Hey everybody, welcome back to the Elon Musk Podcast.
This is a show where we discuss the critical Crossroads, The
Shape, SpaceX, Tesla X, The Boring Company, and Neuralink,
and I'm your host, Will Walden. One more thing before we start.
Google Podcasts is being discontinued by Google.
So if you want to continue getting episodes of the Elon
Musk podcast, please check us out over at YouTube Music.
Search us out over there and that's where you'll be able to
find our podcast through Google products.
Thank you so much for understanding.
I had no control over this. Google pulled the Google Podcast
app off of Android. And I want to let you know where
to continue finding the show. Over at YouTube Music Search for
Elon Musk podcast. Thank you so much.
Formerly, Twitter is financially backing Chloe Happ in a legal
action against her previous employer, Block, founded by Jack
Dorsey, who also established Twitter, now known as X.
HAP asserts she was unfairly dismissed from expressing her
opinions on X through a pseudonym satirical account
outside of work hours. Elon Musk on X expressed his
support for the lawsuit emphasizing supporting your
right to freedom of speech. Now the lawsuit arises from 2
specific posts made by Hap on her anonymous account.
The first post referenced the movement of refugees from Gaza
to Kurdistan following attacks on October 7th, while the second
included derogatory language aimed at transgender individuals
in the context of discussing a gender neutral restroom.
A HAP maintains these posts were satirical and did not directly
mention her employer. Block Block's acquisition of
these posts in the company's decision to terminate Hap's
employment formed the crux of this dispute.
Hap alleges that despite Block's policy seemingly supporting free
speech, she was dismissed without severance for sharing
views contrary to the company's stance, a move she argues was
against the company's own guidelines now seeking redress,
Hap's lawsuit demands her reinstatement at Block and
financial compensation for damages, including lost wages.
This case is not X's first foray into legal battles championing
free speech. Previously, the company
supported Gina Carano in her lawsuit against Disney and
Lucasfilm, alleging her removal from The Mandalorian was due to
her controversial viewpoints. Now, the intertwining of
significant tech figures like Elon Musk, Jack Dorsey and the
companies they founded shows that there's a complex web here,
there's ideologies, relationships, different ways of
thinking, and it's all in the tech industry right now.
X in Block They're in a legal battle.
Musk's X, by funding Hap's lawsuit, is taking a definitive
stance on issues of speech and expression in the workplace, and
this shows that there's a bigger debate here.
Freedom's in the digital age. Can you speak your mind wherever
you are without being let go from your job?
Do you have freedom of speech, or is there language in your
contract that doesn't allow you to do this?
It's really up to the company and up to the person who signs
that contract when they start employment with that company.
Now, Hap's assertion that her posts were meant as satire and
her subsequent actions, including deleting the content,
Now it's nuanced, it's online expression, and now she has
potential consequences when personal and professional
boundaries intersect. Her insistence on her right to
express political satire without workplace repercussion is an
important question that we have to ask ourselves.
And does it limit expression and employer responses?
We're going to find out with this lawsuit, and this lawsuit
also alleges that Block violated its own speech policies by
dismissing HAPS suggest a possible discrepancy between
company guidelines and their applications.
Now this raises broader concerns about how companies interpret
inter force policies related to employee conduct and expression,
particularly in cases involving social media and in this case, a
quote satirical account. Now, Block's refusal to disclose
whether complaints from other employees prompted their
investigation into HAPS posts adds another layer of complexity
to this case. Corporate transparency and the
rights of employees to understand the basis of
disciplinary action taken against them.
If they post quote satirical content on another website,
well, we're gonna have to find out what's going to happen in
this lawsuit. Will keep you up to date as
well. Now, Hap initially denied these
posts, though they said that they feared repercussions if
they were attributed to this and her later admission.
Spotlighting the challenges that individuals face when confronted
with their online activities impacts their professional life
and their personal life. It raises questions about
privacy, identity and also accountability In the age of
digital personas. Now, the support of high profile
figures like Elon Musk for legal actions rooted in free speech
concerns signifies a notable intersection of tech leadership
and socio political issues. Musk's public backing of Hap's
lawsuit through X positions him and the platform within ongoing
debates about freedom of expression, freedom of speech
both online and at the workplace, and the legal
precedent set by cases like this in the involvement of platforms
like X in such disputes could influence future employer
implied dynamics concerning free speech.
The outcome of this lawsuit may offer insights into how
companies craft and enforce policies regarding employees
online expressions in the future, especially when done
anonymously or through a pseudonym.
Now, the reference to previous cases, such as Gina Carano's
lawsuit against Disney, where X also provided support, shows
that they're willing to take the step forward and take A big
stance on certain free speech issues.
This pattern of backing individuals challenging
corporate actions perceived as limiting expressions suggests a
broader strategy by X to align itself with particular values in
the public sphere. Now, the complexity is this
case, though, involving pseudonyms and online activity,
satirical expression, and corporate policy shows that
there's challenges out there for companies and for individuals
when they're signing that contract.
Is this free speech? Do you have to manage your
speech to keep your job? That's another question we have
to ask ourselves, and the boundaries between personal
expression and professional responsibilities continue to
blur, raising important questions about the rights and
obligations of employees and employers alike.
The legal and ethical considerations at play in Hap's
lawsuit against Bloc supported by X reflect broader societal
debates about the nature of free speech, responsibilities of
digital platforms, and the impact of personal expression on
professional engagements. These issues are increasingly
relevant in a world where digital and real life personas
intersect, and where the actions taken in one realm can have
significant consequences in the other.
Now, the outcome of this case could have important
implications on how companies navigate the balance between
fostering an inclusive workplace and respecting individual rights
to free expression and free speech.
It also highlights the potential role social media platforms and
supporting users rights in legal challenges that arise from
digital expressions. Now this lawsuit, brought by
Chloe Hap against Block with the support of X, shows that there's
an intricate relationship between free speech, employee
rights, and corporate policies. It's a reminder of the ongoing
challenges and debates surrounding expressions in their
digital age and who's watching your accounts, especially as it
intersects with professional life and corporate expectations.
The outcome may offer valuable insights into the evolving
landscape of digital expression and the implications for both
individuals and organizations. SpaceX has announced its
intentions to carry out as many as 9 Starship missions in the
next year, with spacecrafts expected to land all the way in
the Indian Ocean. Now these operations, which are
set to be launched from the Boca Chica Starbase, Texas site, are
detailed in an extensive environmental assessment by the
Federal Aviation Administration or the FAA.
Now the FA AS report, which is 119 pages long, indicates the
possibility of up to five total losses of the starships which
would occur as they crash into the ocean at the highest speed
possible after re entering from orbit while still intact.
Of course, now these incidents termed over pressure events in
the document would be caused by the impact with water leading
the structural compromise and subsequent combustion of the
liquid methane and oxygen on board.
In addition to these potential explosive landings, SpaceX is
also looking into the viability of controlled water landings
wherein the spacecraft would softly approach the water
surface before tipping over as described by the FAA document.
Now the FAA report points out that the starships propellants,
liquid methane and oxygen are not toxic unlike some other
rocket fuels, which is an important consideration for
environmental safety. Now the document also
acknowledges the chance the starships might break apart
during the RE entry process, adding another potential outcome
to these planned missions. Now SpaceX moves forward with
these plans and continues to receive the necessary
authorizations from the FAA. A large number of starships,
either whole or in pieces, will likely end up on the ocean floor
in a region between Australia and Madagascar.
Now the FA as environmental assessment details what could be
expected if Starship landings in the Indian Ocean do not go as
planned, predicting a field of debris primarily made-up of
heavy metals and some composite materials.
Now, the majority of this debris, especially the stainless
steel components, is expected to sink quickly due to its heavy
nature and material composition. However, some lighter pieces
might float or remain suspended before eventually sinking.
Now, in case of explosion upon impact, the resulting debris is
expected to be contained within a radius of about .5 nautical
miles from the point of impact, and the FAA has stated there
will be no attempts to retrieve or clean up the Starship
remains, whatever their condition after landing in
pieces or not, and the report also considers the potential
impact. Are these operations on marine
life such as sea turtles, fish, sharks, whales and others in the
intended landing zones? Now the FA as assessment
suggests that the direct impact on marine life from either
impact or breaking apart starships is highly unlikely,
thanks to the Ocean's vastness and a relatively small size of
the spacecraft components compared to, well, millions of
tons of water, and also they have to hit tiny fish, so it's
very unlikely. Now it's reason that although
debris hitting an animal underwater could cause harm or
death, the low frequency of Starship operations and the
natural underwater behavior of marine life makes such
occurrences highly unlikely. And on March 14th, 2024, a large
crowd gathered to watch a Starship launch from Spacex's
Boca CHIC facility. Marking an important moment for
this company, this launch was particularly notable.
As well known to be the most powerful rocket in existence, it
successfully reached orbit, a significant achievement for
SpaceX and everybody in the spaceflight community.
Now these developments and the planned future missions show
that SpaceX is working towards fully operational and fully
reusable large scale massive rockets that can take massive,
massive payloads the low Earth orbit to the moon, Mars and
beyond. One more thing before we start
the show, Google Podcasts is being discontinued by Google at
the end of this month. So if you want to continue
getting episodes of the Elon Musk podcast, please check us
out over at YouTube Music. Search us out over there and
that's where you'll be able to find our podcast through Google
products. Thank you so much for
understanding. I had no control over this.
Google just pulled the Google Podcast app off of Android.
And I just want to let you know where to continue finding the
show. Over at YouTube Music Search for
Elon Musk podcast. Thank you so much.
Tesla has once again reduced its vehicle prices and introduced
special offers aimed at enticing buyers following a report of
disappointing vehicle deliveries in the first quarter of 2024.
This news comes alongside adjustments by analysts to
Tesla's full year earnings forecast leading to a rise in
Tesla shares. Now, in a notable move, the
electric vehicle behemoth known as Tesla slashed the prices of
its Model Y vehicles in Australia by over 9%, setting
the starting price of approximately $42,240.
This decision coincides with a surge in electric vehicle sales
in Australia, where Tesla ranks as the sixth most popular
automotive brand. Now.
The price reduction in Australia is part of Tesla's broader
strategy to remain competitive, evidenced by the introduction of
a 0% financing offer on the Model 3 and Model Y models in
China till the end of April. Now this marks Tesla's first
foray into interest free promotions in China and the
electric vehicle market globally.
Now contrarily, Tesla has raised the prices of all Model Y
variants in the United States and Europe and also in China,
despite some existing incentives coming to an end.
Nevertheless, significant discounts on the Model Y
inventory remained available in the US and other markets.
Tesla stock experienced a 1.6% increase reaching 171.5 and
these pricing adjustments. During these pricing adjustments
and this follows A rebound where the stock went up by 1% to 100
and 6838. Now the company's stock
purchased activities by Kathy Wood which involved acquiring
319,000 shares over 2 days also contributing to the stock
movement. Now to keep its sales momentum
going, Tesla has aggressively reduced prices and offered
discounts throughout 2023 and also 2024, causing a significant
dip in auto gross margins from a high of 30% and quarter 4/20/21
to below 20%. And following Tesla's
announcements of lower than expected global deliveries of
386,810 vehicles in quarter one, HSBC revises Tesla price target
downward, maintaining a reduced rating on the shares.
Now this report has sparked a wave of criticism for both
supporters and also skeptics, attributing the poor performance
to challenges in the production ramp up and factory shutdowns.
Now analysts have adjusted their 2024 earnings projections for
Tesla downwards, indicating a potential second conservative
year of profit declines for the company.
The revised forecast reflect a more than 26% reduction in EPS
consensus estimates since the end of 2023.
And despite A disappointing first quarter, expectations for
Tesla's business are higher for quarter 2.
With anticipated improvements in Model 3 and Cyber truck sales in
the US and a potential uptick in Chinese sounds now, Tesla's
stock performance has seen fluctuations.
The 2.9% increase last week but trading below the 50 day moving
average. Leaked emails from Elon Musk
suggested push for the latest full self driving update in
North America along with a one month free trial offer for FSD.
Now Tesla faced A notable decline in stock value on March
15th, reaching a new low for 2024 stocks.
Performance ranks in eighth among auto manufacturers with
relatively low composite and relative strength ratings.
Now hedge fund manager Pearl Lekender has expressed A bleak
outlook for Tesla, though predicting the company could
face bankruptcy and its stock could plummet to $14.00.
A very pessimistic view following Tesla's quarter one
delivery report, which fell short of market expectations and
pair is a bull. Lekender attributes Tesla's
challenges not to supply chain disruptions but to a demand
problem, particularly with the Model 3 and Model Y vehicles.
He does not anticipate any significant recovery for Tesla
in the near term due to the aging model lineup and economic
conditions. Now, Tesla's first quarter
delivery shortfall has led to a chorus of negative opinions,
with analysts pointing to the harsh realities of scaling
electric vehicle production despite Tesla's valuation.
Increased competition and market pressures are contributing to
skepticism about the company's future.
Now Wedbush Securities analyst Dan Ives described Tesla's first
quarter performance as a disaster, calling it a crucial
moment for the company to recover or face potential long
term challenges. But amongst the criticism, Tesla
continues to receive support, notably from Kathy Woods Arc
Invest, which purchased Tesla stock ahead of the delivery
report. Some analysts remain optimistic
about Tesla's long term prospects, citing potential
catalysts like the promotion of the FSD feature and also the
free trial of full self driving. Now.
RBC Capital Markets analyst Tom Menerian highlighted Tesla's
energy storage and autonomy as key factors in his positive
rating on the company's stock. Despite the first quarter
setbacks, there remains a belief in Tesla's potential to leverage
this technology for future growth.
Now, Tesla's recent price adjustments and promotional
offers show that it's going to work to stimulate sales amidst A
challenging period marked by lower than expected delivery
figures and a downward revision in earnings forecasts.
The company's stock has experienced volatility with its
future prospects contingent on its ability to navigate the
competitive electric veal market and capitalize on its
technological innovation. Tesla Motors has reintroduced
its full self driving transfer program as a buying incentive
this quarter. Now this is counter to CEO Elon
Musk's previous assertion that such an offer would be a
singular event. The program permits existing
Tesla owners to transfer their FSD package to a new vehicle
upon purchase, which a feature that has been highly requested
due to Tesla's unfulfilled promise of complete self driving
capabilities. They've been promising this for
years and have not delivered on FSD, and people bought into
this. They paid about $15,000 for full
self driving. It's never come to fruition.
So people think that they should be able to transfer their full
self driving license from one vehicle to another.
Considering that Tesla never gave them what they bought,
customers have long argued for the ability to transfer the FSD
package price it up to $15,000, especially since the promised
autonomous driving features. Have yet to be fully realized by
Tesla. The rationale is that if Tesla
can eventually provide these features via in software update,
owners should not lose their investment when upgrading their
vehicle. Now, despite the logical appeal
of allowing FSD transfers to support customer investment in
the technology, Tesla has historically been resistant to
the idea. Companies eventual concession to
allow transfers, but only for purchases made in the third
quarter of 2023 was met with a Lunt of skepticism.
Now Elon Musk said that the temporary nature of this
opportunity. He said that he framed it as a
one time amnesty for buyers to take advantage of during the
specific quarter. This move was not seen as a
customer friendly initiative, but as a strategic attempt to
just boost sales for Tesla within a limited time frame by
leveraging the company's failure to deliver on its FST promises.
And let me ask you a question. If you invested $15,000 for full
self driving and they didn't deliver, would you be upset?
It's kind of like buying a house and you put an investment of a
couple $100,000 into this house and the real estate agent never
shows up and give you the keys. You don't have a house, you
don't have full self driving, so you spent a lot of money.
I know it's a little bit different, but you spent a lot
of money and you never got what was promised to you.
Now, critics have accused Tesla of using the FSD transfer offer
as a sales tactic rather than a genuine effort to do right by
its customers. The skepticism was further
fueled by the belief that, despite Musk's statements, the
offer would likely reappear in the future.
Sometime and in line with these suspicions, Tesla announced the
future of the FSD transfer option in February 2024,
available until the end of this quarter to encourage new vehicle
purchases. This decision contradicts Musk's
earlier claims of the offer being a one off.
Recently, Tesla expanded the FSD transfer offer to include all
new Tesla vehicles, excluding the Cybertruck.
This move is part of a broader strategy to stack incentives and
boost sales, indicating a more flexible approach to FSD
transferability than previously communicated.
Tesla has also provided updates to long standing FSD adopters
with older Model S and Model X vehicles, shedding light on the
company's efforts to extend the latest FSD capabilities to these
legacy models. The rapid pace of Tesla's tech
advancements means that newer vehicle models often receive the
latest updates first, leaving older models waiting for
enhancements. This has been particularly true
for FSD and Autopilot features, which are primarily developed
for the more recent additions to test this fleet.
New computers, new architecture. They're going to get the latest
software because of it. Think of your iPhone.
The latest iPhone gets the latest update before all the
other phones do. Now Musk acknowledge this issue,
noting that while the upcoming Hardware 4 will offer
improvements, the company's current focus remains on
vehicles equipped with Hardware 3.
This left some early adopters of FSD, particularly those with
older Model S and also Model X vehicles, feeling overlooked.
They spent a lot of money on these cars and they should be
getting what they paid for. This frustration among these
legacy vehicle owners stems from unmet promises regarding the
vehicles potential for autonomy. Although Tesla has introduced
hardware upgrade programs, they come at additional cost.
With some owners are unwilling to pay.
They should have full self driving.
That's what they think with the current software that they were
promised and the current hardware that they're using now.
The sense of exclusion among these early FSD supporters was
highlighted in a post by Tesla owner Anthony Spina, who
expressed concerns over the lack of updates and communication
regarding the deployment of the latest FSD versions to older
models. Responding to these concerns,
though, Tesla Vice President Rohan Patel conveyed the
company's efforts to bring full self driving capabilities to
older models. It might take a little bit of
time though Explain the challenges in validating the
software for different hardware configurations reassured
customers of the company's commitment to resolving all of
these issues. Now, Patel's communication show
that there's a lot of challenges here.
Software with hardware. You don't just put a new version
of software with older hardware. Or you could do the Apple root
and make sure that it works with a bunch of versions before it.
Now there's a small segment of Tesla's customer base that faces
these challenges, and they possess different hardware from
the majority of the users. He said that there's rigorous
safety validation processes that each software update undergoes
and they aimed to manage the expectations regarding the
timelines for these updates at Tesla.
Now, the follow up communication from Tesla's executive team
acknowledged the patients required from legacy vehicle
owners. It showed that the company's
understanding of these frustrations and also Tesla
reiterated the intense efforts made to extend the latest FSD
features to all eligible vehicles regardless of their
hardware versions. They have to build different
software for a different hardware.
It's a big process. I know it is.
I'm a software developer myself. If you have to develop for one
sort of code base on a certain sort of hardware, and then you
switch the hardware, you might have to reroute, rewrite
thousands of lines of code. Now the situation illustrates
the complexities that test the faces.
As a tech driven company in the auto industry, they want to
rapidly innovate, but it could lead to disparities in customer
experience based on vehicle age and hardware capabilities of
older vehicles. And the reintroduction of the
FSD transfer program along with the ongoing efforts to update
legacy vehicles shows that Tesla's actually in this.
They want to help and they have their efforts towards the older
vehicles straight in line with the newer vehicles, but it's
going to take them a little bit longer.
They aim to balance the company's forward-looking
technological advancements with the needs and expectations of
its diverse customer base. Hey, thank you so much for
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