snaark wrote:I think you’re all over the place, Rob :)
Quite possibly. It's late and I haven't had my fourth xanax yet.
I doubt making billions from software startups is particularly easy. I don't know, I’ve never tried, but that is my overwhelming suspicion. He is a serial entrepreneur, much like you are a serial contrarian on this forum.
My point there is that he could pretty much click his fingers and get hundreds of millions (dare I say billions) in VC funding from investors if he were doing a web or mobile internet software startup. That is not something that he can do in the realm of hardware because it's a different game and one that he isn't experienced in (though I guess he is changing that). As a money making venture, Tesla is a lot harder path to take than others he could have taken if money were his only motivation.
To think a publicly listed corporation exists for altruistic reasons is indeed naive.
Meaningless generalisation. I personally know several people in charge of publically listed companies and to say they are only motivated by money is way off the mark. They can walk AND chew gum.
Musk can too.