Elon Musk, What's up with that dude?

[nivek]

Trump hands Elon Musk bombshell new role running the 'Manhattan Project of our time' to 'dismantle' Washington - as Tesla billionaire issues chilling warning to bureaucrats​

Donald Trump has officially named Elon Musk to head the newly created department alongsideformer Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Trump put out a statement Tuesday night saying that Musk will co-lead the 'Manhattan Project of our time'. Musk immediately sent a warning to the tens of thousands of government staffers. Trump and Musk have been regularly meeting as the president-elect figures out who's in his Cabinet.

(More on the link)

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[Dejan Corovic]

Trump hands Elon Musk bombshell new role running the 'Manhattan Project of our time' to 'dismantle' Washington - as Tesla billionaire issues chilling warning to bureaucrats​

Donald Trump has officially named Elon Musk to head the newly created department alongsideformer Republican presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy. Trump put out a statement Tuesday night saying that Musk will co-lead the 'Manhattan Project of our time'. Musk immediately sent a warning to the tens of thousands of government staffers. Trump and Musk have been regularly meeting as the president-elect figures out who's in his Cabinet.

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I posted this chart before, but it is more in context of the above post.

Basically all the economic productivity created by technology is eaten up by bureacracy. Bueracrats keep inventing new rules to increase size of their departments. US is particularly bad and has the highest number of lows on Earth. But these rules slow down economy, and certainly reduce productivity. Important thing here, even if it sounds too technical for some, is that living standard is proportional to economic productivity. So bureacrats by destroying productivity are reducing living standard.

What chart bellow shows is that up to 40% of US GDP is lost in paperwork!

 

[AD1184]

Back in August, Trump said that he had "no choice" but to back EVs, because Musk endorsed him so strongly.

Trump says he has 'no choice' but to support electric vehicles because Elon Musk 'endorsed me very strongly'

Donald Trump says he has "no choice" but to support electric vehicles thanks to Elon Musk's endorsement, but he prefers gas-powered options.

www.businessinsider.com

This Economist article suggests that there was a significant commercial incentive for Musk to back Trump:

https://archive.is/m1Lkx

Trump scrapping Biden's electric vehicle mandate and imposing enormous tariffs on Chinese EVs in the US would likely enhance Tesla's share of the domestic EV market.

 

[pigfarmer]

https://www.reuters.com/world/ameri...nsults-elon-musk-g20-social-event-2024-11-17/

Brazil's first lady insults Elon Musk at G20 social event​

By Reuters
November 17, 20241:47 AM EST Updated 3 days ago

Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva and first Lady Rosangela "Janja" da Silva attend the closing ceremony of the G20 Social summit, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, November 16, 2024. REUTERS/Ricardo Moraes Purchase Licensing Rights, opens new tab

RIO DE JANEIRO, Nov 16 (Reuters) - Brazil's first lady, Janja Lula da Silva, swore at billionaire Elon Musk during a G20 social event on Saturday at which she spoke about the need to regulate social media to rein in misinformation.
A ship's horn sounded as she spoke and she joked, "I think it's Elon Musk," before adding, "I'm not afraid of you, fuck you, Elon Musk."

Musk, owner of social network X, reacted to a video of her remarks by posting a laughing out loud emoji graphic. In another post, he added, "They are going to lose the next election," in a reference to President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.

The president's wife spoke at an event ahead of the Rio de Janeiro summit of the G20 group of largest nations set for Monday and Tuesday.

Musk's social messaging network was suspended in Brazil for a month this year for failing to name a legal representative in the country and ignoring court orders to block accounts accused of spreading "fake news" and hate messages.

 

[nivek]

Joe Rogan asks to take Rachel Maddow's job if Elon Musk buys MSNBC​

(Excerpt)

Comcast on Wednesday officially announced it would spin off several NBCUniversal cable networks, including MSNBC, in a move that will dramatically shake up the landscape of legacy media as the liberal cable outlet will no longer be affiliated with NBC News.

The billionaire captioned the post with his own statement, writing, "The most entertaining outcome, especially if ironic, is most likely," having fun with the idea of buying the liberal outlet and converting it to a conservative news outlet. Rogan commented on Musk’s new post with his offer to replace Maddow on the new MSNBC. The X owner replied, "Deal."


View: https://twitter.com/joerogan/status/1860088921264390462


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[nivek]

Rand Paul suggests replacing Mike Johnson with Elon Musk as Speaker of the House​

The chaotic collapse of the continuing resolution spending bill is putting House Speaker Mike Johnson’s leadership under the spotlight and Sen. Rand Paul, R-Ky., has floated the idea of replacing him with Elon Musk, President-elect Trump's pick to co-chair his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Paul took to Musk’s X Thursday morning to pitch the idea of the tech billionaire taking the House Speaker’s gavel, noting that the Speaker does not need to be a sitting member of Congress.

"The Speaker of the House need not be a member of Congress… Nothing would disrupt the swamp more than electing Elon Musk… think about it... nothing’s impossible. (not to mention the joy at seeing the collective establishment, aka ‘uniparty,’ lose their ever-lovin’ minds)," wrote Paul, a staunchly libertarian conservative on fiscal matters.

(More on the link)

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[Dejan Corovic]

Apparently Elon Musk is eyeing TikTok. In that case its bye-bye for the left:

Could Musk really buy US TikTok operations? By Investing.com

Could Musk really buy US TikTok operations?

uk.investing.com

 

[nivek]

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[nivek]

‘Students Against Nazi Extremism’ warn Tesla owners to sell their cars – or else​

A group calling itself “Students Against Nazi Extremism” is reportedly issuing threats to Tesla owners ito sell their vehicles or they will be vandalized, according to a local media report. Lost Coast Outpost reports that residents in Humboldt County in northern California found notes left on their Teslas saying "no Nazis in America." At least one of the notes was tied to a brick, according to local media reports.

The group mailed a supposed manifesto to the news outlet claiming responsibility for the notes. The manifesto also issued threats to Tesla owners in Rohnert Park in Sonoma County north of San Francisco, Hayward in Alameda County in the city’s East Bay, and Seaside in Monterey County. The outlet did not release the manifesto, but offered a summary of its contents.

"So obviously this is a vendetta against [Elon] Musk, and their goal, they say, is to create a big stigma around owning a Tesla. So they want the value of Tesla vehicles to plummet," explained Ryan Burns, a reporter at Lost Coast Outpost.

Police in Seaside said they were aware of the notes and were taking the implied threats seriously, but had received no reports of vandalism as of Wednesday afternoon.

Musk, the CEO of Tesla, X, and SpaceX, is currently in the process of gutting the federal government under the questionable authority he has been granted by Donald Trump as a "special government employee" running the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), which is not actually a federal department.

The world’s richest man quickly faced sharp criticism after he gave what has been described as a Nazi sieg heil salute during a speech on the day Trump was inaugurated. Musk has dismissed the criticism of his salute as "dirty tricks" played by the media, and responded to the criticism with a slew of puns incorporating the names of historical Nazi leaders.

Backlash against Musk's wholesale incursions into government systems – some of which have given Musk and his team access to pay systems of the Treasury Department with Americans' Social Security numbers and other sensitive information – has resulted in some ill-will toward those using Musk products.

A woman in the Bay Area recently reported that someone spray painted the word “Nazi” on her Cybertruck. She said she believed the message was intended to be criticism of Musk. A man in Worchester, Massachusetts who drives a Cybertruck claims he has been threatened for driving the vehicle.

According to CBS News, Dr. Kumait Jaroje said someone put an insulting sticker on his golden Cybertruck in early February. He shared an image of the sticker and his truck online, and claims he then began getting threats over social media.

Protesters against Musk in Manhattan and Maine have also posted up outside of Tesla showrooms and charger stations to express their frustration with the unelected billionaire’s actions against the federal government, MSNBC reports. Tesla blowback isn't just limited to the US; a group projected an image of Musk giving his controversial salute onto an exterior wall of a Tesla factory in Berlin, along with the word "heil." German authorities have been investigating the incident with the intent to press charges against those responsible.

Musk has been a vocal supporter of the far-right AfD party in Germany, sparking backlash from moderate and liberal Germans who oppose his attempts to influence their national politics.

The Independent is the world’s most free-thinking news brand, providing global news, commentary and analysis for the independently-minded. We have grown a huge, global readership of independently minded individuals, who value our trusted voice and commitment to positive change. Our mission, making change happen, has never been as important as it is today.

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[AD1184]

Tesla stock price has halved since the start of the year due to a consumer revolt:


Musk has lost nearly $150bn in net worth since the start of the year. The people who buy Teslas are broadly not the type who would vote for Trump, so Musk may have shot himself in the foot.

 

[nivek]

Elon Musk is being vilified by deranged hate-filled liberals trying to destroy his legacy as Telsa Cybertrucks are torched and showrooms vandalised​

When we look back at the 2020s one figure will stand out for the multiple ways in which he changed our lives, mostly for the better: Elon Musk.

Given the scale of his talents, it’s little wonder that Musk has made enemies as he mounts his offensive on the behemoth that is federal spending.

Even so, the sheer bile of the liberal mob that has set out to destroy him is astonishing.

The dumping of shares in his auto giant Tesla is one thing. But the attacks on the company’s showrooms, the Molotov cocktails thrown at its cars and the setting alight of its charging stations, all speak of a liberal elite which has lost all sense of reason and proportion.

In his sheer energy and breadth of interest, Elon Musk outshines even tech geniuses such as Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and Twitter founder Jack Dorsey.

Through PayPal, Musk democratised commerce, allowing the small guy to do business on the internet alongside large corporations.

Where the climate lobby thought – mistakenly – that it could force electric cars on drivers through the blunt instrument of bans, quotas and targets, Musk succeeded in making the vehicles attractive to buyers – creating the world’s most valuable car company in the process.

Somehow, he has found time, too, to prove that space travel and the business of launching satellites need not be a monopoly of the state.

SpaceX has shown that the private sector can launch rockets more cheaply than Nasa and achieve something that America’s space agency never managed: to build a genuinely reusable rocket that – unlike the Space Shuttle – doesn’t have to jettison its largest components before it reaches orbit.

Musk has done more than anyone else, too, to reverse the erosion of free speech that was gradually closing minds both in America and abroad.

It took nerve for him to fire the army of Left-wing ‘fact-checkers’ that had been policing Twitter before his purchase of the platform. And now he has turned his attention to public administration through his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).

Needless to say, it is the last two projects which have stirred liberal hatred against Musk to a deranged new level. Before he bought Twitter (now renamed X), everything seemed to be going the Lefties’ way. They could count on social media sites to censor what they didn’t want people to read about climate change, Black Lives Matter and a host of other subjects.

An ever-growing battalion of like-minded, woke federal government officials was steadily turning America in their favoured direction – not to mention providing lucrative public-funded careers for Left-wing activists.

No one likes it when someone takes away the punch bowl just as their party is getting going, but Musk is even more certain to arouse their fury by trimming the liberals’ political influence, too. It doesn’t enter into Left-wing heads, of course, that America’s ballooning debt can’t keep on growing for ever.

Sooner or later, bond investors are going to lose faith with the government’s ability to repay its debts, demand far higher rates of interest and cause a fiscal meltdown – as happened in many European countries a decade ago. Far better that spending is brought under control before we reach that point.

And it can’t be done by nibbling away at the edges. Musk’s planned abolition of whole government departments is the only way to tackle the public-sector empire-builders who will always push up spending given half a chance.

The same principle is at work in Argentina where President Javier Milei has taken his metaphorical chainsaw to government – to great effect.

The attacks on Tesla are absurd in their self-contradiction. We are witnessing climate fanatics who think only electric cars can save us from Armageddon suddenly attacking the company which brought the technology mainstream success in the first place.

German drivers have abandoned their Teslas – sales there fell by 60 per cent in January and by a further 76 per cent in February – in protest over Musk’s support of the anti-immigration political party Alternative for Deutchsland (AfD), which came second in recent elections.

Germany’s liberals have accused Musk of pushing ‘far-Right’ politics, and of performing what they wrongly interpreted as a Nazi salute at a rally to support Donald Trump’s election.

No doubt the irony is lost on Germans that they are trying to sell cars to America that are manufactured by Volkswagen – a company that really was founded by a Nazi.

Not only did Adolf Hitler come up with the idea of a ‘people’s car’, he helped design it, too, giving Ferdinand Porsche instructions on the layout. The company’s first car, the KdF-Wagen, carried the name of a Nazi slogan, ‘Strength Through Joy’.

No one is forced to agree with Elon Musk’s political views if they don’t want to. But having lost the argument, liberals are trying to destroy the man.

This is not only disgraceful but testament to the Left’s growing problem with intolerance.

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[nivek]

Trump buys new Tesla ride from Elon Musk at the White House​

View: https://twitter.com/RapidResponse47/status/1899540705321549904


(More on the link)

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[nivek]

Woke activist's attempt to torch Tesla charges ends in painful agony​

A man accidently set himself on fire while trying to burn down Tesla chargers to protest Elon Musk, according to police. Daniel Clarke-Pounder, 24, allegedly burned three Tesla chargers in a South Carolina parking lot and also apparently inadvertently set his clothes with Molotov cocktails on fire on March 7. He spray-painted in red 'long live the Ukraine' and 'f**k Trump on the pavement next to the charging stations Friday near an outlet mall in North Charleston, according to police. Clarke-Pounder then ignited an unidentified material stuffed into beer bottles and began to throw the bottles at the stations, police said.

While doing so he caught the clothes on his back on fire, then ran from the parking lot, witnesses told police. Fire crews cut power to the charging stations shortly after the attack and no one was injured, per officials. Investigators collected the beer bottles while firefighters cut the power to the chargers and put out the blaze.

Clark-Pounder, a self described mechanic, was arrested on March 13 after police asked the public for help identifying him. 'Witnesses advised that the suspect had accidentally caught their own back on fire while throwing the devices,' said an initial police report seen by WCBD.

Acting U.S. Attorney Brook B. Andrews said in a statement: 'While we will defend the public’s right to peaceful protest, we will not hesitate to act when protest crosses the line into violence and mayhem. 'These kinds of attacks have no place in our community. We are grateful for the prompt response of our first responders and law enforcement.'

Musk has been facing protests over his work in the Donald Trump administration as he leads the efforts of the Department of Government Efficiency. About 350 demonstrators protested outside a Tesla electric vehicle dealership in Portland, Oregon, last week, while nine people were arrested during a raucous demonstration outside a New York City Tesla dealership earlier in March. There have also been recent reports of vandalism on Tesla vehicles and showrooms that are under investigation.

(More on the link)

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[nivek]

Barbarians, there's too many of these knuckle-draggers that just want to destroy other people's property...

...

Elon Musk-hating hackers release names and addresses of every Tesla owner in the US with chilling symbol​

Elon Musk-hating hackers have doxxed Tesla owners in the United States, releasing an interactive map showing their names, addresses, phone numbers and emails. The disturbing website, called DOGEQUEST, also provides the locations of every Tesla showroom, charging station and the known residences of Department of Government Efficiency employees. It even lists FBI Director Kash Patel's home and uses a symbol of a Molotov cocktail as its cursor.

The site's operators said they will only remove identifying information about Tesla drivers if they provide proof that they sold their electric vehicle amid a national boycott of the car maker. It is unclear where the hacker got the information about the Tesla owners, but it has caused a lot of concern - with Musk labeling it 'extreme domestic terrorism.'

'Encouraging destruction of Teslas throughout the country is extreme domestic terrorism!!' he wrote on X Tuesday night. The website says it 'neither endorses nor condemns any actions.'

'If you're on the hunt for a Tesla to unleash your artistic flair with a spray can, just step outside - no map needed,' it reads. 'At DOGEQUEST, we believe in empowering creative expressions of protest that you can execute from the comfort of your own home.'

(More on the link)

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[AD1184]

Barbarians, there's too many of these knuckle-draggers that just want to destroy other people's property...

...

Elon Musk-hating hackers release names and addresses of every Tesla owner in the US with chilling symbol​

Elon Musk-hating hackers have doxxed Tesla owners in the United States, releasing an interactive map showing their names, addresses, phone numbers and emails. The disturbing website, called DOGEQUEST, also provides the locations of every Tesla showroom, charging station and the known residences of Department of Government Efficiency employees. It even lists FBI Director Kash Patel's home and uses a symbol of a Molotov cocktail as its cursor.

The site's operators said they will only remove identifying information about Tesla drivers if they provide proof that they sold their electric vehicle amid a national boycott of the car maker. It is unclear where the hacker got the information about the Tesla owners, but it has caused a lot of concern - with Musk labeling it 'extreme domestic terrorism.'

'Encouraging destruction of Teslas throughout the country is extreme domestic terrorism!!' he wrote on X Tuesday night. The website says it 'neither endorses nor condemns any actions.'

'If you're on the hunt for a Tesla to unleash your artistic flair with a spray can, just step outside - no map needed,' it reads. 'At DOGEQUEST, we believe in empowering creative expressions of protest that you can execute from the comfort of your own home.'

I see a lot of these activists urging Tesla owners to sell their vehicles. What do they think happens when a Tesla is sold? It transfers to another owner, thus the number of Tesla owners does not change by the act of selling.

 

[nivek]

I see a lot of these activists urging Tesla owners to sell their vehicles. What do they think happens when a Tesla is sold? It transfers to another owner, thus the number of Tesla owners does not change by the act of selling.

Another ironic thing about this is many of the Tesla owners are Democrats and/or liberal activists themselves...

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[pigfarmer]

I am watching the Democratic Party implode, it's like a piece of machinery with no OFF switch that broke and is in the process of flailing itself to pieces. Slightly entertaining at first but the intensity it continues with is disturbing.

What they are doing here appears to be solidifying a Republican win in the midterms.

Tesla Takedown "Mass Call" featuring Alex Winter, Jasmine Crockett and John Cusack

 

[pigfarmer]

Barbarians, there's too many of these knuckle-draggers that just want to destroy other people's property...

...

Elon Musk-hating hackers release names and addresses of every Tesla owner in the US with chilling symbol​

Elon Musk-hating hackers have doxxed Tesla owners in the United States, releasing an interactive map showing their names, addresses, phone numbers and emails. The disturbing website, called DOGEQUEST, also provides the locations of every Tesla showroom, charging station and the known residences of Department of Government Efficiency employees. It even lists FBI Director Kash Patel's home and uses a symbol of a Molotov cocktail as its cursor.

The site's operators said they will only remove identifying information about Tesla drivers if they provide proof that they sold their electric vehicle amid a national boycott of the car maker. It is unclear where the hacker got the information about the Tesla owners, but it has caused a lot of concern - with Musk labeling it 'extreme domestic terrorism.'

'Encouraging destruction of Teslas throughout the country is extreme domestic terrorism!!' he wrote on X Tuesday night. The website says it 'neither endorses nor condemns any actions.'

'If you're on the hunt for a Tesla to unleash your artistic flair with a spray can, just step outside - no map needed,' it reads. 'At DOGEQUEST, we believe in empowering creative expressions of protest that you can execute from the comfort of your own home.'

(More on the link)

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In Westchester County some years ago there was a similar situation. In response to some proposed legislation a group of anti-gun activists published the name of every concealed carry handgun owner in the county. IIRC they tracked the leak to a municipal employee.

Turns out that many of their senior leadership, the ones who were railing loudly about gun ownership were the ones with all the guns. Really. That went away with lots of grumbling and to my knowledge no firearm owner was ever bothered. When you think about it there are other less difficult people to go irritate.

Ironic that the Angry Left is now targeting your Tesla. I am thinking of the doorknobs I encountered who bought them and then came to Home Depot to have me tell them how to connect their chargers for cheap. What's happening isn't right by any means but a small, evil part of me is admittedly gloating a bit.

 

[nivek]

Suspected Tesla arsonists hit with federal charges in acts of 'domestic terrorism'​

Three individuals were charged in federal cases after they used Molotov cocktails to violently attack Tesla properties around the country in acts of "domestic terrorism," Attorney General Pamela Bondi announced Thursday.

"The days of committing crimes without consequence have ended," Bondi said. "Let this be a warning: if you join this wave of domestic terrorism against Tesla properties, the Department of Justice will put you behind bars."

All three face charges carrying a minimum penalty of five years and up to 20 years in prison, the department said.

Adam Matthew Lansky, 41, on Jan. 20, threw approximately eight Molotov cocktails at a Tesla dealership located in Salem, Oregon, federal prosecutors said. One vehicle was completely destroyed, and several others were damaged.

Lansky also threw a "large heavy object through the dealership window," they said. At the time of the attack, he was armed with a suppressed AR-15 rifle.

Lucy Grace Nelson, also known as Justin Thomas Nelson, 42, was arrested in Loveland, Colorado, on Jan. 29 after attempting to light Teslas on fire with Molotov cocktails, prosecutors said.

Nelson was later found in possession of materials used to produce additional incendiary weapons, including a container of gasoline, bottles, and wick materials, on Feb. 24, prosecutors said.

In Charleston, South Carolina, Daniel Clarke-Pounder, 24, allegedly wrote profane messages against President Donald Trump and advocated for Ukraine around Tesla charging stations before lighting three of the charging stations on fire with Molotov cocktails on March 7.

Court documents, citing witnesses, say Clarke-Pounder spray-painted in red paint, "F--- Trump" and "Long Live Ukraine" in a Tesla charging station parking spot.

(More on the link)

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[nivek]

Distraught disabled woman is latest victim of Tesla attacks that have left her with huge bill​

A disabled woman has been left distraught after a man caused up to $10,000 of damage to her expensive Tesla while she enjoyed a meal with her family. Abigail Gill was dining at Olive Garden in Wichita with her family when they noticed her brand new red Tesla had deep scratches running the length of the vehicle after their meal on March 20, according to KAKE News.

The young woman, who is wheelchair-bound, believes her vehicle was targeted due the brand belonging to Elon Musk and is the latest in a string of Tesla attacks. 'Damaging a personal vehicle does not affect Elon Musk,' she criticized to the local outlet. 'It's not damaging who you're thinking it is.'

Gill said the vandal - who was dressed in Lilo and Stitch pajamas pants - caused up to $10,000 in damage to her new car, which can range between $40,000 and $100,000 depending on the model and upgrades. 'It felt really disappointing that this is happening in such a great country, a great state. For this to be happening in Kansas of all places, it's shocking,' she said.

The alleged criminal was seen initially walking by her car without incident, but roughly 45 minutes later, he exited the restaurant and was caught on the car's cameras driving a key into the paint along the driver's side door. He would later do the same to the passenger's side door as he left with a bag of leftovers and a red backpack with Lilo and Stitch stuffed keychains on it.

She also said she had seen the vandal in the restaurant after he walked by her table several times. 'I just hope that he definitely gets the correct punishment,' Gill told KAKE News. 'I hope he pays for all of the damages, I hope the police find him.'

The man allegedly damaged eight panels on the car, which could cost her between $1,000 and $10,000 to fix, she told the outlet. Wichita Police are still looking for the suspect.



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