[skystarman]

Plenty to criticize Tesla and Elon about, to be sure, but a lot of Elon's predictions have turned out to be true at least when it comes to passenger vehicles. What they've done with the EV market for consumers is nothing short of remarkable. Obviously Solar and Semi are a different matter.

Tesla was run by a technical founder (Stanford PhD pedigree fwiw) that knows his shit (though a bit crazy and prone to exaggeration and hyperbole) and the company has some of the best engineers in the world employed there.

Nikola was founded by a dude with zero technical background who as far as anyone can tell had no serious engineering expertise in-house. He even hired his brother--a guy who used to install carpets--to run Nikola's hydrogen infrastructure.

These two companies aren't even in the same league imo

[itsoktocry]

>Tesla was run by a technical founder (Stanford PhD pedigree fwiw) that knows his shit (though a bit crazy and prone to exaggeration and hyperbole)

Musk was not a Stanford PhD nor a founder, if that's who you are referring to. If you can point me to any evidence of either that doesn't come from him, I'll be happy to stand corrected.

>He even hired his brother--a guy who used to install carpets--to run Nikola's hydrogen infrastructure.

Can you tell me what Kimball's qualifications are for sitting on the Tesla board?

I mean, I agree, the Nikola story is hilarious and stupid. But somehow other companies get away with what is the same thing. Milton didn't get to claim "aspiration", or that the trucks will "eventually" work.

[skystarman]

>Musk was not a Stanford PhD nor a founder, if that's who you are referring to. If you can point me to any evidence of either that doesn't come from him, I'll be happy to stand corrected.

Musk was accepted and enrolled into a Material Science PhD at Stanford. He dropped out to be an entrepreneur. Really not sure why you are being pedantic here. The point is he has the technical chops as evidenced by being in a Stanford engineering PhD program. Trevor had absolutely nothing.

>Can you tell me what Kimball's qualifications are for sitting on the Tesla board?

It's spelled Kimbal, as long as we are being pedantic and all.

And board members of large public companies, and even startups, generally have ZERO operational control within the company.

This seems, quite different than Trevor's Fuck-up brother literally running hydrogen infrastructure for his company.

I really don't see why you are so obsessed with shitting on Tesla or defending Nikola here. There is a big fucking difference between Tesla and the Nikola fraud, and it was obvious from the start.

[onethought]

Even if you draw the funny arbitrary line of “Elon wasn’t a founder” - the previous founders were technical as well. But taking Tesla from a lotus kit, to the brand it is today makes me think he really is a founder.

No comment on the Stanford piece, though it seems believable…

[borkyborkbork]

Legally he is a founder. https://www.nbcbayarea.com/news/local/tesla-ceo-settles-for-...

Kimball doesn't run part of the infrastructure.

You sound like someone who writes SeekingAlpha FUD articles.

[itsoktocry]

>You sound like someone who writes SeekingAlpha FUD articles.

I suppose the HN rules go out the window when we are defending Musk.

>Kimball doesn't run part of the infrastructure.

He's on the board. What are his qualifications.

>Legally he is a founder

Yes, a billionaire paid money so that people like you could claim he's a "founder". Is that what founder means to you? Laughable.

[tomp]

According to Wikipedia, Musk was accepted to a Stanford PhD. As acceptance is the hardest, most competitive and therefore most distinguished part of any elite university, that in itself is a meaningful signal. Parent poster also never said he has a PhD, but that he has the pedigree, i.e. got through the hardest part.

[itsoktocry]

>According to Wikipedia, Musk was accepted to a Stanford PhD

Oh I've heard. Great story. Is it true? There's a lot of finely crafted mythology around the man.

[skystarman]

Lol so Elon has faked his Stanford PhD and no one in the world has dared step forward to call him out? There are literally dozens of people who could prove this wrong if it's false. This is qanon level conspiracy theory.

you're clearly just a deranged person with some weird obsession about Elon.

Basically the polar opposite of the Elon Cultists.