# Elon Musk self destructing. Will it affect the rocket programmes. **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 8, 2018, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023 "2018-09-08T20:50:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Nansbread1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Nansbread1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nansbread1)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2018, 8:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/1 "2018-09-08T20:50:47Z")
The falcon rockets made all the news a few months ago. Now Elon is making all the wrong news headlines. Is the rocket programme in jeopardy if his company hits the buffers. Is there a conspiracy theory somewhere in the sudden change of fortunes for Elon and Tesla? ---
**Author:** ![Baron\_Greenback](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/baron_greenback/32/48_2.png) [@Baron\_Greenback](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baron_Greenback)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2018, 9:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/2 "2018-09-08T21:09:43Z")
> [@Nansbread1](#): > > The falcon rockets made all the news a few months ago. Now Elon is making all the wrong news headlines. Is the rocket programme in jeopardy if his company hits the buffers. > > Is there a conspiracy theory somewhere in the sudden change of fortunes for Elon and Tesla? Space X has Gwynne Shotwell - an actual adult - as President and COO. Tesla could probably use one of those. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2018, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/3 "2018-09-08T21:29:10Z")
I think the conspiracy theory would be that the media has discovered that negative stories of Musk sell, so they’re publishing anything they can find. Whether that is actually true or not, I don’t know. The non-conspiracy theory would be that Tesla legitimately almost landed itself in immense financial peril, and only just (possibly) squeaked through. And certainly that’s not good, and definitely that seems to have been caused by being overly ambitious. On the other hand, they seem to have pulled through via hard work and willingness to accept reality. Whether you want to read that as good news or not will sort of depend on your personality. And that it just so happens that after overworking yourself, you’re liable to make some bad decisions due to being sleep deprived. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2018, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/4 "2018-09-08T21:30:37Z")
Having an “odd” person in charge of a company is fine as long as everything is going well. The media loves the good side and buries the bad stuff. But then reality catches up and things start falling apart. The “odd” person then finally gets a more realistic analysis of their actions. The company overall has good and bad stuff going on. Tesla car making has been problematic. All it had going was image and image dies quickly. The other car companies are going to eat it’s lunch. OTOH, they learned a lot about batteries. That side could end up being the core business if managed right. The Boring business is just flat out idiotic. Luckily for Tesla shareholders this has nothing to do with them. OTOH, the incredible stupidity of it should be a red flag a hundred miles high to them. One fallout from the joint smoking incident is the USAF has security regs about who they do business with. Musk failed that big time. This is not going to go well for him or his rocket business. His increasingly erratic behavior is probably a sign he knows that stuff around him is not going well. When someone like Musk gets worried about his various businesses it is too late for others to start worrying. That window is long closed. Watch the exec turnover going on. It’s scary. ---
**Author:** ![nearwildheaven](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@nearwildheaven](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nearwildheaven)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2018, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/5 "2018-09-08T21:50:12Z")
I got the impression that he’s in the throes of a manic episode. Those usually don’t end well. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2018, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/6 "2018-09-08T22:04:09Z")
Since this requires speculation, let’s move it to IMHO. Colibri General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2018, 10:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/7 "2018-09-08T22:07:23Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Space X has Gwynne Shotwell - an actual adult - as President and COO. Tesla could probably use one of those. This. though I have to wonder now if part of the reason Elon has stepped back from SpaceX is that their prospective (at the time) customers demanded it. as in “SpaceX will be run by someone competent and trustworthy or you’ll never get a launch contract.” ---
**Author:** ![Shalmanese](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shalmanese](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shalmanese)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2018, 10:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/8 "2018-09-08T22:21:31Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > I think the conspiracy theory would be that the media has discovered that negative stories of Musk sell. Yup, its the media that made Musk accuse randos of being pedophiles and then quadruple down on the claim. ---
**Author:** ![kenobi\_65](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kenobi_65/32/13178_2.png) [@kenobi\_65](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kenobi_65)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2018, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/9 "2018-09-08T23:12:51Z")
> [@Baron\_Greenback](#): > > Space X has Gwynne Shotwell - an actual adult - as President and COO. Plus, “Shotwell” is an outstanding name for the head of a rocket company. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 8, 2018, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/10 "2018-09-08T23:22:30Z")
> [@Shalmanese](#): > > Yup, its the media that made Musk accuse randos of being pedophiles and then quadruple down on the claim. “it just so happens that after overworking yourself, you’re liable to make some bad decisions due to being sleep deprived.” There were more sentences in my post that you replied to. ---
**Author:** ![smiling\_bandit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e9a140/32.png) [@smiling\_bandit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/smiling_bandit)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2018, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/11 "2018-09-09T02:01:18Z")
> [@Sage\_Rat](#): > > “it just so happens that after overworking yourself, you’re liable to make some bad decisions due to being sleep deprived.” The evidence that Musk is actually working as much as he claims in not especially strong. ---
**Author:** ![Hi\_Neighbor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hi_neighbor/32/494_2.png) [@Hi\_Neighbor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hi_Neighbor)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2018, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/12 "2018-09-09T04:34:05Z")
I think Musk is a genius, but seriously, what was up with him accusing that guy from the Thai cave rescue of being a pedophile? That was so fucking random. ---
**Author:** ![Wesley\_Clark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wesley_clark/32/20581_2.png) [@Wesley\_Clark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wesley_Clark)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2018, 5:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/13 "2018-09-09T05:39:11Z")
> [@nearwildheaven](#): > > I got the impression that he’s in the throes of a manic episode. Those usually don’t end well. What makes you say that? Does Musk have a history of bipolar? Edit: apparently he admitted to it on Twitter. Are we looking at another Charlie sheen episode where someone has a manic breakdown in public? > [@Hi\_Neighbor](#): > > I think Musk is a genius, but seriously, what was up with him accusing that guy from the Thai cave rescue of being a pedophile? That was so fucking random. No idea. The implication is that any white westerner in Thailand is a sex tourist. But still, who says that on Twitter. ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2018, 6:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/14 "2018-09-09T18:15:44Z")
> [@kenobi\_65](#): > > Plus, “Shotwell” is an outstanding name for the head of a rocket company. Or Porn Star. ---
**Author:** ![Ludovic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ab992/32.png) [@Ludovic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ludovic)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2018, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/15 "2018-09-09T18:25:07Z")
Seriously? ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2018, 6:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/16 "2018-09-09T18:40:43Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > One fallout from the joint smoking incident is the USAF has security regs about who they do business with. Musk failed that big time. This is not going to go well for him or his rocket business. That’s a good point. I’ll be curious to see what the Air Force does. And, by the way, somehow his Boring Company won a contract from Chicago for a high-speed tunnel from downtown to the airport. I was surprised they awarded the contract to a company with really no experience in building subways and one that’s planning to use a technology (the hyperloop) that’s not been proven anywhere. Is Chicago going to reevaluate that decision? ---
**Author:** ![tingbudong](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tingbudong/32/520_2.png) [@tingbudong](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tingbudong)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/17 "2018-09-10T16:39:45Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > The evidence that Musk is actually working as much as he claims in not especially strong. Totally. I always roll my eyes at anyone who makes such claims. “Oh my, you are such a better person than the rest of us. Thanks for sharing you ‘hard’ work issues”. Sent from my SM-G920W8 using Tapatalk ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/18 "2018-09-10T19:54:40Z")
> [@smiling\_bandit](#): > > The evidence that Musk is actually working as much as he claims in not especially strong. Unless he has a history of acting crazy, I would say that we’re talking about the evidence. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/19 "2018-09-10T21:26:25Z")
> [@ftg](#): > > The Boring business is just flat out idiotic. Luckily for Tesla shareholders this has nothing to do with them. OTOH, the incredible stupidity of it should be a red flag a hundred miles high to them. Why do you say this? The one article I read about it said that digging tunnels in the US is pretty expensive so there is opportunity to create a more efficient/less costly process. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [September 10, 2018, 9:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023/20 "2018-09-10T21:33:01Z")
> [@RaftPeople](#): > > Why do you say this? > > The one article I read about it said that digging tunnels in the US is pretty expensive so there is opportunity to create a more efficient/less costly process. Is the Boring Company actually doing something different? [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/elon-musk-self-destructing-will-it-affect-the-rocket-programmes/821023.md?page=2)