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I'm aware. My point was that I don't consider it deception for someone to try and convince people to get rich the same way he or she got rich.

Assuming he only does it because he's an investor is assuming the worst. He can probably only invest in a half dozen companies per year, so encouraging everyone he meets to start companies would be a very indirect Nd unnecessary way of filling the top of that funnel.



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P.S. - I might have said something that led people believe he is bringing investment too. Well, He is NOT. He is NOT investing or bringing in money of any sorts. So more I think about it, it's more like consulting.

Now, what are your thoughts, after I told you guys this explicitly (somehow I thought it was obvious...should have mentioned this in the minus points, now I don't seem to be able to edit the post...anyone willing to help me with doing that....that way whoever reads the post gets the whole scenario.)


He might want to promote it because he truly believe in it, not just because he want to get rich from it.

On what basis are you claiming that his ventures have an extremely high likelihood of failure?

> He's definitely not in it primarily for the cash.

I don't see any evidence whatsoever for this assertion.


He's soliciting for investors. Isn't that illegal? (Not that he would care)

What if it was true, what if he was working with a group to secure funding to take the company private? Would that make the claim that he was 'deceiving' the investors invalid? I don't really know anything about this kinda thing but I would think if he was just saying that he was working towards that goal but deiced not to do it wouldn't be 'deceiving.'

He started from nothing and he's still a billionaire so I wouldn't just dismiss him like that.

He's just a different type of businessman who likes making big risky bets.


What’s in it for him? Wouldn’t he be even happier to be actually helping his companies succeed rather than just picking them? If he finds 2N great companies, you’re asking him to pass up half of the money he could make... to prove... that he doesn’t actually benefit the companies that he invests in, and only selects them?

Ooh I can argue against that! I mean, he's clearly not. He's more of a fantastically savvy investor than anything else. The man clearly does not run any of his companies because it's impossible to run 3 companies at once. Don't let him fool you. It is IMPOSSIBLE.

There are clearly far FAR better entrepreneurs in history but if you keep fellating him I'm sure Daddy Elon will love you one day. You got this, don't give up!


Yes I've also been at the long end of this weapon before in Start-up Land.

This is an amateurish and exceptionally stupid strategy, and a poor way to conduct business. It amounts to acting in bad faith, "Gotcha, hahaha!"

What goes around comes around. Reputation and trust are valuable, if not everything. They're easy to break and difficult to regain.

All to save a few bucks, when he is the world's richest person? Seems just a tad greedy to rip-off / shortchange the proles.


He has to trick the investors with something.

The founder uses it as a funnel for his personal investments as well.

I don't see how his interests are separate from promoting the value of the corporation. His approach is just very risky.

Hyping investors to take too much risk is OK unless he intentionally hides something and don't put it in financial statements.


Purely altruistic? Probably not. But spending hundreds of millions of dollars on ventures that have an extremely high likely of failure? He's definitely not in it primarily for the cash.

Maybe he is an investor...

I think he's playing the odds, right? He never said that they can't succeed. However, when you're putting your own money on the line, you want to go with what works, or what you think works.

Take yourself, for example. You made a stupid post. You didn't run it buy anyone, but just blurted out uncontrollably. Not someone I'd want to give my money to.

http://www.paulgraham.com/startupmistakes.html


He's done something worthwhile with a fairly small portion of the riches and is using that as a very successful propaganda machine to counter his negative image.

Please keep in mind that this was the CEO under which a number of very questionable actions (anti-trust, SCO) were effected.


He didn’t say it helped. Just that he did it because he values the community. It’s possible he is an ethical investor, where you only make investments in companies that follow your beliefs regardless of their potential profitability

I view it as a subtle way of showing others that if he can do it - others can too. He's making more revenue than 98% of most valley startups - and he's showing you how. (That statistic was 100% fabricated).

He presumably can attract investors?
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