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Is Elon Musk the greatest visionary or the greatest snake oil salesman of our age?

Surely the point is that, while in the crudest terms both parties are pro-billionaire, different factions of capital have different interests and understand those interests in different ways, so that, for instance, the majority of the tech sector has usually tended to lean Democrat while the oil and energy industries have been more pro-Republican. As with the policies of the Tories over the last decade, up to and including Truss.
Is there an oil or energy billionaire that has come out campaigning for Trump?
 
Is there an oil or energy billionaire that has come out campaigning for Trump?
20 oil executives attended a fundraising dinner at Mar-a-Lago:

Then he held another fundraising lunch with three major oil bosses:


Obviously, it's possible for billionaires to fund both sides, but it is a matter of public record that oil and energy industry donations tend to skew very heavily Republican, so for this chart we can see that, for 2023-2024, "energy/natural resource" industry donations have been 72.61% Rep, 26.84% Dem, whereas tech sector donations have been almost entirely the opposite, 76.78% D, 21.96% R:


That's a pretty neat illustration of what I meant by different factions of capital, with the likes of Musk and Thiel being something of an outlier compared to the general preferences of the Google/Apple/Microsoft/Meta tech bloc.
 
If the republicans adopt a 'slash and burn' policy to regulation holding tech in check, you can expect those dem/repub figures to begin flipping the other way...
 
20 oil executives attended a fundraising dinner at Mar-a-Lago:

Then he held another fundraising lunch with three major oil bosses:


Obviously, it's possible for billionaires to fund both sides, but it is a matter of public record that oil and energy industry donations tend to skew very heavily Republican, so for this chart we can see that, for 2023-2024, "energy/natural resource" industry donations have been 72.61% Rep, 26.84% Dem, whereas tech sector donations have been almost entirely the opposite, 76.78% D, 21.96% R:


That's a pretty neat illustration of what I meant by different factions of capital, with the likes of Musk and Thiel being something of an outlier compared to the general preferences of the Google/Apple/Microsoft/Meta tech bloc.
Without looking it up, I’m going to guess that the executives are those who manage capital on behalf of billionaires, not the billionaires. There’s a massive gulf between being a very rich multi-millionaire who runs an oil company and being a billionaire who owns it (or, rather, owns lots of parts of lots of things, including oil companies). I’m not surprised that the managers of oil companies would generally come out for republicans.

The Koch brothers, for instance, are genuine billionaires who own a lot of energy and petrochemical interests. They’ve actually launched a campaign against Trump.
 
Without looking it up, I’m going to guess that the executives are those who manage capital on behalf of billionaires, not the billionaires. There’s a massive gulf between being a very rich multi-millionaire who runs an oil company and being a billionaire who owns it (or, rather, owns lots of parts of lots of things, including oil companies). I’m not surprised that the managers of oil companies would generally come out for republicans.

The Koch brothers, for instance, are genuine billionaires who own a lot of energy and petrochemical interests. They’ve actually launched a campaign against Trump.
The Koch Brothers endorsed Nikki Haley, a Republican running against Trump. That literally is coming out for a Republican. Also surely the Kochs being anti-Trump does not support your argument that all politicians are equally acceptable to billionaires?
 
The Koch Brothers endorsed Nikki Haley, a Republican running against Trump. That literally is coming out for a Republican. Also surely the Kochs being anti-Trump does not support your argument that all politicians are equally acceptable to billionaires?
It doesn’t support that argument, no. But my specific point was that Musk’s endorsement for Trump has got nothing to do with which of the two arch-capitalist contenders he thinks will make him richer. Billionaires care about power. Wealth is a way to power, so they care about wealth. But there are other facets of power, and they are just as mindful of those. When you can already afford to buy everything, what matters is what you’re allowed to buy.
 
Surely the point is that, while in the crudest terms both parties are pro-billionaire, different factions of capital have different interests and understand those interests in different ways, so that, for instance, the majority of the tech sector has usually tended to lean Democrat while the oil and energy industries have been more pro-Republican. As with the policies of the Tories over the last decade, up to and including Truss.
The reason for these leanings is not really political, it is more that they are members of different clubs. The Democrats and Republicans are clubs, with no consistant political differences.
 
Ask yourself which narrative is more likely: a billionaire whose wealth mainly derives from 100% electric cars and battery technology is enthusiastically endorsing the candidate who is the most popular with oil executives because he thinks that’s the guy that will most help his electric car business? Or a billionaire who is misogynistic, racist and transphobic wants to support the candidate that is misogynistic, racist and transphobic so that they can collectively build a misogynistic, racist and transphobic future?
 
Ask yourself which narrative is more likely: a billionaire whose wealth mainly derives from 100% electric cars and battery technology is enthusiastically endorsing the candidate who is the most popular with oil executives because he thinks that’s the guy that will most help his electric car business? Or a billionaire who is misogynistic, racist and transphobic wants to support the candidate that is misogynistic, racist and transphobic so that they can collectively build a misogynistic, racist and transphobic future?
🤷‍♂️ I already noted above that I think Musk and Thiel broadly diverge from the general politics of most of the tech sector. I don't think that negates the general point that there are different sections of capital with different interests. Not sure what else there is to say on this point now?
 
Without looking it up, I’m going to guess that the executives are those who manage capital on behalf of billionaires, not the billionaires. There’s a massive gulf between being a very rich multi-millionaire who runs an oil company and being a billionaire who owns it (or, rather, owns lots of parts of lots of things, including oil companies). I’m not surprised that the managers of oil companies would generally come out for republicans.

The Koch brothers, for instance, are genuine billionaires who own a lot of energy and petrochemical interests. They’ve actually launched a campaign against Trump.
Regardless of that ideological spat, the Koch brothers are still fully in the tank for Republicans and republican candidates. If Trump wins, they'll be perfectly happy with it as they will have spent a significant amount of money to help ensure that it happens (even if not directly spending on Trump). The main problem those arseholes have with Trump is the style of his politics, not the substance.
 
Regardless of that ideological spat, the Koch brothers are still fully in the tank for Republicans and republican candidates. If Trump wins, they'll be perfectly happy with it as they will have spent a significant amount of money to help ensure that it happens (even if not directly spending on Trump). The main problem those arseholes have with Trump is the style of his politics, not the substance.
Well, that’s kind of my point. Billionaires have wider interests than a literal direct line to who gains them 2% more wealth during the next four years.
 
Regardless of that ideological spat, the Koch brothers are still fully in the tank for Republicans and republican candidates. If Trump wins, they'll be perfectly happy with it as they will have spent a significant amount of money to help ensure that it happens (even if not directly spending on Trump). The main problem those arseholes have with Trump is the style of his politics, not the substance.
They helped create Trump and Maga by creating the tea party…
 
GEICO, the second-largest vehicle insurance underwriter in the US, has decided it will no longer cover Tesla Cybertrucks. The company is terminating current Cybertruck policies and says the truck “doesn’t meet our underwriting guidelines.”


"...one possible factor might be that the Cybertruck is one of the most problem-ridden vehicles currently out on the road."

:D :D :D :D
 
Meanwhile, in Texas, Space X appropriates tramples all over a ransom strip Cards Against Humanity bought in order to help thwart Trump's border wall. CAH are now suing Space X for $15 million to restore the land to its natural state.

"CAH says it hopes to pay out the $15 million it is seeking in the suit via $100 payments to each of the 150,000 who originally donated money for the land. The site also says it will accept Twitter.com as compensation, a dig at how much less the company now called X is worth since Musk purchased it in 2022 for $44 billion."

I'm one of those donors, so that means I'm suing Musk.
 
Musk really is a petulant child isnt he? - emotional development of a particualrly annoying 13 year old. I dont think this is about him making money - its his own pathological need for self validation. Since people started calling his bullshit he has steadily gravitated towards all the other wankers with a perscution complex who think them being attacked for talking shit or spewing hate is "orwellian" and from there is a short step into the right wing conspiracy world. Hes taken his fan boys with him and also earned the admiration of all the right wing cunts by gifting them a platform - cos he just wants to be loved. And adored. For his genius and wit and vision and for being such an iconaclast.
It would be embarassinly pitiful if it wasnt so dangerous.
 
oh dear how sad

Unfortunately, not quite the whole story.
The guy the story started with was clearly renting them out on Turo.
 
The Koch Brothers endorsed Nikki Haley, a Republican running against Trump. That literally is coming out for a Republican. Also surely the Kochs being anti-Trump does not support your argument that all politicians are equally acceptable to billionaires?
Billionaires probably like stability. Trump might do anything. And it might work.
 
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