My opinion: musk is a true genius who dreams big big big and finds a way to achieve those dreams. What I think is underrated about Musk is his ability to find talent and drive them to achieve goals.
Of course he isn’t in every meeting, design session or testing session. Rather he hires the right people who share that portion of his vision, adds right amount of leadership and wills them to succeed.
👏Excellent post David! I’ll say that I’m lockstep with you in your thoughts.
Reminded me of a post you had years ago where someone was experiencing problems with their Tesla on a winter trip in Colorado. 😉
it is certainly a huge snafu of the many years of bureaucracy this administration is dealing with and am pleased with the minds we have working to correct it. Time will tell…🇺🇸
Totally agree with Don here…proud of you, David…a great thinker always challenges his/her own thoughts. That’s what makes life interesting. Love it that you have found an automobile that is fun to navigate in…stay ‘under the radar’! Love the maturity of these thoughts..STAY KOOL! ❤️
There's a reason Musk is leaving next month. The ideal was great, but the disruption made him the scapegoat. Teflon Don wasn't going to take the blame, and they couldn't even articulate what Musk's job was. Did he head up DOGE? Was he a consultant? Then all of sudden he's showing up to cabinet meetings? Apparently as a special government employee, he needs to leave after 120 days. But the $2trillion in savings is going to be closer to $150 Billion. Anyone thinking those DOGE refund checks are coming, the savings simply aren't there.
Clinton had a plan back in the 90's. The cabinet members came up with the cuts, especially the defense budget, and worked with congress to get it passed. And we had the only balanced budget of my adult life. Congress has no leadership. They are getting ready to reopen investigations into 9/11. That's the priority?
Musk has been our modern day Edison. And while Edison worked with Ford and a number of other business leaders, he didn't get involved in government for a reason. It wasn't in his wheelhouse. They had to beg him to work on finding a rubber alternative during the world wars.
Musk's strengths is innovation. You didn't even mention Starlink, Powerpanels or his Boring company. And just as Edison did, he need to get back to working on battery innovation. It appears China is beating us to the punch on that one. Imagine if your PLAID, could get a 200 mile charge in 5 minutes. Or having your next house have a roof that also charges your PLAID without the extra panels.
It really feels like there is no true agenda in this administration. They have a different policy plan every day and it shows. And yes, despite all of the executive orders, there are still 3 branches of government, and ignoring/fighting with the other 2 is not the way to get things done.
As I said, being tagged as a special government employee, he automatically is out May 20th. That's without him having to do anything.
The fact that he has been openly critical of Trump's tariffs puts him in the target. Trump wants people who are loyal to him over anything else. He doesn't take criticism well.
Musk also knows how to dig (aka boring company) let's hope he can figure out how to dig his way out of a pretty big hole. That Nazi salute requires a full unequivocal apology.
His political enthusiasm has damaged the Tesla brand too. Another mea culpa.
But he builds the neatest stuff. He is ruthless. He drives his objectives and people hard. He extracts a human toll from his employees. He probably gets few Christmas cards.
Trump is not so nearly accomplished. His bully tactics have failed. China, Japan, Canada (and others) have called his bluff. He is the one without the cards. He is holding 3 and 9 off suited.
Narcissism is a bonified mental illness. It makes it impossible to work with. Watch for Bessent and Navarrro to look for an exit. . . . to spend more time with family.
I don't know if a tunnel boring machine is any good to him. He is in it deeper than Musk.
I never thought you were opposed to innovation; either of products or thoughts. EVs certainly fit at least one of those categories, so there is no real reason to oppose them at face value.
The opposition I have, and thought you did too, was the subsidization thereof. It’s not only unsustainable, but damaging to other necessary industries. If we had a natural growth in EV market share, unmolested by political gamesmanship and cronyism, you’d see me drive one too.
But alas, we’re still paying rich people like DRW to drive a vehicle he voluntarily says is “the best” he’s ever driven and shouldn’t need an incentive to own. How does that end well for rank and file citizens? Respectfully, of course!
I posted this above but flies for your comment as well. My car is absolutely a luxury. It’s absolutely not fit all consumers. Neither is a Bentley. I’m just saying the tech is insanely good. But there should be 0 subsidies. Ever. Win consumers or don’t. No forced buys….
I think ev mandates were problem one. Consumer choice needs to win the day. Also. I have 6 cars. Only one is an EV. So I truly have the luxury of a car for fun and city driving. I don’t drive it on road trips. I don’t drive it with snow or rain.
So does the EV exist without subsidies and even mandates? Tesla seems to be the best bet but even it, especially given Elon’s recent loss of favor, seems incapable of competing on a level playing field. Am I missing something?
It’s actually the carbon credits from California more than anything. If this go away … it would be problematic from a valuation standpoint but they are free cash flow positive.
If the Tesla EVs are so great, why are all other EV manufacturers apparently having so many problems selling their cars? Does Tesla have some advanced technology that the others don't have? Also, aren't they as heavy as a tank? I wouldn't want to get into an accicent with one.
I think ev mandates were problem one. Consumer choice needs to win the day. Also. I have 6 cars. Only one is an EV. So I truly have the luxury of a car for fun and city driving. I don’t drive it on road trips. I don’t drive it with snow or rain.
Another good post, and I'll have to check out that book on Elon. You're right that we need to be able to admit when the other side is right on things, it is just common sense.
Regarding the tariffs, they need to stay on until we get countries who have tariffs on our country to remove or drastically lower them. And we need to move manufacturing back to the USA. Try buying some wood screws at Home Depot - you won't be able to find American made screws, just Chinese-made, and they are made with soft steel and the heads strip out when you drive them.
And as for your comment on shale oil EOR fairy dust, well, guess what, it works, and I'll go ahead and predict it will kick off Shale 2.0 in the near future.
You don't need to take my word for it, an EF operator just presented an SPE paper describing a highly successful pilot test where they injected liquid solvent 3 times and flowed back, recovering 57,000 bbls of new oil in 9 months, from a well having a 10-year prior cum of 92,000 bbls. They are constructing a 6-well project now.
I'm grateful they did this; no one else in the industry was willing to try it. But comp sim models, core tests and field tests don't lie, and the production uplift is so large that haircutting everything and padding all the costs still makes for lower cost/bbl than primary.
My opinion: musk is a true genius who dreams big big big and finds a way to achieve those dreams. What I think is underrated about Musk is his ability to find talent and drive them to achieve goals.
Of course he isn’t in every meeting, design session or testing session. Rather he hires the right people who share that portion of his vision, adds right amount of leadership and wills them to succeed.
👏Excellent post David! I’ll say that I’m lockstep with you in your thoughts.
Reminded me of a post you had years ago where someone was experiencing problems with their Tesla on a winter trip in Colorado. 😉
it is certainly a huge snafu of the many years of bureaucracy this administration is dealing with and am pleased with the minds we have working to correct it. Time will tell…🇺🇸
This post! True story. https://hottakeoftheday.substack.com/p/us-energy-policies?utm_source=publication-search
Totally agree with Don here…proud of you, David…a great thinker always challenges his/her own thoughts. That’s what makes life interesting. Love it that you have found an automobile that is fun to navigate in…stay ‘under the radar’! Love the maturity of these thoughts..STAY KOOL! ❤️
There's a reason Musk is leaving next month. The ideal was great, but the disruption made him the scapegoat. Teflon Don wasn't going to take the blame, and they couldn't even articulate what Musk's job was. Did he head up DOGE? Was he a consultant? Then all of sudden he's showing up to cabinet meetings? Apparently as a special government employee, he needs to leave after 120 days. But the $2trillion in savings is going to be closer to $150 Billion. Anyone thinking those DOGE refund checks are coming, the savings simply aren't there.
Clinton had a plan back in the 90's. The cabinet members came up with the cuts, especially the defense budget, and worked with congress to get it passed. And we had the only balanced budget of my adult life. Congress has no leadership. They are getting ready to reopen investigations into 9/11. That's the priority?
Musk has been our modern day Edison. And while Edison worked with Ford and a number of other business leaders, he didn't get involved in government for a reason. It wasn't in his wheelhouse. They had to beg him to work on finding a rubber alternative during the world wars.
Musk's strengths is innovation. You didn't even mention Starlink, Powerpanels or his Boring company. And just as Edison did, he need to get back to working on battery innovation. It appears China is beating us to the punch on that one. Imagine if your PLAID, could get a 200 mile charge in 5 minutes. Or having your next house have a roof that also charges your PLAID without the extra panels.
It really feels like there is no true agenda in this administration. They have a different policy plan every day and it shows. And yes, despite all of the executive orders, there are still 3 branches of government, and ignoring/fighting with the other 2 is not the way to get things done.
I don’t know if I buy Elon leaving. When he says it … I’ll believe it. Until then, it’s political narrative.
Here you go
https://www.businessinsider.com/elon-musk-stepping-back-doge-tesla-2025-4
As I said, being tagged as a special government employee, he automatically is out May 20th. That's without him having to do anything.
The fact that he has been openly critical of Trump's tariffs puts him in the target. Trump wants people who are loyal to him over anything else. He doesn't take criticism well.
👍
But is the Plaid better than that iconic minivan that you used to take out to the Field and shuttle the family around in? :-)
Musk also knows how to dig (aka boring company) let's hope he can figure out how to dig his way out of a pretty big hole. That Nazi salute requires a full unequivocal apology.
His political enthusiasm has damaged the Tesla brand too. Another mea culpa.
But he builds the neatest stuff. He is ruthless. He drives his objectives and people hard. He extracts a human toll from his employees. He probably gets few Christmas cards.
Trump is not so nearly accomplished. His bully tactics have failed. China, Japan, Canada (and others) have called his bluff. He is the one without the cards. He is holding 3 and 9 off suited.
Narcissism is a bonified mental illness. It makes it impossible to work with. Watch for Bessent and Navarrro to look for an exit. . . . to spend more time with family.
I don't know if a tunnel boring machine is any good to him. He is in it deeper than Musk.
I never thought you were opposed to innovation; either of products or thoughts. EVs certainly fit at least one of those categories, so there is no real reason to oppose them at face value.
The opposition I have, and thought you did too, was the subsidization thereof. It’s not only unsustainable, but damaging to other necessary industries. If we had a natural growth in EV market share, unmolested by political gamesmanship and cronyism, you’d see me drive one too.
But alas, we’re still paying rich people like DRW to drive a vehicle he voluntarily says is “the best” he’s ever driven and shouldn’t need an incentive to own. How does that end well for rank and file citizens? Respectfully, of course!
I posted this above but flies for your comment as well. My car is absolutely a luxury. It’s absolutely not fit all consumers. Neither is a Bentley. I’m just saying the tech is insanely good. But there should be 0 subsidies. Ever. Win consumers or don’t. No forced buys….
I think ev mandates were problem one. Consumer choice needs to win the day. Also. I have 6 cars. Only one is an EV. So I truly have the luxury of a car for fun and city driving. I don’t drive it on road trips. I don’t drive it with snow or rain.
So does the EV exist without subsidies and even mandates? Tesla seems to be the best bet but even it, especially given Elon’s recent loss of favor, seems incapable of competing on a level playing field. Am I missing something?
It’s actually the carbon credits from California more than anything. If this go away … it would be problematic from a valuation standpoint but they are free cash flow positive.
If the Tesla EVs are so great, why are all other EV manufacturers apparently having so many problems selling their cars? Does Tesla have some advanced technology that the others don't have? Also, aren't they as heavy as a tank? I wouldn't want to get into an accicent with one.
I think ev mandates were problem one. Consumer choice needs to win the day. Also. I have 6 cars. Only one is an EV. So I truly have the luxury of a car for fun and city driving. I don’t drive it on road trips. I don’t drive it with snow or rain.
Another good post, and I'll have to check out that book on Elon. You're right that we need to be able to admit when the other side is right on things, it is just common sense.
Regarding the tariffs, they need to stay on until we get countries who have tariffs on our country to remove or drastically lower them. And we need to move manufacturing back to the USA. Try buying some wood screws at Home Depot - you won't be able to find American made screws, just Chinese-made, and they are made with soft steel and the heads strip out when you drive them.
And as for your comment on shale oil EOR fairy dust, well, guess what, it works, and I'll go ahead and predict it will kick off Shale 2.0 in the near future.
You know I hope
You succeed on EOR. I just don’t k ow if I believe the math … or science .. or economics. We shall see if I have to say I was wrong again.
Thank you sir! That means a lot.
You don't need to take my word for it, an EF operator just presented an SPE paper describing a highly successful pilot test where they injected liquid solvent 3 times and flowed back, recovering 57,000 bbls of new oil in 9 months, from a well having a 10-year prior cum of 92,000 bbls. They are constructing a 6-well project now.
I'm grateful they did this; no one else in the industry was willing to try it. But comp sim models, core tests and field tests don't lie, and the production uplift is so large that haircutting everything and padding all the costs still makes for lower cost/bbl than primary.
I definitely think a miscible cycle flood is a good idea if you have the gas and compression …. That makes sense to me. Good for you!
Liquid HC, not gas, so need a triplex pump. MMP is ~700 psi
Thanks!