hand, had a widespread impact on many industries.... one might even argue that even today's IT was influenced in part by the concept of the assembly line.

Ford - in today's vernacular - was a disrupter just like Musk.

Although I'm not sure that Ford ever took deposits for the Model T and booked them as ordinary income.

[Tugg Speedman]

Although I'm not sure that Ford ever took deposits for the Model T and booked them as ordinary income.

He did not

But Ford also did not build a rocket to fire his car into space, work on a revolutionary way to solve traffic, run the largest solar company in the country, design an electric vertical landing airplane ... and before all this completely change the payment system in the country.

[GooooMarquette]

Long after humans are extinct, when neither Edison's nor Ford's innovations will matter, Musk's rocket will still be soaring through the cosmos with Space Man in a Tesla booming Bowie.

Musk wins! Musk wins! Musk wins!

[mu03eng]

Long after humans are extinct, when neither Edison's nor Ford's innovations will matter, Musk's rocket will still be soaring through the cosmos with Space Man in a Tesla booming Bowie.

Musk wins! Musk wins! Musk wins!

The sad part is no one will be able to hear Bowie in space.

[mu03eng]

I'll split the hairs....

Edison is known more for what he did, Ford is mostly known for how he did it.  Edison's greatest invention was either the elephant electrifier or the light bulb... in other words, a tangible thing.  Ford's greatest invention was the assembly line... in other words, a process.

Ignoring the societal impact of their respective accomplishments for a moment, outside of providing light (and "baking" brownies with a gooey center), the lightbulb doesn't really have much utilization.  In fact, none of Edison's inventions really have an utility except what they were designed for.  The assembly line, on the other hand, had a widespread impact on many industries.... one might even argue that even today's IT was influenced in part by the concept of the assembly line.

Ford - in today's vernacular - was a disrupter just like Musk.

Although I'm not sure that Ford ever took deposits for the Model T and booked them as ordinary income.

I'll put a further point of the ends of those split hairs.....Edison was an inventor, Ford was a facilitator. Musk is 100% a facilitator.

[JWags85]

I'm still amazed that there are still vocal opponents of Musk who think he is a charlatan and/or a con artist.  Legit criticisms of Tesla's financial valuations or not liking that a public company is essential a large R&D operation burning cash is fine, but acting like he's full of it or intentionally deceiving people is silly.  He has huge and fantastical dreams and all of it is for the greater good of society as a whole, and he's put his money where his mouth is plenty of times.  Is it all gonna work?  Probably not.  But I don't see anyone else taking the risks or making the varied efforts that he is.

He's Tesla without the electromagnetic poisoning and mental instability.  And Tony Stark without the technical expertise haha.

[Benny B]

He's Tesla without the electromagnetic poisoning and mental instability.  And Tony Stark without the technical expertise haha.

Very nice.  What are you, his perfect biographer?

[JWags85]

Very nice.  What are you, his perfect biographer?

Haha, nah, then I would added something stupid like "the imagination of Jobs, with the daring intellect of Einstein.  He's not perfect, he's taken some liberties and had some substantial F-ups, but I admire his upside.

I'm just pumped to have someone like him in a position of influence and effectiveness and am always amused at what people, other than traditional car makers or the like, have against him or his goals.  If Hyperloop comes to fruition or they develop battery technology that allows an electric car to go 500+ miles on a charge or a battery that can be replaced in minutes, who cares what sort of profit TSLA posted in Q3 a few years prior, IMO

[jesmu84]

Haha, nah, then I would added something stupid like "the imagination of Jobs, with the daring intellect of Einstein.  He's not perfect, he's taken some liberties and had some substantial F-ups, but I admire his upside.

I'm just pumped to have someone like him in a position of influence and effectiveness and am always amused at what people, other than traditional car makers or the like, have against him or his goals.  If Hyperloop comes to fruition or they develop battery technology that allows an electric car to go 500+ miles on a charge or a battery that can be replaced in minutes, who cares what sort of profit TSLA posted in Q3 a few years prior, IMO

I'm mad that I agree with heisy. But I do. Too many obstacles in the way of success for someone like musk. "Traditional car makers" are a good example. Literally trying to squash a change that's better for society as a whole because it will make them obsolete. It should be illegal.

[🏀]

“Private enterprise will never lead a space frontier. In all the history of human conduct, it’s as clear to me as day follows night that private enterprise won’t do that, because it’s expensive. It’s dangerous. You have uncertainty and risks, because you’re dealing with things that haven’t been done before. That’s what it means to be on a frontier.”

NDT being wrong is delicious.

[Tugg Speedman]

“Private enterprise will never lead a space frontier. In all the history of human conduct, it’s as clear to me as day follows night that private enterprise won’t do that, because it’s expensive. It’s dangerous. You have uncertainty and risks, because you’re dealing with things that haven’t been done before. That’s what it means to be on a frontier.”

NDT being wrong is delicious.

Dangerous and expensive is never a deterrent from private enterprise.  See oil exploration.

They will not do it until a profit motive has been established.  How does one make money going to space?  Note that Musk is working on perfecting a "truck" to deliver payloads to space as cost-effectively as possible.  Beyond this, how else does one make money in space?

[jesmu84]

Dangerous and expensive is never a deterrent from private enterprise.  See oil exploration.

They will not do it until a profit motive has been established.  How does one make money going to space?  Note that Musk is working on perfecting a "truck" to deliver payloads to space as cost-effectively as possible.  Beyond this, how else does one make money in space?

Mining

[warriorchick]

Mining

Bringing space creatures back to earth for possible exploitation by unscrupulous corporate types.

[🏀]

Dangerous and expensive is never a deterrent from private enterprise.  See oil exploration.

They will not do it until a profit motive has been established.  How does one make money going to space?  Note that Musk is working on perfecting a "truck" to deliver payloads to space as cost-effectively as possible.  Beyond this, how else does one make money in space?

Patents on space logistics and technology.

[Tugg Speedman]

Mining

mining what?  and getting it to earth?

will never be practical

How about tourism?  if this is only something the 1% can afford, it will never go beyond a novelty.

[Tugg Speedman]

Patents on space logistics and technology.

explain

[jesmu84]

mining what?  and getting it to earth?

will never be practical

How about tourism?  if this is only something the 1% can afford, it will never go beyond a novelty.

Never?

[forgetful]

Long after humans are extinct, when neither Edison's nor Ford's innovations will matter, Musk's rocket will still be soaring through the cosmos with Space Man in a Tesla booming Bowie.

Musk wins! Musk wins! Musk wins!

Well, technically Space Man and his Tesla will fairly quickly be torn apart by radiation in space.  So I certainly hope we are not going extinct before then.

[Tugg Speedman]

Never?

If only the 1% can afford it ... yes, it never goes beyond a novelty and not a serious business.

[jesmu84]

If only the 1% can afford it ... yes, it never goes beyond a novelty and not a serious business.

I was talking about mining

[Benny B]