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On the Tesla conference call for shareholders this week, Elon Musk sounded like “old,” more normal Elon for much of it. He was mostly focused on certain tech issues at Tesla. However, he also made some wild, fantastical, unrealistic claims. (Some would claim that is also “old” Elon.) The following claim was so crazy and idiotic to me that I felt like I had to highlight it. Speaking about Tesla’s humanoid robot Optimus, Musk said:
“You can actually create a world where there is no poverty, where everyone has access to the finest medical care. Optimus will be an incredible surgeon, for example. And imagine if everyone had access to an incredible surgeon.”
This is so bonkers I don’t even know where to start, or if I should start. Poverty is a social and political issue. It is not a matter of available tech. Furthermore, a humanoid robot that is not anywhere close to being able to perform surgery (what surgery, by the way?), not even close to being available for sale, and is eventually, one day, supposed to cost $20,000 to $25,000, is not going to be accessible to people in poverty, and thus not going to solve poverty.
We are facing a severe issue of wealth inequality at the moment in the United States. We are effectively in a second Gilded Age. Is that because of a lack of tech? Or is it because of how corporate behemoths, modern-day robber barons, and the billionaire class have been rigging the system in their favor?
Steve Hanley and I sat down to talk about the latest Tesla financials call, where the company is headed, and a bit more about this quote from Elon Musk above. If you’d like to watch or listen, here’s the video:
Some of the things we discussed on the call included:
- Tesla regulatory credit revenue.
- Elon Musk’s lack of interest in developing new car models.
- Tesla being essentially a startup incubator now.
- The challenge of opening a new market and being the leader in that market, versus outcompeting laggard legacy automakers in a well established industry.
- Initial Tesla Model 3 reservation lines vs. where Tesla is with Optimus.
We hope you enjoy the discussion. Chime in more here or on YouTube with your own thoughts on these matters!
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