[mcv]

One crazy theory in the "4D chess" category is that he did the Twitter thing explicitly to alienate liberals and be embraced by Trumpists in order to get the gas-guzzling coal rollers to buy his electric cars. Liberals would just switch to Nissan Leafs or something like that.

[gregjor]

Let's not pretend Musk plays a 4D chess game we can't understand. Musk admits he makes it up as he goes. He repeatedly demonstrates an inability to plan or make meaningful predictions, or to deliver on promises. He lacks the planning ability and patience to play even 2D chess.

Musk craves constant attention. If he can get that by flirting with the right and pissing off some segment of "the libs" he'll take it. A person tweeting nonsense at 4am just wants attention, in whatever form it takes.

[mcv]

Of course. It's a ridiculous idea. But there actually are people who claim he's playing some sort of 4D chess. Always without any idea of what he'd be trying to accomplish. This is the only one I've come across that actually makes some sort of sense in a very roundabout way. If you really believe that it's some genius 4D chess move, then this is the most plausible theory I've come across. But the sacrifice on his side would be enormous.

[mhoad]

That theory fundamentally misunderstands Trumpist mentality which in no way is going to start buying electric cars because they see it as an affront to their fragile sense of masculinity.

[mcv]

Unless they can do it to own the libs, perhaps?

I don't know. It's certainly a massive gambit in that 4D chess game, and unclear it's going to pay off.

[mhoad]

I promise you this isn’t a “let’s wait and see” situation.

Nobody is going to be splashing out the kind of money needed to buy a Tesla as a car they up until this point they hated at a conceptual level to “own the libs”.

These are some of the most insecure men alive that we are talking about here. They don’t want to explain to their friends why they are suddenly driving an electric vehicle. They will look for a million other performative ways to own the libs before they ever consider that.