Hello and welcome back to another episode of the Elon Musk
podcast. I'm your host, William Walden,
tech entrepreneur and founder. In today's episode, we're going
to unpack Elon Musk's Tesla and their latest offering.
And no, it's not another electric vehicle.
It's actually a limited edition set of beers that you could
drink, retailing for a hefty $150.00.
We'll also touch upon the contrasting fortunes of Elon
Musk and Bernard Arnault, owner of luxury conglomerate LVMH, and
how Tesla's merchandising may move some people that were
interested in a cyber truck to stick with it.
Now Tesla, the electric vehicle giant, has given us yet another
curveball. The company known for its
disruptive automotive technology is now brewing beers.
Yes, that's right, Tesla is releasing an exclusive set of
beers dubbed Tesla Cyber Beer along with a pair of ceramic
steins called Cyber Steins. These are specifically designed
to reflect the aesthetics of Tesla's much anticipated cyber
truck. Tesla's offering 211 ounce
bottles of lager with unique notes of herb, spice, tea and
citrus, all wrapped in an exquisitely designed gloss black
sleeve. And to sip these beers in style,
the kit also includes 2 matte black ceramic steins with a
design mimicking the angular structure of the cyber truck.
These are not just drinking vessels, but are also being
viewed as future collectors items.
The beer will start shipping in October, but there's a catch.
The offer is limited to individuals who are at least 21
years old and reside in the United States, and after adding
tax and about $15 for shipping, the total cost for the beer and
the steins is $176.63. Now, Earlier in the year, Tesla
has already dipped its toes in the brewing industry with a $30
Giga beer celebrating the opening of its Berlin Giga
factory. Tesla's move into alcohol isn't
just a one off affair, seems like a deliberate attempt to
diversify the brand's portfolio for the future.
It's a nice little trinket to have a collector's item for the
future. And while Tesla stock has
performed very well this year, increasing Elon Musk's wealth by
approximately $100 billion, Bernard Arnault of LVMH is
seeing a downturn in his fortunes.
Arno's estimated net worth fell by more than $5 billion
recently, mainly due a decline in the LVMH stock.
The luxury conglomerate posted weaker than expected sales,
indicating challenges in the luxury sector amid global
economic shifts. Arno and Musk have often been
neck and neck in the race for the title of the world's richest
person. But as Tesla diversifies into
areas traditionally dominated by luxury brands like LVMH, we must
wonder as Tesla's entry into high end merchandising like
cyber beer. In additional pressure point to
Bernard Arnault. Now, let's not forget that this
is not Tesla's first safari into merchandising.
The automaker had early released a $250 bottle of tequila shaped
like a lightning bolt. Although they had initially
filed the name for the liquor teslaquila, they had to drop the
idea due to industry regulations.
Tesla's merchandising gamuts are more than just stunts.
They offer unique, limited edition items that align with
the company's brand identity. And the diverse range of
products from Tesla seems to extend the company's ethos into
other aspects of lifestyle as well.
Whether it's a gigafactory themed beer or lightning bolt
shaped tequila, Tesla's merchandise feels like an
extension of the futuristic disruptive brand image.
Now, the divergent in fortunes between our No and Musk isn't
just about beers and luxury products, it's a sign of how
different industries are responding to the current global
economic environment. LVMH is feeling the pinch from
weakening consumer trends, especially in its key markets
like China. And on the other hand, Tesla
seems to be riding high in the diversification strategy which
seems to be paying off. Luxury sector in the tech
industry often cater to a similar clientele who are
willing to pay a premium for high quality exclusive products.
So when Tesla moves into the merchandising game, could it be
stealing some of another luxury markets Thunder?
It's kind of an intriguing question to think about.
And shifting gears a little bit, NASA recently launched the
Psyche mission aboard a Falcon Heavy SpaceX rocket.
It's headed toward a unique asteroid between Mars and
Jupiter. It's embarked on an ambitious 6
year journey that could change our understanding of our whole
solar system as viewed by solar powered propulsion and propelled
by state-of-the-art thrusters. This spacecraft aims to collect
data from the asteroid Psyche, which is believed to be an
exposed planetary core. Now this groundbreaking mission
could offer crucial insights into the violent history of
planetary formation and even the early solar system and how the
Earth was formed. This sets up the stage for
future space expeditions as well.
Now, spacecraft propulsion technologies are continuously
advancing, and the Psyche mission is a case in point.
It utilizes solar electric propulsion to journey through
space, A more efficient form of travel compared to traditional
chemical rockets like Spacex's Falcon Heavy and Falcon 9 and
Starship. Now, this kind of propulsion
uses electromagnetic fields to accelerate ions of xenon gas,
offering the potential for higher speeds and greater
maneuverability. Now, a spacecraft is estimated
to accelerate to speeds of up to 124,000 mph, A considerable feat
that could influence the engineering of future deep space
missions. And the mission also includes a
cutting edge optical communication system called
DSOC, or the Deep Space Optical Communication System.
This system uses a near infrared laser to transmit data, offering
ten to 100 times the bandwidth of conventional radio wave
systems that NASA currently uses.
Now, what this means for space exploration is a huge deal.
Higher data rate returns could facilitate more sophisticated
scientific experiments, not to mention enable smoother
communication for future human missions.
To the moon for something like the Artemis program, or to Mars
with something like Spacex's Starship, this could be a game
changer, opening up doors to more ambitious projects like
manned missions further out of the solar system or district
asteroid mining. Now NASA's Psyche mission isn't
just a scientific exploration, it's a technological trial run
for what could be the next era of space exploration.
With advanced propulsion systems and breakthrough communication
technologies on board, Psyche could be a milestone in
humankind's external quest to explore our final frontier of
space. And as such, the mission has
wide reaching implications for future space travel.
Taking it not just a venture to watch, but a cornerstone for
what may come next in our journey through this cosmos.
Thank you so much for tuning into this episode of the show.
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Please take care of yourselves and each other and I'll see you
in the next one.