bonnie's note about never betraying trust sounds quite obviously true and good, but such allegiance can have some implications on places like TMC, when talking with others who share no such connection with Tesla and thus may feel more free to really dig in. That said, I do welcome bonnie's note and that's more than we get from some people.
I think it is fair to note that there are various senior members (beyond bonnie and the latest messages) on TMC who hold the quite vocal opinion that we have not seen the final Model X yet and that's the extent they're willing to discuss that, so we don't know why they think that and to what extent of changes do they think will be. Often they simply avoid commenting on the details of the mule or speculating on the outcome. There has been some speculation on TMC if this could be due to some insider information or at least friendly TM connections that would result in reluctance to talk it through. That is all just speculation, of course.
Now, obviously technically we haven't seen the final Model X, but that is - as noted - a technicality. A technicality isn't what this line of thinking is saying or if it is, that would be misleading and disappointing. At least to me, talk of us not having seen the final Model X only makes sense if there is a significant difference between the 2015 mule(s) and the eventual end-result. If Tesla can manage a major surprise in the areas seen of the 2015 mule(s), they would certainly pull off something not many manufacturers often have. Cars are usually photographed in disguise but quite final form prior to reveal. (Notable areas not seen are the front and interior of course, so we aren't discussing those because obviously they remain a surprise.)
It seems to me one would have to have a pretty good reason to suggest a material difference between the final Model X and the low-disguise parts of the 2015 mule(s). What could that reason be? I'm all ears for ideas. But insider information certainly could be such a reason. Simply having personal connections at Tesla hindering conversation could also be a very human explanation for this silence. If I was friends with people at some company, I probably wouldn't debate said company as vigorously online. I might avoid the topic or get a little uncomfortable with it, for sure. There could be such people on TMC and they probably wouldn't feel free to acknowledge as much, which could result in puzzling comments.
Finally, I'm sure merely being protective of Tesla in general is motivation for some people to avoid toying with Tesla's secrets in public, simply because of idenitifying with Tesla. It too is an understandable reaction, even if unfortunate for the effectiveness of community information gathering.
I'm sure there are many more motivations for people, but I think the potential for these layers are good to acknowledge. I'm sure nobody means any malice or intent, ever, merely that subtle human realities might affect things a little.
