[DobryMorozov]

This is the CEO that said their infotainment system is a HTML supercomputer. He's now a billionaire and has cashed out 70 million with nothing more than a fake prototype, lies and purchases from suppliers in which they give their equity and call it a strategic partnership.

[nograpes]

I thought you were exaggerating but I found the truckinginfo article (https://www.truckinginfo.com/330475/whats-behind-the-grille-...).

I am not involved in this world at all... but is this common? Can you really expose your own ignorance in this way and also manage to keep investors?

[xeromal]

This is amazing.

``` But the Nikola truck is more than just a fuel cell vehicle; it’s a rolling super computer. One of the key elements of Nikola’s advanced system is the Bosch Vehicle Control Unit, which provides higher computing power for advanced functions while reducing the number of standalone units.

"The entire infotainment system is a HTML 5 super computer," Milton said. "That's the standard language for computer programmers around the world, so using it let's us build our own chips. And HTML 5 is very secure. Every component is linked on the data network, all speaking the same language. It's not a bunch of separate systems that somehow still manage to communicate." ```

[netsharc]

>And HTML 5 is very secure. Every component is linked on the data network, all speaking the same language.

Javascript and CSS to replace the CAN-BUS? That'd be funny..

To spin the tyres you just need to add the CSS style: { animation:spin 4s linear infinite; }

And reduce the duration to make the truck go faster..

[shandor]

I'm completely unable to decide if I should be unreasonably amused or morbidly horrified.

[duskwuff]

> One of the key elements of Nikola’s advanced system is the Bosch Vehicle Control Unit

So… a Bosch ECU? That's hardly new. Bosch is one of the largest players in the market -- Ford, GM, BMW, and VW (among others) have been using their ECUs for ages.

[sisk]

From the linked article, here is the full quote:

> "The entire infotainment system is a HTML 5 super computer," Milton said. "That's the standard language for computer programmers around the world, so using it let's us build our own chips. And HTML 5 is very secure. Every component is linked on the data network, all speaking the same language. It's not a bunch of separate systems that somehow still manage to communicate."

[DC-3]

Sounds like the sort of guy to create a GUI Interface in Visual Basic to track an IP Address.

[ganoushoreilly]

r/masterhacker material

[discreteevent]

What a relief! No more worries about the ARM buyout. Just use HTML 5 and you can build your own chips.

[quantified]

Tasty word salad.

[vsareto]

Welp, their trucks are going to get hacked easily.

[jamestimmins]

Investors usually don't know better about the tech, but this is exactly how Elizabeth Holmes was exposed. In an interview with Forbes she described Theranos's process as (I'm paraphrasing) "a sequence of chemistries". That sounded fishy to John Carreyrou at the Wall Street Journal, so he started his long term investigation into Theranos, and eventually broke the story.

So the short answer is that no, you can't keep investors in the long run, but it takes time for journalists, watchdog groups, and federal agencies to do thorough investigations.

[DobryMorozov]

https://youtu.be/Q6iy3IbVIsQ

Listen to him talk about Nikola in interviews. In an interview he said "before WeWork it was really easy to get money but now investors ask more questions." His interviews are filled with answers from this perspective and it's quite bizarre how no one noticed this.

I noticed that he also makes false statements in the video. Nikola has zero active routes,that's a lie.

[adventured]

> He's now a billionaire and has cashed out 70 million

Elizabeth Holmes was worth $5 billion at one point.

They'll take every dime this guy has, if it turns out to be a fraud. The Feds will particularly aggressively investigate such a prominent case. Such public cases make the Feds look bad (from their point of view), especially if they don't get the people responsible, so they tend to pursue them rigorously. They'll inevitably find something he did wrong, and he'll end up in the same spot that Holmes is in, spending all his time trying to weasel out of a prison sentence.

[johnthescott]

> HTML supercomputer

not sure about the rest of you, but i am investing in html supercomputer. could be bigger than quantum computing. spread the word.

[mritchie712]

Your recollection of the statement is so on point. I often can only recall things this clearly when they are that dumb.

[RosanaAnaDana]

Living the dream.