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Comment by ironcan | Hacker News Reader

I think you what you are seeing is just pushback from years of Tesla Hype, just a couple of years ago it wasn't rare to read almost messianic message on how Musk was going to save the world.

That being said, I think you are being somewhat hyperbolic, most of the comments on Tesla posts are asking the though questions, not really putting it down.

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There seems to be a broader negativity directed at Tesla for some reason, going all the way back (which SpaceX is mostly immune to, despite similarly wildly missing goals; you'd think Tesla's mission would be perhaps even more admirable). I recall a lot of comments claiming Tesla would never produce the Model S at scale, because they got off to a poor start manufacturing it as well.

I don't think I'm being hyperbolic at all. These responses are what I've observed in every thread going back two quarters roughly or more now. The paragraph of negative examples I gave is filled from actual examples I've read on here recently.

The last time I pointed out in a thread - a week or two ago - that Tesla was tracking to hit 100,000+ Model 3s for 2018, I was mocked without an actual substance reply (just open insult style mockery). And that's just a simple obvious point about their production, the odds are high they'll hit that mark. So where does all of the emotionalism come from to spur such behavior? I find it incredible a car company spurs such a volatile reaction.

I was negative about Musk from almost the beginning - but it's because he's a representative of the kind of delusional, investor-story-time silicone valley that shouldn't work, but does, because investors keep on bankrolling it.

It's extremely annoying watching him in interviews, saying stuff like his biggest advantage is his physics training, when the real reason why he was successful is a combination of luck, media savvy, and (most importantly) incredibly wealthy family.

So, while his goals are broadly admirable - his personality is so obnoxiously delusional that it reflects badly on the entire society that believes in it.

This sounds more like jealously than anything else. Musk clearly is playing a very good game in the commercial world, all the while trying to push humanity into a better place. He has to hype for investors. Broadly admirable is a complete understatement when you only need to consider the feats of SpaceX.

What I see is a person who is working considerably hard. Hes an inspiring figure that will give rise to future generations. Like Steve Jobs, Stephen Hawking, Albert Einstein, and countless more. You should think of him as a driver of energy and ideas.

I don't know about that. I'm a physicist myself and found his 2016 IAC presentation embarrasing. I wasn't expecting a crewed spacecraft inside the Jupiter radiation belts, nor a 70s artist impression of the surface of Europa. I don't know yet how he's going to shield people inside those empty shells, nor where's the money for the mind-boggling infraestructure you need before all that starts making sense.

But he has a torch and pitchfork fanbase, so we can't really have a grown-up conversation about that.

I've never read any BS authored by Einstein or Hawking, so I can't understand your comparison.

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