Well, you have hit on Tesla's weak point. Only thing is, who else is producing electric cars in high volume? Until enoigh competition exists to wipe out gas cars, people will tolerate the chaotic Tesla service experience.
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Yep, it isn't parts volume, it's internal communications. Tesla needs more secretaries.
I wouldn't be surprised if this kind of thing got overlooked.
They don't seem to be fond of human redundancy, which sometimes is very useful in emergencies.
More Model 3s > more diverse customers > more accidents > more coverage. It's not gonna be easy ;-)
Elon should poach Phil Schiller (senior VP of worldwide marketing) from Apple?
Phil Schiller has got to be one of the best marketing execs out there. Trained under Steve Jobs and doing a fantastic job under Tim Cook. Phil Schiller knows how to control the narrative and he understands marketing is about the product. Personally I think Phil is underrated and not very recognized. He might be even more important to Apple than Jony Ive.
Problem is Elon doesn't want to advertise at all and don't know what Phil Schiller would think of that. Also, Phil's probably got loyalty to Steve Jobs and don't know if he'd jump ship.
Phil Schiller has got to be one of the best marketing execs out there. Trained under Steve Jobs and doing a fantastic job under Tim Cook. Phil Schiller knows how to control the narrative and he understands marketing is about the product. Personally I think Phil is underrated and not very recognized. He might be even more important to Apple than Jony Ive.
Problem is Elon doesn't want to advertise at all and don't know what Phil Schiller would think of that. Also, Phil's probably got loyalty to Steve Jobs and don't know if he'd jump ship.
Singer3000
Member
Unprompted, some of my techier/geekier-than-me friends brought up Elon/Tesla yesterday over drinks. For background, they were the ones that first brought him/the company to my attention but unlike me never invested because the stock market isn't really their thing. Being techie geeks they still follow him on Twitter and watch most SpaceX launches live etc... They understand far better than me what a neural net is, know all about the Tesla Network, one actively works on solar energy in emerging markets. These are people from the other side of the world to the Silicon Valley bubble, that had their babies sat in front of the TV to cheer on the Starman launch.
I was surprised to hear how the years (and recent months) had changed their views. Elon has gone from: "this guy I saw at SXSW is a visionary genius, teach me how to invest in the US stock market" to [polite summary]: "he's a much more complicated character than I realised".
Elon's Twitter and media storms calling people bone headed, ignorant, sanctimonious and most recently riffing on mental illness, are anecdotally having a tangible impact on Elon's personal brand and by extension Tesla's. It was always the case that Elon was an imperfect vessel for the unrealistic aspirations of his followers. But it seems that the myth of Elon Infallibility is being busted quicker than I had hoped. Far more than gross margin and operating leverage trends, it's hard not to feel that Elon's reputation itself is actually the key indicator to follow for long term investors. This drives to varying degrees, media sentiment, investor appetite, consumer demand and availability of talent. And lest we forget, its these inputs that will lead to the success or failure of Tesla's mission.
No idea who Phil Schiller is and what value he might add, but I'd like to think those independent board members from media circles are paying attention and will give the right advice.
I expect I'll get some down-votes for this, so be it. I'm just sat here wondering what happened to the Elon of only 2017 that said "The thing that drives me is that I want to be able to think about the future and feel good about that" to the one of 2018, who on the supposed brink of his greatest triumph, seems bitter, aggressive and unfocused.
I was surprised to hear how the years (and recent months) had changed their views. Elon has gone from: "this guy I saw at SXSW is a visionary genius, teach me how to invest in the US stock market" to [polite summary]: "he's a much more complicated character than I realised".
Elon's Twitter and media storms calling people bone headed, ignorant, sanctimonious and most recently riffing on mental illness, are anecdotally having a tangible impact on Elon's personal brand and by extension Tesla's. It was always the case that Elon was an imperfect vessel for the unrealistic aspirations of his followers. But it seems that the myth of Elon Infallibility is being busted quicker than I had hoped. Far more than gross margin and operating leverage trends, it's hard not to feel that Elon's reputation itself is actually the key indicator to follow for long term investors. This drives to varying degrees, media sentiment, investor appetite, consumer demand and availability of talent. And lest we forget, its these inputs that will lead to the success or failure of Tesla's mission.
No idea who Phil Schiller is and what value he might add, but I'd like to think those independent board members from media circles are paying attention and will give the right advice.
I expect I'll get some down-votes for this, so be it. I'm just sat here wondering what happened to the Elon of only 2017 that said "The thing that drives me is that I want to be able to think about the future and feel good about that" to the one of 2018, who on the supposed brink of his greatest triumph, seems bitter, aggressive and unfocused.
I get where Elon is coming from. It does not make one feel good about the future to witness masses of dishonest attacks from corrupt trolls for decades. Seems obvious to me.
Strange, that's not how I see him at all. For one thing he tweeted that he's never been happier, just a week or two ago. To me he seems relaxed, sure of the future, and feels confident like he's in a position to push back against injustice.
He's also noted he's not here to be anyone's savior. Feels like he's putting a line in the sand. I think It's clear that his behavior is in-line with what he says and the "stress" from Model 3 production (which is much easier and going much faster than where the Model 3 was back in 2012-2013) isn't harming him as much as invigorating him.
I totally disagree with the thought that Elon should just sit back and do nothing. The forces that he is fighting against are evil to put it mildly.
I posted this extract in another thread, it's about 60 pages and talks about how Chanos etc., tried to destroy Fairfax, a Canadian insurance firm and run it to the ground.You simply cannot sit back and do your thing.
Tesla's key need is a operations exec that can drive the "factory is the product" future and much less so a marketing exec. My take on this is that Tesla needs to deliver on their production promises which will take some time, but will regain credibility on that front.
Elon does need to tone down some of the off color jokes and handle issues in a similar manner he recently did with Consumer Reports. A more composed Elon on Twitter would work wonders.
Lastly, I always get the impression that Phil Schiller is more hype than substance. He provides good value to an Apple that is led by a less charismatic CEO. They work well together. If you look at each individual I would say that a composed Elon > Phil Schiller from a pure marketing perspective.
edit: changed mature to composed
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I get that Elon is tired of media dishonesty on Tesla, but I think he kinda fell into a media trap.
Because media are way better than him at this foul game.
So, when Elon writes a tweet in which attacks media "in general", that's the tweet everyone is gonna look and point at.
He cleared a bit in subsequent tweets, but it was too late. Also, he trolled everyone with that poll, which is silly, but people don't really understand his nerd sense of humor (think about how many people wrote about Pravda).
Elon should really clear the air about important stuff: run a vote among workers about UAW, defend Tesla from the accusations of dishonesty regarding injury reports, and focus his contro-information campaign about Tesla/EV/renewable disinformation.
I think that making enemies from the progressive side is unnecessary and not helpful: people now just think of him as a Thiel or worse, Trump.
I get where all this is coming from, but I live here on TMC, (we few, we happy few), the narrative out there is way worse.
Because media are way better than him at this foul game.
So, when Elon writes a tweet in which attacks media "in general", that's the tweet everyone is gonna look and point at.
He cleared a bit in subsequent tweets, but it was too late. Also, he trolled everyone with that poll, which is silly, but people don't really understand his nerd sense of humor (think about how many people wrote about Pravda).
Elon should really clear the air about important stuff: run a vote among workers about UAW, defend Tesla from the accusations of dishonesty regarding injury reports, and focus his contro-information campaign about Tesla/EV/renewable disinformation.
I think that making enemies from the progressive side is unnecessary and not helpful: people now just think of him as a Thiel or worse, Trump.
I get where all this is coming from, but I live here on TMC, (we few, we happy few), the narrative out there is way worse.
Many seem to expect the energy transition to take place without a major overhaul of the media and financing systems.
Both are owned or backed by a 5+ trillion $ industry that see its death coming and that refuses to go gentle into the good night. 5 trillion is just for oil and gas and does not account for the automobile industry.
In the transition, auto-manufacturers will have to cut their ad spending significantly and the spared ones won't need ads. The media cannot let this happen silently, which is why it can be bought cheaply.
As for the finance industry, the bankers cannot expect their ROI to increase by switching from scarce resources to cheap, renewable energy.
Musk came early in the fight, and made an inspiring story. Cool. The thing is, fossil fuels consumption continues to increase and the fossil giant hasn't started flexing its muscles. If the end of coal brought Trump, I don't dare imagine what the end of oil and gas will bring to the world...
Both are owned or backed by a 5+ trillion $ industry that see its death coming and that refuses to go gentle into the good night. 5 trillion is just for oil and gas and does not account for the automobile industry.
In the transition, auto-manufacturers will have to cut their ad spending significantly and the spared ones won't need ads. The media cannot let this happen silently, which is why it can be bought cheaply.
As for the finance industry, the bankers cannot expect their ROI to increase by switching from scarce resources to cheap, renewable energy.
Musk came early in the fight, and made an inspiring story. Cool. The thing is, fossil fuels consumption continues to increase and the fossil giant hasn't started flexing its muscles. If the end of coal brought Trump, I don't dare imagine what the end of oil and gas will bring to the world...
PS: I remember from history classes that any industrial revolution requires/implies a major change in energy sources, transportation methods, and communication systems. The broadcast media (TV, radio, newspapers) are from/for the first 3 revolutions. Is the Internet/Web enough for the 4rth? Or is it still built and owned by the old model?
We might need to go through an epochal redoubling again... And Musk might now fear it.
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Plus with the advent of more ...um...focused AI driving news source's the FUD will increase.
The tools used by FB and by extension Cambridge analytical were really crude AI tools.
The money at stake will I believe unfortunately finance major tools in the AI fake news regime.
I think the rise of the Interwebs and streaming media is in fact the next wave. As soon as it is ubiquitously available, because of Starling or OneWeb, it will take over. And you can see the incumbents fighting hard, with Net Neutrality being fought over at the moment.
bdy0627
Active Member
It's been a little difficult to read his tweets due to the fact that I'm personally wincing with a lot of them. I think we are all getting a good sense of just how complicated Musk is. Most CEO's do not reveal so much of themselves to the public, preferring to maintain a very professional, reserved persona. I read Vance's book on Musk, and I've been following him on twitter for several years, but this is a different side we are seeing. It has changed my perspective of him. To be honest, my prior impression was probably naively overly positive, essentially that of a hero. The reality is that much, if not all, of this will be forgotten when Tesla is producing 10,000+ model 3/week and getting ready to reveal the model Y.
Singer3000
Member
I think you’ve hit upon some truth here. A lot of the great industrialists of history have had shall we say, complex personalities, that’s what made them what they were. And that’s all fine but to Dave’s point, these tweets are demonstrably muddying the brand. Maybe it’s a good thing if it reduces the hero worship, lessening the weight of expectations on one man’s shoulders and from an investor perspective, leads to a more critical and less emotional assessment of the company’s strategy and execution. Strange days these feel.
I'm glad Elon spoke up because I saw this ad while seeing a movie on Friday night. This ad!! API is now pushing into an American pass time to manipulate society. Tesla doesn't advertise, so it won't have ads where people have to sit and watch a commercial because they are waiting on their movie to start. It disgusts me and made me mad when I saw it, I called out "bullshit" right there in the theater.
We are all going to have to speak louder as the oil industry dies, because like some of you said, the fight is only starting.
We are all going to have to speak louder as the oil industry dies, because like some of you said, the fight is only starting.
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