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Elon Musk, Time Person of 2021

Does Elon Musk deserve the honor?

  • Yes

    Votes: 37 77.1%
  • Maybe

    Votes: 2 4.2%
  • No

    Votes: 9 18.8%

  • Total voters
    48
  • Poll closed .
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This is worthy of its own thread, and poll.

Considering all that he has done, his success and failures, in 2021.
Remember most that

Time Person of the Year judges by "for better or for worse... has done the most to influence the events of the year"​


Does Elon Musk deserve the honor?


Voting is NO CHANGE, so think careful before voting.
75 days to consider.
 
I think 2021 is the perfect year to nominate Musk for this award. I strongly suspect 2021 will be considered by history as the year the paradigm shift between ICE and EVs hit it’s pivot point.

Prior to 2021 it was a small number of people who saw this, now it is commonly accepted. While it is an inevitable change, Tesla has driven the change so far.
 
I do Wonder if, in the long term, his Mars ventures might prove more historical. When you calculate that almost everything he does is related to that, even tesla, the focus is so extreme that it's hard to believe that that isn't where the bulk of his energy goes. As such it's most likely that the fame he's so craves will come from that. In fact, I am convinced that his main reason for doing all he does is to gather the fame that would come from being the man to put men on mars. I still love the guy, but he is a Fame whore! He would sell his soul for fame. Historically exactly the same as the Romans in the first century.
 
I do Wonder if, in the long term, his Mars ventures might prove more historical. When you calculate that almost everything he does is related to that, even tesla, the focus is so extreme that it's hard to believe that that isn't where the bulk of his energy goes. As such it's most likely that the fame he's so craves will come from that. In fact, I am convinced that his main reason for doing all he does is to gather the fame that would come from being the man to put men on mars. I still love the guy, but he is a Fame whore! He would sell his soul for fame. Historically exactly the same as the Romans in the first century.
That’s a good point. Right now I don’t see his efforts with space travel being as influential as his efforts on energy here on earth. Maybe in 10 years that will change.

When we wake up in 2040 and we have cars that silently drive us where we want to go and 95% of power is solar or wind, I think history will recognize Musk as being the engineer of much of that change. Space flight will be amazing, but I think we are only just beginning to see what that will bring.
 
I strongly suspect 2021 will be considered by history as the year the paradigm shift between ICE and EVs hit it’s pivot point.
Agree with that fully.

Last year was barely many mention of EV, rarely see any EV on road (and I was looking!)
2021 the media was full of ads for EV, car makes announcing grand transitions to EV's, and started seeing a Tesla twice a week to several a day.
 
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The internet made safe and secure transfer of data and money, the banks failed to make use of it, Elon co-created PayPal.
The rocket companies where too slow and expensive to make replacement for launch vehicles, Elon formed Space X
The automotive companies made no effort to make useable EV's, Elon joined Tesla

Online money transfers is now expected, PayPal still a major player.
Space X has put the USA back into space, with Moon return soon, and Mars very possible.
In 10 years a startup car company is now the 6th company to ever reach $1 Trillion, and established ones seem him as an existential threat.

How much more disruption can Elon do?
 
Here's a bit of additional commentary from Electrek.


Antonio Gracias, Musk’s close friend of two decades, who has held seats on the boards of Tesla and SpaceX, said to TIME of Musk:
He was raised in a tough environment and born with a very special brain.
Ninety-nine-point-nine percent of people in that situation don’t come out of it. Some small percentage come out of it with the ability he has to make great decisions under extraordinary pressure and the never-ending drive to change the course of humanity.
And Robert Zubrin, founder of the Mars Society, who met Musk in 2001, told TIME:
He is a humanist — not in the sense of being a nice person, because he isn’t.
He wants eternal glory for doing great deeds, and he is an asset to the human race because he defines a great deed as something that is great for humanity. He is greedy for glory. Money to him is a means, not an end. Who today evaluates Thomas Edison on the basis of which of his inventions turned a profit?
 
And Robert Zubrin, founder of the Mars Society, who met Musk in 2001, told TIME:
He is a humanist — not in the sense of being a nice person, because he isn’t.
He wants eternal glory for doing great deeds, and he is an asset to the human race because he defines a great deed as something that is great for humanity. He is greedy for glory. Money to him is a means, not an end. Who today evaluates Thomas Edison on the basis of which of his inventions turned a profit?
This last quote… I don’t think a lot of people realize how greatly this influences Musk.

We talk about “Tesla’s Mission” as if it’s some great ethical thing and people are skeptical that a billionaire would care so much about the world and others. Musk has literally no needs or wants, he doesn’t work for money any more. He is now laser focused on what people will think of him in 100 years. Or 1000 years even. Musk launching the Roadster into space guarantees that he as a legacy flying around the galaxy for a billion years.

It is convenient that Musk’s quest for a legacy is also good for mankind at the moment.
 
I am convinced that his main reason for doing all he does is to gather the fame that would come from being the man to put men on mars.
Absolutely disagree. If he were that, he'd be only the chairman of SpaceX/Tesla and would be spending all his time on the lecture circuit and just attending galas. Have you missed the fact that he works about 80-100 hours a week? Double what normal people do? He's a workaholic, not a fame whore.
 
Absolutely disagree. If he were that, he'd be only the chairman of SpaceX/Tesla and would be spending all his time on the lecture circuit and just attending galas. Have you missed the fact that he works about 80-100 hours a week? Double what normal people do? He's a workaholic, not a fame whore.
Different things.

One is the amount of effort he puts into it.

The other is what tasks he chooses to pursue.
 
Absolutely disagree. If he were that, he'd be only the chairman of SpaceX/Tesla and would be spending all his time on the lecture circuit and just attending galas. Have you missed the fact that he works about 80-100 hours a week? Double what normal people do? He's a workaholic, not a fame whore.

Everyone wants to at least be seen as a person wanting to help other people. I do believe that Elon, remember I love the guy, does believe he's doing his best to help people. But don't forget, the fame of being the guy to get the first settlement on Mars will far exceed even that of a president. He has a deep-seated need to be recognized for what he does. It's not a bad thing necessarily! If he didn't have that need, none of this would be getting done. It's what drives him to work 80 to 90 hours a week.
 
I don't care one bit who wins Time Person of the Year or not. But what I find really astonishing is the absolute vitriol that people across many different walks of life have for this man and who are using his nomination as Person of the year as an opportunity to vent about their feelings for him. Now naturally some of that is just going to come from the fact that he's obscenely wealthy and many are just going to hate that in and of itself. But quite a bit comes from other sources. Union busting. Insulting people on Twitter. Starting fights with politicians. Spreading false hopes about product capabilities. I could go on..... Now, when a company is young having brash upstart somewhat obnoxious CEO? Well... maybe there's something to be said for having a leader who shakes things up and rubs many people the wrong way. But when you start moving into the territory that Tesla is heading, then I think it's time to tune that aspect way down. Naturally all the people who disagree with me on this are going to point out about how Tesla orders for certain models are out to summer 2022. Yes, I understand that. I just think for the long term that having a CEO who pisses off a rather large percentage of the population for really no good reason is not the way to go.
 
Everyone wants to at least be seen as a person wanting to help other people. I do believe that Elon, remember I love the guy, does believe he's doing his best to help people. But don't forget, the fame of being the guy to get the first settlement on Mars will far exceed even that of a president. He has a deep-seated need to be recognized for what he does. It's not a bad thing necessarily! If he didn't have that need, none of this would be getting done. It's what drives him to work 80 to 90 hours a week.
You and I do not know what drives him.
 
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...Now naturally some of that is just going to come from the fact that he's (obscenely) wealthy and many are just going to hate that in and of itself.
... Insulting people on Twitter. Starting fights with politicians....
... maybe there's something to be said for having a leader who shakes things up and rubs many people the wrong way...
...having a CEO who pisses off a rather large percentage of the population for really no good reason is not the way to go.
That reminds of someone who became President. Except that obscenely wealthy part
 
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That’s a good point. Right now I don’t see his efforts with space travel being as influential as his efforts on energy here on earth. Maybe in 10 years that will change.

When we wake up in 2040 and we have cars that silently drive us where we want to go and 95% of power is solar or wind, I think history will recognize Musk as being the engineer of much of that change. Space flight will be amazing, but I think we are only just beginning to see what that will bring.
I just hope I wake up in 2040:)
 
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