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This looks great. Chuck your stuff anywhere and it'll charge (assuming it doesn't catch fire) which is a great improvement over traditional Qi charging UX. It's a shame people get too caught up in winning internet points for hating Elon to recognise a potentially good product.
 
What a strange thing for Tesla to release
This is how Musk does marketing.

He takes a random item, orders a few thousand, slaps one of his company logos on it, and charges 10x what it cost.

It generates some buzz for a few hours and drives traffic to Tesla's website which is the primary objective. And it also generates a small bit of profit. In contrast to most marketing which costs money instead.

In the past he's sold flamethrowers, backpacks, belt buckles, tequila, whistles, perfume, power wheel cars... there's probably a few other random items he's sold that I'm blanking on right now. Inevitably they sell out because the point was never actually selling them. I suspect he just bulk buys whatever random item was overstocked.
 
On sale is right, arguably the best Christmas gift ever, but I think it will go lower.
Oh yes
1671757668000.png
 
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it just goes to show how Musk has tarnished the Tesla brand through his antics.

I think the truth is that Tesla was overvalued to begin with because of a personality cult that developed around Musk. It's not so much that he's tarnishing the brand as that the Musk halo is going dim.

The timing of the Twitter debacle couldn't have been worse. Tesla is starting to face real competition from established car makers now, and people were already going to find the traditional car companies to be lower risk. A lot of people bought Teslas because they wanted to buy into the fairy tale of the entrepreneurial genius, but the latest PR shows the man to be less admirable than many had wanted to believe but has also started to draw a lot of attention to his business history that undercuts some of the perceptions that have been allowed to persist.

Tesla's not doing horribly, they're still above their pre-pandemic value and a lot of the market has come back to earth in that time. And they're still worth a shocking amount for a boutique car maker. The market has just begun to discount the possibility that Musk is a wizard.

And I don't fault people for wanting to buy into fairy tales-- I didn't have much need for a Mac, but got swept up enough in Job's return to Apple that I bought an iMac mostly to be a part of the story.
 
This is how Musk does marketing.

He takes a random item, orders a few thousand, slaps one of his company logos on it, and charges 10x what it cost.

It generates some buzz for a few hours and drives traffic to Tesla's website which is the primary objective. And it also generates a small bit of profit. In contrast to most marketing which costs money instead.

In the past he's sold flamethrowers, backpacks, belt buckles, tequila, whistles, perfume, power wheel cars... there's probably a few other random items he's sold that I'm blanking on right now. Inevitably they sell out because the point was never actually selling them. I suspect he just bulk buys whatever random item was overstocked.
He's trying to catch the people who missed fat guys NFTs.
 
Elon meeting Tim at Apple Park..
Elon: Hey Tim, can you please come back as advertiser on Twitter. In return I will allow Apple Music on all Teslas.
Tim: That’s all?
Elon: Ok, we can make a charging mat. Launch will create a lot of public exposure and we’ll feature Apple iPhone & AirPods.
 
I think the truth is that Tesla was overvalued to begin with because of a personality cult that developed around Musk. It's not so much that he's tarnishing the brand as that the Musk halo is going dim.

The timing of the Twitter debacle couldn't have been worse. Tesla is starting to face real competition from established car makers now, and people were already going to find the traditional car companies to be lower risk. A lot of people bought Teslas because they wanted to buy into the fairy tale of the entrepreneurial genius, but the latest PR shows the man to be less admirable than many had wanted to believe but has also started to draw a lot of attention to his business history that undercuts some of the perceptions that have been allowed to persist.

Tesla's not doing horribly, they're still above their pre-pandemic value and a lot of the market has come back to earth in that time. And they're still worth a shocking amount for a boutique car maker. The market has just begun to discount the possibility that Musk is a wizard.

And I don't fault people for wanting to buy into fairy tales-- I didn't have much need for a Mac, but got swept up enough in Job's return to Apple that I bought an iMac mostly to be a part of the story.
real competitions? in terms of luxury sure bmw i series and merc eq series has top notch interiors, but their tech blows compare to tesla. longer charge time, almost 2x the cost to change out the batteries, motor is no where as efficient, and not to mention smaller range.
 
Elon is a mastermind. After he dies he’ll be known as a genius just like Jobs.
Not if he dies today he won't. He'll be remembered as Barnum. He hasn't done much but generate hype so far-- Tesla in particular needs to survive and stay a top tier automaker through the broader market transition to EVs and build a leadership team that can keep it running without him.

Jobs was a great promoter, and he also spent some time in the wilderness, but he eventually turned Apple into a juggernaut and was able to hand it off to someone who kept it on a growth path.
 
Yeah, I'll never buy a Tesla product now – car or phone charger. I was a fan of Musk in years past but all this Twitter stuff has made me realize he's just an entitled narcissistic buffoon. I see someone driving a Tesla now and my gut instinct is that they are as narcissistic and insecure and assholish as Musk. That's not fair to them – and not accurate across all Tesla drivers, but it just goes to show how Musk has tarnished the Tesla brand through his antics.


hope you don't meet the engineers that made your phone. guaranteed at least one engineer from Apple and Google tweet much worse things 🫢
 
What a strange thing for Tesla to release

Have you heard of VW part number 199398500A - VW Currywurst and 199398500B - VW ketchup. They also sell utensils to go with it like 33D069602 - a VW Plate. They're delicious and are often used in dealerships as presents to customers. The casings are marked “Volkswagen Originalteil” (Volkswagen Original Part).

The currywurst is the most produced of any part in the Volkswagen range with more than 7 million produced a year (2015 number).

In any case car manufacturers have always sold other stuff and trinkets with their branding. Tesla is all about electric stuff and batteries so it seems like a fitting gadget to make in a branded version and the price will create a buzz. Just like how Apple makes monitor stands, polishing cloths and wheels that exist purely for the purpose of maintaining a premium image of the brand.
 
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Smells like a test for FreePower: If the supplier relation works, maybe they'll start putting FreePower tech in cars to better support different device sizes.

(I have been using FreePower for over a year with Nomad charging station: It works, but is less efficient than MagSafe. Also, it sometimes heats the devices up a lot - apparently depends on exact position)
 
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similar was said about model 3
then model y
then the semi
now the cybertruck

Yep, all late. I didn't say "won't ever ship", I said "still can't ship". If you're riding a hype wave, investors don't care much if you're a bit behind schedule-- if your stock is plunging, it's not the greatest time to remind them that you can't deliver on your promises.
 
real competitions? in terms of luxury sure bmw i series and merc eq series has top notch interiors, but their tech blows compare to tesla. longer charge time, almost 2x the cost to change out the batteries, motor is no where as efficient, and not to mention smaller range.
They're not valued like a niche luxury maker. They were valued at something like the combined value of the top four largest automakers. If they're merely meant to compete with BMW and Daimler, then their stock has a lot further to fall...
 
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