Swift Creator Chris Lattner Leaves Tesla After Only Six Months in the Job

[mdriftmeyer]

Go back to Apple and stick there. I am sure he would fit into more traditional engineering company's like Google, Facebook, Twitter, so many others.

Those aren't traditional engineering companies. Those are traditional software product development companies. A traditional engineering company is Tesla. As a Mechanical Engineer first, CS, second Apple is the most intelligent fit for him.

He is financially very well off, and his wife still works at Apple. He's not hurting for options.

 

[weup togo]

His replacement has a much stronger resume with experience at Google, DeepMind and OpenAI. All world class in AI and not a graveyard. Doesn't bode well for Apple's autonomous driving efforts when one of their best employees only lasts six months at Tesla. It's pretty much a failed project.

Chris ran developer tools. He never had anything to do with the rest. He's the same caliber person as Craig. It was a loss to Apple, and a black mark for Tesla.

 

[mi7chy]

Tesla is burning through cash like fire in a dry windy cornfield. Their business model only works as long as the government provides Tesla buyers healthy rebates. The President is not of the same persuasion for outlandish cash giveaway as his predecessor. You do the math. I expect there is tremendous pressure on the management at Tesla, based on how oversold the idea is. I'm pretty sure I would not enjoy working at Tesla.

Actually, Elon Musk is in favor of abolishing the tax credit (just Google for it). The tax credit ($7500) is insignificant to the current selling models which go for around $100K. It probably won't even apply to the lower cost Model 3 when it comes out. Even without the tax credit people will still continue to buy Tesla because they're the best.

 

[huperniketes]

Well, there's an open desk in the server room at Apple. The last guy was dismissed when he unplugged the servers to make way for his bonsai fountain.

Where did you see he was fired? My understanding is he was promoted to upper management.

 

[JGIGS]

Why be an engineer when his clear calling is to be in a Munster's remake?

 

[huperniketes]

Tangentially, I'm not sure I see the advantage of rushing to an arbitrary deadline a completely self-driving vehicle.

"You can't dictate innovation, Don." -- Prof. Hathaway, Real Genius (1985)

 

[nt5672]

Actually, Elon Musk is in favor of abolishing the tax credit (just Google for it). The tax credit ($7500) is insignificant to the current selling models which go for around $100K. It probably won't even apply to the lower cost Model 3 when it comes out. Even without the tax credit people will still continue to buy Tesla because they're the best.

Denmark in 2015 did away with tax breaks for electric vehicles and Tesla's sales dropped 94%. If he is in favor of this, then I suspect a lot of propaganda is being spewed. Tesla currently uses up about $30,000 in free cash for each car sold.

Yes, people will still buy because he is good at marketing. But at some point investors are going to quit pilling on the cash and then the value of a Tesla car will be pretty small. Nobody is really addressing the $15,000 price tag for new batteries every 6 years or the fact that his batteries are still using a very limited resource.

There is a reason businesses still buy propane powered fork lifts, batteries suck over a lifetime compared to fossil fuels. Over a 5 year period it is currently about 20% cheaper to run a gas powered fork truck without considering replacement batteries. Can you afford 20% more cost, plus $15,000 every 6 years just to drive a politically correct vehicle? I know I can't.

Yes, I know, some can afford them and for them I am excited, but to believe that tax credits do not matter, is well, not very realistic outside of the top 1%.

 

[mi7chy]

Nobody is really addressing the $15,000 price tag for new batteries every 6 years or the fact that his batteries are still using a very limited resource.

Nobody is addressing it because the warranty for battery along with drive unit on a new Tesla vehicle is 8 years with unlimited mileage and not 6 years.

https://www.tesla.com/support/vehicle-warranty

Within 8 years most owners will have traded in their Tesla for a newer model. The price of new replacement battery pack will keep dropping over time. The average industry cost per kWh has already dropped from ~$1K in 2010 to ~$226 in 2016. Tesla are ahead of the industry average and are projecting the cost to be at $100 in 2020. By the time the warranty runs out in 2025 it'll be even less.

 

[Kabeyun]

Welcome to the software development business. The guys with the big plans most of the time don't know anything how software development works and what the requirements are. When a CEO says it can be done in a day, it's not very uncommon a CTO needs to tell him it takes a week, but the CEO will not give you extra time because the plan is already sold to the customer or audience.

I get all that. I'm adding that it becomes more of an issue than, say, an iOS upgrade when the thing that was rushed to market contains you and your family moving forward at 70 mph.

"You can't dictate innovation, Don." -- Prof. Hathaway, Real Genius (1985)

Thumbs up for the quote and an extra one for the source. We'll done. Plus we now know each other's age within several years.

 

[lurepe]

Perhaps Tesla wanted him to divulge Apple IP, and he wasn't into that...

 

[bkkcanuck8]

Perhaps Tesla wanted him to divulge Apple IP, and he wasn't into that...

On what, Swift compiler/clang - well that is public.
On LLVM? Also public.
Future plans for LLVM and Swift.... sort of open.

Apple is very compartmentalized with firewalls between different projects -- they are famous for it.... Apple secrecy. In other words -- If Tesla hired him for that - they are about the most stupid company out there.... and somehow... I don't think they are that stupid.

 

[jw2002]

Denmark in 2015 did away with tax breaks for electric vehicles and Tesla's sales dropped 94%.

Denmark is not an accurate indicator. They levy a 205% tax on all private vehicles. Yes, that number is right, so it is no wonder that when they did away with tax breaks that sales fell so much in Denmark.

Interest in Tesla has never been about tax breaks in the US, and surveys bear this out. Maybe you are thinking of Solar City?

 

[huperniketes]

Denmark in 2015 did away with tax breaks for electric vehicles and Tesla's sales dropped 94%.

Denmark is not an accurate indicator. They levy a 205% tax on all private vehicles. Yes, that number is right, so it is no wonder that when they did away with tax breaks that sales fell so much in Denmark.

Although you may be aggregating other taxes into the 205% figure, the maximum rate on private vehicle registrations was 180%, reduced to 150% in 2016's budget. Still a hefty amount, and it accounts for why sales on electric vehicles of all makes was nearly zero in 2016, and why the Dutch government eased back a little this year.