I have been critical about any attempt to bailout the Big3 auto companies. After showing decades of resistance to change, it seems like throwing good money after bad.
Instead, we ought to put that money to use investing in new companies with new ideas like Tesla.
At least I thought so. This profile in the WSJ Magazine really gave me pause.
I have heard a lot about Tesla. It is kind of a darling of techies. Electric engines, carbon fiber body. The future.
Sadly this profile of the CEO Elon Musk made him look like a total prick and not someone I want to support. I didnt know he co-founded paypal and SpaceX. Assuming the article is true, I also didnt know he was such a paranoid egomaniac. Tech is full of young guys who think they are smarter than everyone else and any problems they face are because other people, who arent as smart, are holding them back. Oh brother.
As I read about all the people he has fired and all the jobs that couldnt be done unless he did them himself, I got concerned. When I read about his feud with Henrik Fisker and his Mark Cuban-esque comments about others, he lost me.
It was really disappointing to see these two pioneers waste energy on competing with each other when there is so much need overall. It is also disappointing to see them pursue the super-luxury car market.
We dont need more toys for the super-rich; we a modern Model-T, an emission-free car for Everyman. I expect the Volt to be a total failure but I was hoping a Tesla could do it. Oh well.
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