Absurdity. Elon Musk is so far beyond wealthy he doesn't need to do anything anymore and hasn't since Zip2, X.com and freakin' PayPal, and hasn't for a long time. Everything he's done since hasn't been for profit, it's about solving problems. Profitablity is a side issue.
Your problem with him stems from the central problem that you can't think beyond your own narrow views and get on his level, Bill Gates' level, because you don't have the freedom to exist on the same plane of existence. Because you are the type of person you are, in whatever cognitive situation you find yourself in, you simply cannot grasp the idea of an individual gathering the resources he has, using the drive that he has to go after making electric cars (and forcing an entire industry to follow suit), clearing gridlock, providing internet on a global scale, and colonizing another planet.
Everything you wrote saddens me. I'm truly baffled at how anyone can take cynicism to such an extreme. Honestly it's so hyperbolic it seems contrived, like you're trolling.
I'm sorry but it's time to filter you out. I won't be seeing any responses.
I don't feel concerned in any point by your opinions on me, and BTW you're probably far away enough ;-) not to be.
Maybe do some introspection about narrowmindness and cynism; about how other parts of humanity outside your world think and live, and then try to return on those two subjects.
Not having the level nor the income or performance of someone else doesnt exclude anybode from the right to have his own point of view of things based on how things actually present themselves and also question the "the net result beyond money and glory".
Pushing in the environment 42 000 satelites and millions of high grade batteries for cars - because you have the power to do so - is without any doubt solving problems on the short run, for a little comfort during a temporary existence, but is also creating bigger and extremely costly problems on the long run. I'm not sure that the actual wealth of Mr Musk can cover these costs, that will remain at charge of the entire humanity.
In the same way the world will be facing a problem regarding nuclear waste and deconstruction of nuclear power plants (even if as a narrowminded man I'm not against nuclear energy, OMG). ie : We profited for decades of cheap energy to have warm water and heat ourselves, but it was cheap because we did not take into account the cost of deconstruction at end of life of these plants nor the research it needs to search for a solution to the waste problem this energy generates, for thousands of years.
Wealthyness is a very discussable concept if one includes the corresponding 'global' debt that has been created due to acquire this wealth. It's one of the flaws of capitalism (and I am a capitalist, but just one who didn't stop thinking) : not discount the global ressources that are consumed of the added value that was created. It's a bit like burning your ship at landing...(in the context I suggest to replace ship by "rocket")
Honors to Bill Gates who's actually doing fabulous things for humanity and especially in Africa, that's exactly how things should go.
Anyway, what had to be said has been said and also I think this philosophic approach effectively was not the subject of the thread. End of my participation and hoping strongly that Mr Musk will manage to have cars driving to destination all alone. 35000 miles a year on the road and twice so much in the air is a lot of timeloss (and pollution btw), and I really look forward to be able to do something useful during driving time.
And eh, have a nice day anyway !
