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> Ilya has a good moral compass and does not seek power.

At this point that coming from Elon may not be the endorsement you think it is.

Also maybe Elon sees that Ilya is going to be ousted and wants to extend a hand to him before others do.



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> If Elon is able to promise him the resources he needs to do his research then I think it could work out.

Who on earth would ever trust an Elon promise at this point? The guy literally can’t open his mouth without making a promise he can’t keep.

Unless Ilya is getting something in a bulletproof contract and is willing to spend a decade fighting for it in court, he’s an idiot doing anything with Elon.


> Elon will allow people he disagrees with on the platform

I’m not comfortable relying on a single “benevolent” dictator decided what is and isn’t allowed on the platform.

Particularly because the benevolence or lack thereof is, at best, hotly debated in this context.


> Elon might end up pulling it off. I hope he doesn’t though and I’m going to do what it takes to influence that decision.

Wow. That’s a pretty mean-spirited way to go through life. Why not put your efforts into building something positive instead of trying to tear others down?


>You need to recognize that supporting Musk in 2023 is supporting the Kremlin. Is that really what you want to support?

I support pragmatism, so if Elon does good things I can support him on those things and if he does bad things I can be critical there as well. I am also not morally bound by political partisanship.

Also, FWIW, your comment is literally ridiculous considering that this whole thread is about SpaceX providing communication capabilities to Ukraine for free for the last year. That is obviously support that was contrary to Russia and without a doubt has been an instrumental component in helping Ukraine endure the Russian invasion.


> Elon may not succeed, but I hope he does and what he's doing is a necessary prerequisite.

Everything he's done so far reads like he's deliberately trying to destroy the company. The only reason I don't really think that's his intention is that I don't see how he could hope to benefit from it. But it doesn't make sense.


> and now he can do what he wants

Honest to gods I do not understand how you can think like this. Elon is not a medieval King. He can not just do what he wants. There are laws. Elon isn’t operating in a full-on cartel environment quite yet.


> I think he only posts polls when he believes he knows the outcome already.

Agreed, and this move would almost certainly be more of a distraction than an actual stepping down. Whoever is put in charge will still be under Elon’s thumb, but with a different person in the CEO seat, Elon can pass blame for the bad decisions and ride in like a white knight to reverse any unpopular actions.


> And he doesn’t even take it that well.

no, he really doesn’t. he very publicly blocked the ceo of an advertising company when they attempted to—professionally and politely—explain to elon what some of their concerns were.

it’s unreal how he’s so loudly demonstrating his instability and then complaining that people are saying he’s unstable.


> I find it interesting that you specifically note that you think "Elon Musk is not going to like this person". Is there a specific reason that you feel like that and wanted to note it?

He wants to colonize Mars, he has stated this desire in great detail publicly on multiple occasions.


> There's no need to defend Elon here.

There is at least arguably value in defending/pursuing the truth though.

> Clearly what will happen is highly capricious enforcement based on who he personally likes and dislikes.

Visions of the future are sometimes not as accurate as they appear due to shortcomings in the simulator.


> with him now firmly in the Trump camp we'll see what kind of long term misery will come from that.

[citation needed]. I guess you missed the news of Trump completely lambasting Elon? Trump is no friend of Elon. Nor is Elon a friend of Trump. Elon is a centrist, not far right.


>... but I think it’s a bit of a stretch to call Elon a fascist.

At the very least, he's an enabler.


> Why do you feel like that is appropriate behavior?

Honestly, its a means to an end. He has beceome the defacto person for the EV movement, Mars colonization, and to a degree AI (for good or for bad).

many have tried before him, but none had the savvyness or presence that he has.

I worked for Kimabl and approached him several times while at work and I can tell you right now, I would never try that with Elon. My friend asked if I saw Elon at either Tesla or SpaceX when I went to my interviews, I told him if he was I'd walk other way. Definitely say thank you in passing, but that's about it.

He's not someone I'd bother, I like what he does and how it effects all the movements I care about, that's how I justify it. The polemics from his twitter antics can be entertaining at times, and that's engaging a broader audience so I encourage it as well.

His stance on COVID was misinformed to say the least, but he isn't an epidemiologist so I'm not going to listen to him on that. When i want to hear about Starship SN4 I'm all ears.


> you have to wonder if Elon has anybody pushing back on him

Pretty sure he fired anyone who would, or those who left won't because they don't want to get fired, too.


> (3) if/when he chooses to do this, his business partners, C-level employees and fellow investors will facilitate his behavior rather than providing any counterweight or cautionary advice.

This is a common thread from multiple people I've talked to who have worked for his companies. Everyone who works even close to his orbit are sycophants. You have to be or your career is... limited. I remember even applying for one of those companies some time ago. The phone screen went well and when I called the recruiter back a week later to ask how things were going, she said "[Hiring Manager's name] disagreed with Elon about something and no longer works here." Yow.


> Leave private companies out of politics.

In this case, Elon has repeatedly gone out of his way to inject himself directly into the politics of the situation. He's opened this upon himself.


> you should pay attention to what Elon Musk does and has done, and not so much towards what he says

Hmm... I hear this argument about Trump from his supporters too.


> erratic decision making from Mr Musk

I'd be the last person to defend Elon Musk, I don't know the guy, but just want to point out that when you're at his level of wealth and power you also have very wealthy, powerful enemies.

I see ongoing, what appears to be coordinated, attempts in the mainstream/social media to paint him as crazy. I have no special access to the truth but I'd be unsurprised if those stories are 100% politically motivated and have no basis in reality.


> it just makes him look like one of these low brow political folks

Musk is one of these low brow political folks. He is an authoritarian by nature.

His free advice for Ukraine is to submit to Russia. Ukraine advised Musk to "fuck off": https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/oct/04/zelenskiy-hits...

But Russia loved him for it: https://futurism.com/the-byte/russia-loves-elon-musk-now

His free advice for Taiwan is to submit to China: https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2022/oct/08/elon-musk...

Musk says China rocks and the US is full of complacency and entitlement: https://www.cnbc.com/2020/07/31/tesla-ceo-elon-musk-china-ro...

He ridiculously called California's covid measures fascist: https://www.theverge.com/2020/4/29/21242102/elon-musk-corona...

But had Tesla praise China's covid measures because Tesla "believed Shanghai's COVID-19 measures helped lay the foundation for the city's future development": https://www.reuters.com/business/autos-transportation/tesla-...

He's always been like this.

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