I hate to change the subject here/s, but there is interesting data in CarSalesBase about Tesla sales development. I chose the Europe data:
Car sales statistics for the Tesla in the European automotive market. We have broken out sales data by month and year and included interactive charts.
carsalesbase.com
Perhaps this is off-topic because it relates to actual Tesla results in Europe. I apologize for not mentioning politics or social media acquisitions./s
MODS: Please accept my apologies if this is the incorrect thread./s
It is responsible to note that in present global political/economic/climactic developments there is extreme risk to anything speculative. Despite that, as in other such volatile times, investing in conservative value has been wise. Those conservative values are ones that have durable competitive advantage combined with high capital efficiency and manufacturing excellence.
Direct parallels with other times of great stress are fraught, but even imrprobables, like Chrysler, succeeded then due to modern products and efficient production that made 1930's Plymouths a great deal, as did General Motors. Both were innovators then, while the giant of the time, Ford, stagnated. BCG has a very good summery for he time:
U.S. automakers provide a striking example of the many companies that outperformed their peers during the Great Depression—and beyond.
www.bcg.com
A quick review shows that those two were then much like Tesla is today, although both grew with acquisitions, the product and production innovations made both well positioned for rapid growth.
The lessons of those two are also relevant in that both stagnated when their success made them forget the basics. Out of World War II they both let the booming markets deceive them into valuing form over function.
In Tesla we have a very long time before such a thing could happen, not least because the current world is beginning to understand the limits of hydrocarbon-based power.
Distracting ourselves from basics while attending to every whim and whimsy makes us forget what Tesla is all about. Nothing else is relevant.
When we preoccupy ourselves with everything else we are becoming dilettantes, preoccupied with personality rather than content. Of course Mr. Musk is odd. Were Edison, Carver, Einstein, Franklin, Boeing, Ford, Daimler, Porsche, Honda...NOT odd? Of course they were! Compared with some of them Elon is well balanced and mild.
It is long past time to chill! Pay attention to facts, not emotions.
@The Accountant ,
@Gigapress and several others are doing a good job of staying on the subject. Our long-suffering Mods are at risk of burnout if we do not shape up. We all should do better, I explicitly include myself. When we are tempted to concern ourselves with birdlike issues, just remember the 'virtuous kind heroes'/s of the past such as Bill Boeing and Henry Ford. Then compare with Elon Musk, who has actually accomplished more than any of those others, as incredible as it seems.
