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What’s happening at Tesla? Here’s what experts think. (arstechnica.com)

submitted 2 months ago by [email protected] to c/technology

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[–] inclementimmigrant 17 points 2 months ago (2 children)

And it's be okay with that honestly.

Sure he's an asshole, always was, but his money got the electric car competition started and now there's actually viable cars and a somewhat competitive market that could survive the loss of Tesla.

[–] [email protected] 24 points 2 months ago (2 children)

That's like saying that Apple started the home computer competition going.

There's a big difference between bucking trends and skipping steps for the sake of being different, and actually moving the industry forward.

Under a non-sociopathic leadership Tesla battery and engine tech would have been in most Western car brands by now.

Instead, let's look at what Tesla has really brought us:

electric tech that's today just one (rather unremarkable) version among many;
failing cruising tech (I don't even want to use "self driving" because that's pure marketing drivel);
abysmal build quality and customer support;
rising car and insurance prices;
lots of car tech moved from hardware into software, which means surveillance, lower quality, lower usability and ergonomy;
and last but not least a whole lot of shirking responsibility.

That's the Tesla legacy that the car industry has inherited.

[–] captainlezbian 3 points 2 months ago* (last edited 2 months ago)

Tesla’s biggest move was that they were willing to actually compete with an EV. GM released one in the 90s and seriously go look into it. Everyone who bought it fucking loved the thing. But gm killed the project and destroyed the vehicles.

Tesla actually took sales away from ices. That forced them to actually sell evs

[–] homesweethomeMrL 3 points 2 months ago

Preach

[+] [email protected] -11 points 2 months ago (2 children)

I agree with that. He started the entire thing and that's great, but now he should move on.

[–] rollerbang 24 points 2 months ago (1 children)

Sorry he started what? Or did you mean to say he took-over?

[–] [email protected] 8 points 2 months ago

You are right, he didn't even start it.

[–] atrielienz 3 points 2 months ago

GM made an electric car in 1996 (the EV1). It even has a random cult following to this day. Tesla's original founders sort of re-jumpstarted the electric car with new branding but we've been making electric cars for a long time. Range, cost, and infrastructure is what held us back not competition. Now we have the infrastructure (which I will say is what Tesla has largely given us, and what should be the way forward for their business model). The Nissan Leaf was the best selling electric vehicle of all time when Tesla launched the roadster (that same year). The problem really is that most car companies are bad at marketing electric cars to this day. In 2012 Ford launched an all electric Ford Focus. Just about nobody knew about it.

He did not start the entire thing and I'm sick of hearing people say that. He took a company from other people and ran it into the ground both by hemorrhaging money and with poorer and poorer build quality and I am quite literally sick of his face.