As for this "friends and TSLA" business, I accepted long ago how in most people's mind "a prophet" will always be someone from at least ten miles away. That is, someone they don't know very well. Something in our DNA seems to prevent us from learning from our peers, parents, etc. as well as we should.
Still, as I started buying TSLA in October/November of 2019 I mentioned the stock and its potential in casual conversation, then, I waited for anyone to carry the conversation further. None did.
Sixteen months later when I gave notice of retirement I alluded to how an investment I had made payed off. There might have been two or three who then asked if it was Tesla. To those I responded, "Yes, and it is still not too late to get in."
My boss, who I worked with for two decades, and with whom I had over the years discussed stocks, investing and such was probably hit hardest. When I retired he was the only one who wasn't in the least bit congratulatory.
I've always been willing to help anyone who is open to receiving whatever I might offer, and, I don't take it personally when folks choose to ignore advice, often enough to their detriment in short order. (I am married after all, so get lots of practice in this)
Everyone must find their own way through life. As long as I make the effort to help I will have no regrets, and always accept their choices as being the best ones they thought they could make at the time.
I've had a similar experience. A friend of mine was used to me being the investment neophyte. I had never invested before Tesla and he kept using an argument from authority (his and some FUDsters) to spew negativity all over TSLA. I was telling him and other friends at $400 pre-split that the stock was going to skyrocket because I had just driven the car, and I knew based on first principles that this thing had no competition and that most people were only a test-drive/ride away from wanting one. It was just obvious to me. What they failed to account for was my historic ability to recognize and see patterns, everything from reality TV (predicted in 91) to songs being sold individually on the Internet (way before iTunes), the interim tech of LaserDiscs and ISDN, and even mass customization for clothing where one of my ideas sent to a clothing company got me a job offer...and I'm a 3D Artist!
Another friend ignored my 'buy TSLA at $400' pre-split advice, citing the usual 1970s view of the stock market with P/E ratios and all of that, and he discounted my advice based on my non-investor status and his presumed authority. I'm sure he watched the stock shoot to the moon at a ceiling of what, $2400+ before it split 1:5? We also had a debate about EVs generally, where he was arguing the FUD position (grid cannot support EVs, TSLA is over-valued, etc.) where I argued that oil is a finite and contested resource and that electricity can be generated using a variety of sustainable methods (solar being the obvious focus). I also talked about the huge benefit of charging at home vs. the inability to pump gas from one's garage or carport. It's inherently a huge advantage of EVs over ICE for those who can install home chargers. We had this debate publicly, and I think I mopped the floor with his 'facts'.
He no longer really talks to me, and I can't help but think his embarrassment/shame over these exchanges and missing my noob (but correct) stock tip had something to do with it. Even smart people I know parrot FUD to me, and I trounce the FUD as best as I can—in part with solid information I read here but also from watching Sandy Munro's videos, a few good YouTubers I like, and data direct from Tesla (such as battery day, sales figures, safety reports). I've also noticed that these same information-averse people tend not to want to see my Tesla in-person, let alone go for a ride. Methinks they fear being wrong or corrected—because they know they will invariably be impressed by the Tesla. You know, the ol' stick-your-head-in-the-sand maneuver.
Progress has a way of dragging people along whether they like it or not. It's just a matter of time. Meanwhile, I think a lot of people just want to 'save face' and will quietly change their opinions without giving anyone the satisfaction of changing their mind. I've never understood this position, because I'm happy to divest myself of incorrect thinking when corrected (after some vetting and further self-interrogation).
Others have used the 'cult' argument against me, but anyone who knows me knows that I'm about the least cult-amenable character they know. I'm a die-hard skeptic and critical thinker, and I'll leave it at that.
Sometimes it's not easy being TSLA green.
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