this post was submitted on 16 Jul 2024
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[–] [email protected] 57 points 4 months ago (4 children)

I actually used to admire this guy, based on the image he had created for himself (self-educated in rocket science, which I highly doubt) but the Thai cave incident and calling one of the divers pedo, opened my eyes.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 4 months ago

Same here, I used to have this image in my head of a eccentric entrepreneur pushing technology to the max with 'fuck you money'.

Sure he said some crazy shit sometimes, but it kind of felt like he didn't have much of a filter.

Around the time of the Thai cave thing this started to change, but I still gave him the benefit of the doubt until that point.

After that, things just went down hill...

[–] [email protected] 15 points 4 months ago* (last edited 4 months ago) (1 children)

I think kinda everyone did. I never loved the guy, I got weird vibes and thought he was majorly overrated, but I thought he was fine, and I respected the work he'd attached his name to.

Hell, I still respect the hell out of starlink, as someone who had dial-up or old style sattelite with 15GB/mo limits until I moved out of my parents house 6 years ago. That shit's cool as hell, I would've killed for it as a kid, and my dad did shell out for it when it became available.

I don't really attribute anything cool that's come out of Elon's companies to him any more though, in my mind all the credit goes to the talented leaders and engineers that are "under" him. There is something to be said about bankrolling these things, I suppose, but I don't think it's as noble a mission as we all once thought. He just wants to be liked by people and make money.

[–] [email protected] -4 points 4 months ago

I think kinda everyone did.

No he didn't. Capitalists don't fool leftists - but nobody ever listens to them, right?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 4 months ago

He lied about his education. If you read a Wikipedia article on the Apollo engine you now know as much about rocket surgery as Elon.

It’s the same type of “I’m smart” that Trump has.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 4 months ago

Pretty sure most people had some admiration for him. I, for one, admired the whole thing of him selling flamethrowers. Things change when you learn how much of a scumbag someone is.