[panick21_]

Because instead of focusing on Space he has gone all in on AI (after going all in on AI for years with Tesla causing a huge issue). I think Musk was great at leading SpaceX when he really was focused on it.

Now he is focused on something else and he is using SpaceX good name and finances to make an AI play.

So yes, I have nobody over the old, lets go to Mars Musk, the new 'its all about AI' Musk, not so much.

[Zigurd]

The Mars colony was as big a pipe dream as putting gigawatt data centers into orbit.

[panick21_]

Colony yes, but that's very long term. The general idea of having a big ship that can land on Mars and is resonably cheap is possible and a good thing to do. And useful for many other things. Its the right step to move human space flight forward.

[Zigurd]

I can see some scientific and mostly engineering spinoffs from a space station and maybe a moon colony, but sending humans to Mars only raises the downside risk of manned space flight.

If the expansion of human knowledge and science is the goal, the only thing putting a human on board does is raise the cost 10X.

[fy20]

Isn't this all just the long game for Mars? Humanoid AI robots would be beneficial there too.

[panick21_]

And the only way to get AI is to invest 100s of billions yourself? Doing all the investing for a insane datacenter in space thing?

Instead of just saying "anybody that wants to put data-centers in space, please pay us".

SpaceX has been incredibly successful without massive acquisition for a long time. Every product the made was a banger. And now they bought fucking Twitter.