• Melvin_Ferd@lemmy.world
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      Its a human blind spot. A lot of people confuse wealth for intelligence. In lower socio-economic levels, succeeding involves a lot of intelligence. Its a fucking struggle. Lots of fish trying to eat each other and take what little resources we have. One fuck up and it’s all over. So anyone that is succeeding is also someone that with enough intelligence to foresee pitfalls and avoid them or escape with their wealth.

      Those values are used to evaluate the people at the top which are swimming in a whole different pond. The neopotism and safety nets built into the upper crust of society is not part of the calculation that a lot of people use to factor into how they see these people. They still apply the same dog eat dog mentality to the upper crust of society.

      • Pup Biru@aussie.zone
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        honestly wealth at any level requires luck… intelligence barely factors into it. it’s less that 1 fuck up and it’s all over, and more that 1 fuck up without someone to cover it up or bail you out and it’s all over… the wealthier you are, the bigger the fuck up before you or someone else can bail you out:

        poor? it’s an unexpected car issue

        rich? it’s that you fucked over literally an entire country for years on end in a very public way that gained you very little

      • Glide@lemmy.ca
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        2 months ago

        A lot of people confuse wealth for intelligence.

        Smart people who make good products that people want will have the invisible hand distribute them wealth. Dumb people who make bad products that no one wants will go backrupt. This is the core philosophy behind why capitalism “works.” It is a system that conflates wealth with virtue, by design.

        You’re right to point out that it is incorrect logic, but no one is confusing anything. The entirety of our Western world is build around this idea and reinforces it to its people at every single opportunity. They’re making the judgements that they have been told are correct. Can we really say people are confused when they’re confidently acting exactly as they’ve been taught from birth?

    • LaLuzDelSol@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Look I don’t like Musk either but even starting off wealthy becoming the richest man in the world takes some doing. He was way ahead of the curve on reusable rockets and EVs and succeed there where a bunch of people failed. I think where he fails is when it comes to protecting his image and maintaining relationships. He’s a thin-skinned narcissist who thinks he’s humanity’s savoir and eventually that got to him.

      • skisnow@lemmy.ca
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        I guess Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning were just hapless chaps stumbling around in the dark, until Elon lighted their way with his genius vision of how to build an EV. /s

        So much so I had to google their names because even I can’t remember them.

  • ceenote@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Nobody has done more to disprove the “Rich people are smarter than everyone else” idea.

    • Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee
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      2 months ago

      I genuinely think he’s had some sort of cognitive decline.

      He went from being merely wealthy to the richest man in the world, and nearly everyone thinking he’s a genius, to being hated by nearly everyone and losing money fast.

    • 9point6@lemmy.world
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      2 months ago

      Remember a decade ago when he was being lauded as our time’s Einstein?

      … Hahahahahahaha

      • QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works
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        2 months ago

        And I am proud to have called bullshit on it from day one.

        Whoever leads us to the promised land isn’t going to have a for profit LLC

        • skisnow@lemmy.ca
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          Well done. I’m like most people in that I didn’t spot it until he started talking about a subject I knew about. The first Tesla Roadster looked amazing1, and then the hyperloop sounded like a cool idea2, and then oh wait what’s he saying about software development now?

          1 because its body was made by Lotus

          2 except it doesn’t work

          • QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works
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            It wasn’t anything specific, it’s just… the idea of this guy being the real life Tony Stark didn’t pass the smell test. Not because he didn’t seem bright, but because I couldn’t believe ANYONE lived up to the hype that Elon had.

            That and… well… the idea of the Private Corporation coming to save the day and guide us into a Utopia sounded way too much like a Libertarian Fantasy.

          • Blackmist@feddit.uk
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            Yeah, he’s like LLMs in that regard. Sounds plausible until it’s a subject you don’t have much knowledge of, then suddenly turns into a dribbling twat when it’s one you do understand.

            Then you realise he was an idiot all along.

      • alekwithak@lemmy.world
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        Yeah by his own PR team, mostly, but it was a pretty easy fascade to see through when you actually listened to the man speak. Still don’t forgive Dan Harmon for letting him shit on R&M with the eLoN tUsK bullshit. Or Star Trek Discovery for that matter, which happened much later after he had already shown his true face to the world. I know Harmon got paid because he’s talked about it, but I would really like to know how much he spent on getting a passing reference in the least popular ST show of all time.

        • QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works
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          A friend of mine has head canoned that the guy from Star Trek was joking about being from Elon Musk University and that it’s the old “Adolf Hitler School for Friendship and Tolerance” gag but in space.

          I’m just gonna go with that because fuck it’s the equivalent of listing Deepak Chopra as one of the greatest philosophers of the 21st century in your hard sci-fi setting.

        • dohpaz42@lemmy.world
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          2 months ago

          There was also an episode of Young Sheldon where Sheldon had sent equations for reusable rockets to NASA, and at the end of the episode it showed Elon buying the equations from NASA.

          • ReallyActuallyFrankenstein@lemmynsfw.com
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            He was also in South Park, and Rick & Morty. He had a great PR team considering what they were working with behind the scenes. They dressed him up real nice.

            Then he fired them, because he didn’t like having to wear anything in public. Metaphorically-speaking.

        • SatyrSack@lemmy.sdf.org
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          I would really like to know how much he spent on getting a passing reference in the least popular ST show of all time.

          From what I have heard, that part of the line was not even scripted. The actor ad libbed it in hopes that it might lead to him being gifted a free Tesla vehicle.

          EDIT: There was also the completely unrelated reference in a later episode, in which a character mentioned having gone to Musk Junior High School. That may have been a paid reference.

            • QueenHawlSera@sh.itjust.works
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              My head canon is that in universe Musk Jr. High isn’t a real school and it’s just an edgy joke… the space version of saying you went to the “Adolf Hitler School for Tolerance and Friendship”

              You say it for a laugh when you’re 14 or acting like it on Space 4Chan

    • GeeDubHayduke@lemmy.dbzer0.com
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      2 months ago

      Literally had someone saying that earlier today. Something along the lines of “you don’t become the richest person in the world without some competency.” Just ignore the fact he started on third base…

      • Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee
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        I don’t know exactly how much his parents were worth, but his net worth has increased by many thousands of times. That’s not “third base”, saying he got where he is by luck and nepotism is just wilfully ignorant.

        Trump, on the other hand, would have done better if he just left his money in a savings account.

        • conditional_soup@lemm.ee
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          I dunno, man, we could probably get into an entire dissertation about this, but I’m not totally convinced that most of these fabulously wealthy people didn’t just fail upwards by throwing the spaghetti plate at the wall; the only difference between them and us is that, often, they start with a lot more spaghetti to throw

          • Ilovethebomb@lemm.ee
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            2 months ago

            Pretty much all of the three digit billions crowd are in tech of some description. There’s definitely an element of being in the right place at the right time, but there’s also a lot of business skills as well.

            A lot of their success seems to be recognising an opportunity before anyone else, whether that’s luck or skill is difficult to know.

            • skisnow@lemmy.ca
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              A lot of their success seems to be recognising an opportunity before anyone else

              Pretty much everyone in the world has at some point in their lives had some idea or spotted some gap in the market that could be a successful product, but 99% of us don’t get to act on that because the rent is due and will be due again next month.

              • GreyEyedGhost@lemmy.ca
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                I largely agree with what you’re saying, but he’s been in the right place at the right time 3 times, and made good on the potential. Maybe he was just really lucky, maybe he had dozens of things going and those 3 are the ones that panned out, maybe he was a genius that destroyed his talents with hubris and drugs. Certainly, having the financial security to take those chances was a big factor in his success, as much as apparently believing that success was all due to his inborn talent was a big factor on his continuing fall from grace.

      • jacksilver@lemmy.world
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        I mean, yeah he had a lot of advantage, but he did have to do something right to become the richest man. But making some good gambles doesn’t make you a good person nor does it mean you’re great at everything.

        Maybe he was good at finding companies at the right time to invest, but that means jack about any economic or political acumen. Same reason why we don’t want businessmen in politics, being good at one thing does not mean you’re good at everything.

    • psmgx@lemmy.world
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      that may have been entirely or mostly intentional, because it’s now 100% a right-wing propaganda machine and it got Trump elected

  • krashmo@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    He collected data on all Americans from multiple government agencies, successfully killed multiple investigations into several of his companies, and secured additional government contracts for those companies. Is that what we’re calling nothing these days?

    • SpaceCowboy@lemmy.ca
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      And Trump is now threatening to cancel those government contracts. So he’s blown everything he’s gained (and then some) from his little fling with Trump.

      • pi3r8@lemmy.world
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        That’s what trump does. He threatens. Then in the majority of times he gets distracted or backs down. Those contracts aren’t cancelled until they are cancelled.

    • Contemporarium@lemm.ee
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      Are you serious? He wants people to think he’s cool SO bad it’s genuinely so pathetic lol. All the other billionaires you could say that. But Elon is so desperate for people to think he’s this funny cool based guy it’s hilarious

      • fodor@lemmy.zip
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        That is partly true, but also he’s a strong narcissist. They make up their own stories. They’ll play up the feud to take eyes off of other bad shit.

        Don’t think for a second he lost or he’s gone or it’s all over for him. He doesn’t see it that way.

    • stormeuh@lemmy.world
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      For now, he does have that yes, but his wealth is for a significant portion a house of cards built on the value of tesla stock. If the value of that stock falls far enough, lenders who gave him loans with tesla stock as collateral could margin call him, essentially asking for more collateral. That could make him the poorest person in the world quite quickly, i.e. billions in debt.

      • Subverb@lemmy.world
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        While you’re absolutely correct, even if Musk lost 99.7% percent of his wealth he would still be a billionaire (depending on whose net worth number you choose to use). I wouldn’t hold out seeing him in a bread line or starting a gofundme.

        • howrar@lemmy.ca
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          The real question is whether the collapse of his house of cards will lead to a 99.7% loss of wealth or >100% loss. He won’t be a billionaire anymore if it’s the latter.

  • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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    2 months ago

    Centrist democrats are already warming to him. Then again, they have been waiting for this moment ever since he performed his nazi salute.

    • spacecadet@lemm.ee
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      Makes sense considering Cory Booker did the same Nazi salute and he is a centrist democrat

      • Reddfugee42@lemmy.world
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        Got a video of that, buddy, where he hits his chest and then goes to a straight arm with no wave, twice?

        • spacecadet@lemm.ee
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          https://x.com/greenbergnation/status/1928917909088211440?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1928917909088211440%7Ctwgr%5E90d752f4e65d34dca49e7a491ddada96bb105838%7Ctwcon%5Es1_c10&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fnypost.com%2F2025%2F06%2F01%2Fus-news%2Fnew-jerey-sen-cory-booker-roasted-for-nazi-salute-at-california-democratic-convention%2F

          • Reddfugee42@lemmy.world
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            🤣 you could just say you didn’t have the video of him striking his chest and doing it perfectly straight arm twice in a row.

            Thanks for this, I needed a laugh

            • spacecadet@lemm.ee
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              So funny you fall so easily for propaganda… actually it’s kind of sad

              • Reddfugee42@lemmy.world
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                It looks like you’re trying to write in your diary, but you accidentally wrote this here in public. Whoopsie!

        • Reddfugee42@lemmy.world
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          You’re misreading the article if you think it shows Democrats are “warming” to Elon Musk. No one quoted in the piece says they like him, trust him, or think he’s a decent person. In fact, what it shows is the exact opposite: many Democrats are still deeply skeptical of him and consider his behavior and politics dangerous. What’s happening here isn’t about admiration or trust—it’s about strategy and necessity. They’re engaging with him not because they want to, but because they feel they have to, given his immense influence over major technologies like EVs, space infrastructure, and social media.

          Take Rep. Robert Garcia, for example. He doesn’t praise Musk or suggest he’s come around to liking him. He says, “Musk has clearly gone down a right-wing rabbit hole,” and openly criticizes his platforming of extremists. The article quotes him as seeing Musk as someone who “lets people say hateful, violent, racist things.” That doesn’t sound like someone warming to him—that’s someone holding their nose while trying to work with him for practical reasons.

          The same goes for the White House. Yes, they’ve met with Musk and engaged him in policy discussions, but that’s because he controls major assets that intersect with government priorities: EV manufacturing, satellite internet, space tech. Musk is essentially a utility at this point—a problematic one, but one that’s too entangled with federal initiatives to ignore. It’s not about warming up to him. It’s about needing him to cooperate because of the role he’s carved out for himself, not because anyone thinks he’s a good actor.

          This is politics, not personal affection. Democrats engaging with Musk doesn’t mean they like him—it means they’re being realistic. They’re dealing with a man they see as dangerous and ideologically aligned with Trump, but who unfortunately holds keys to several important doors. The article reflects that tension. If anything, it paints a picture of wariness and pragmatism, not warmth.

          Whippersnapper.

  • nomad@infosec.pub
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    2 months ago

    Somehow nobody has mentioned the drugs? And obvious signs of mental illness? Obviously high functioning, but that does not make the decisions less nuts.

    Has anybody seen the Johnny Harris video on musk? It was all fun and games until the drugs came out to play.

      • captainlezbian@lemmy.world
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        I’m convinced that Thiel is spared this fate solely by his homosexuality and shame in it. He understands the value of keeping some things close to the chest and the risks of being the face of anything. He just came to it in a sad and fucked up way.

        Comparatively, Musk thinks himself a glorious hero who should be the face of everything.

        Thiel rarely puts himself in any spotlight unless he’s either curated it, or drugged up, freaked out, and kinda losing it.

          • psmgx@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            centrist Democrat. singular. one.

            “tHe DeMoCrAtS LoVe ElOn” is a bullshit propaganda talking point. this is how propaganda works, and yall be falling for it.

          • skepticalifornia@lemmy.world
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            2 months ago

            No one in your linked article is a leader in the party - just a lot of conjecture there to make the Dems the bad guys and reinforce the “both parties are the same” narrative that your ilk like to spread.

            • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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              No one in your linked article is a leader in the party

              I didn’t say they were. They seem to be choosing a leader who is in line with centrist values. Which is to say, he has money and is a reprehensible piece of shit.

              • just a lot of conjecture there to make the Dems the bad guys

              Conjecture doesn’t typically involve direct quotes from sitting legislators.

              and reinforce the “both parties are the same” narrative that your ilk like to spread.

              You are fine with your party kissing nazi ass. Just not anyone pointing it out. I’d tell you to demand better, but it’s clear that you think you’re getting it already.

              • skepticalifornia@lemmy.world
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                Just admit it - no leaders or even major legislators in the Dem party is kissing Nazi ass. The article has non specific quotes from guys I’ve never heard of. Just more right wing misinformation for Lemmings such as yourself.

                • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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                  Just admit it - no leaders or even major legislators in the Dem party is kissing Nazi ass.

                  I never made that assertion. Elon is the leader the democrats in the article (and those in this thread minimizing this) have chosen.

                  Just more right wing misinformation for Lemmings such as yourself.

                  Everyone to the left of your boy elon is “right wing” to you.

          • JargonWagon@lemmy.world
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            *Rep Ro Khanna is trying to kiss his Nazi ass

            The only other Dem mentioned in the article that you can try pinning that statement on simply said that he’s “a believer in redemption”, but that’s it really.

            • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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              Do you believe in the redemption of elon musk?

              Because I’m seeing the party that spent a whole assed year ignoring the Leahy law in order to sell weapons for genocide looking at a nazi and being like “you know, he’s not that bad.”

              • JargonWagon@lemmy.world
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                I believe that people have the capability of committing wrong-doings, even atrocities, only to come around later and realize that they were in the wrong and can attempt to make up for it in life.

                Do I believe that Elon Musk has redeemed himself? No. I do believe he has the capability to do so though, eventually. Do I believe that he should receive punishment for his wrongdoings? Yes. Same for Trump.

                In regards to the statement about Dems siding with Nazis, don’t use labels to throw everyone under the same blanket and judge them all equally harshly. Everyone is an individual, and their actions should be judged as such. If there’s a Democrat that acted in such a way, by all means call them out and we’ll all hate on them together.

                • Ensign_Crab@lemmy.world
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                  In regards to the statement about Dems siding with Nazis, don’t use labels to throw everyone under the same blanket and judge them all equally harshly.

                  I will judge anyone who sides with nazis harshly. Minimizing it like you’re doing just gives others cover to also side with nazis.

  • Underwaterbob@sh.itjust.works
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    2 months ago

    The thing is, this turd burgler could lose millions a day for the rest of his life and still retire more well-off than just about anybody. When’s the last time a truly filthy rich person ended up in the gutter?

    • skisnow@lemmy.ca
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      If his wealth were a US treasury bond, he’d have to spend at least $50,000,000 every DAY in order to not still keep getting richer.

      Take a moment to think about how difficult it is to spend $50,000,000. If I gave you 24 hours to do it using Brewster’s Millions rules, you’d struggle.

      There is no good reason for billionaires to exist.

    • Pup Biru@aussie.zone
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      2 months ago

      filthy rich person ended up in the gutter?

      there’s not much that i like about the american healthcare system but the idea of fElon eventually ending up bankrupt because of that fucking black eye really had me thinking “maybe there’s something to this”