Tesla has bought aluminum from Russian company Rusal since 2020 | Hacker News Reader

Tesla has bought aluminum from Russian company Rusal since 2020

cnbc.com

24 pointsdoener28 comments

The original title continues

"showing how war complicates supply chain".

That changes the intention from what appears to be finger pointing to a business story. It's fair enough but not sensational.

Obvious reality shaping campaign targeting Elon. There’s been a massive uptick in coordinated campaigns to influence perception negatively towards Musk, and affiliates.

At least it’s obvious on one hand when years ago I would’ve been more susceptible to the influence.

But ya, like senttoschool said : pease just stop. What is the world going to look like when state-actor level perception management is table stakes for even a single individual? Yuck.

There was no need for him to inject himself as "negotiator", yet he did it. And now everyone is surprised that he is targeted. Poor stupid Elon fool.

Your comment is a result of what you’re led to believe.

Im let to believe posting russian talking points by Elon was stupid.

>The company was not under US sanctions when Tesla began buying from it.

>Rusal was once sanctioned by the US Treasury, which cited Russia’s “malign activities” at the time, but those sanctions were lifted under former President Donald Trump in 2019. Tesla only began buying aluminum from the company in late 2020.

So a non story?

Also:

>Rusal, the second-largest aluminum supplier in the world...

I don't care. Stop this witch hunt.

Leave private companies out of politics. I hate that politics, brought on by mostly media propaganda, are causing businesses so much pain.

We're entering a dangerous phase of humanity where extremism and intolerance are promoted on both sides.

Just know that if you live in the US, UK, or one of the western countries, it doesn't mean that you and your government are the good guys. You're quite often the bad guys. Your media uses the same propaganda techniques that Putin uses on Russians.

Nope, you have the wrong understanding. Elon musk is at the head of a company that builds rockets. He has the future of western space endeavor in the palm of his hand, and and will continue to do so for decades at this rate. He has agreements with the US government. You don't get to mess around with geopolitics and play games when you're operating at that level. If he didn't want to be subject to such scrutiny, he should have stuck to making cars and then people would just be upset and not outraged.

He must be investigated for this so that the extent of his play becomes apparent, if any. He may be innocent, that is an acceptable possible outcome, but he really has gone too far this time.

If buying wrong aluminim for consumer grade vehicles is such a crime, then you may be interested to know where USAF gets steel alloys for fighter jets.

>If buying wrong aluminim for consumer grade vehicles is such a crime, then you may be interested to know where USAF gets steel alloys for fighter jets.

OK, curiosity is killing me. I've got no dog in this fight but would like to know where the USAF get steel alloys for jet fighters.

Honeywell sourced some metal for the F-35 from China and historically the US government's had to do some political gymnastics to source titanium for military use from Russia, beyond that I don't know. Presumably the implication is that USAF is getting steel from Russia as well. To take the innuendo a bit further if the USAF does it surely it must be okay for Tesla Musk to do it too. Of course, that argument conveniently omits that Tesla Musk, after paling around with Putin, is publicly encouraging American allies (Taiwan, Ukraine) to surrender sovereign land to American adversaries.

Whether or not Russian aluminum is sanctioned is largely irrelevant to the problem of Mister Musk inserting himself into major geopolitical events while the pro-Putin gang demands that Elon's critics rid themselves of these horrible political tones.

Don't misrepresent the problem. Having phonecalls with Putin to discuss terms for the carving up of Ukraine because you buy aluminum for consumer grade vehicles from Russia is the problem here.

I mean, in a way, if he's at that level, he probably DOES get to mess around with geopolitics and such and get away with it. USA rocket industry in his hands? Sounds like a get out of jail free card.

They'll just take it from him if he does. Unfortunately, we don't live in a Marvel movie.

> Leave private companies out of politics.

In this case, Elon has repeatedly gone out of his way to inject himself directly into the politics of the situation. He's opened this upon himself.

"CROWD: Oooh! He said it again! Oooh!...

OFFICIAL: You're only making it worse for yourself!" Monty Python

It's (1) not a witch hunt to say "don't provide financial support to a country committing war crimes", and it's also not a matter of "[leaving] private companies out of politics". Elon Musk has made Tesla (a company he stole) and his own identity essentially interchangeable, his persona has made Tesla's choices de facto political support for Russia. Coupled with his support for the Russian invasion of Ukraine, his support for nuking Ukraine if they ever try to free Crimea, and Musk's desire to get Putin's approval for his "peace plan" before publishing it, we should be looking at how Tesla is operating. We should also be looking at his decision to use Tesla to fund the Russian government, and asking how he is personally being compensated for that support.

Well, if the business owner himself engage in world politics it is relevant to follow the money trail. Musk is not any businessman. His influence goes far.

Explains a lot on the recent Musk dealings with Putin. Follow the money.

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