# Why the hate for Elon Musk? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [March 14, 2022, 9:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053 "2022-03-14T21:22:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 12:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/61 "2022-03-16T00:13:05Z")
> [@filmstar-en](#): > > The other BS he comes out with is ignorable. Well, it is “ignorable” if you aren’t a Tesla employee forced to violate county health standards and risk exposure to a pandemic under threat of being fired; or if you aren’t an investor forced to subsidize his failing Solar City endeavor and endure free-falling stock prices due to his tweeting while he profits; or if you aren’t a long-term resident of Boca Chica being impinged by noise and debris, denied access to your house or the public beach you’ve enjoyed for decades, or being pressured and harassed to sell your property so that SpaceX can expand their “Starport” which is (per their Environmental Impact Statement) only going to be used for development testing and totally not an orbital launch site. Oh, and while Elon is convincing his fans that he’s the Great White Hope of Environmental Salvation (never mind the paltry impact that Tesla would have on oil consumption even at ten times its current rate of production, and that Solar City is less than 6% of residential installation market share) his plans for SpaceX include building a 250 MW power plant in Boca Chica for processing fuel that has an enormous carbon emissions footprint: > **[The Environmental Impacts of SpaceX's Oil and Gas Gambit](https://blog.esghound.com/p/the-environmental-impacts-of-spacexs)** > > A Guide for the Public Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 12:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/62 "2022-03-16T00:26:29Z")
Yeah, I think filmstar-en may be getting confused between the concepts of “understanding that a multibillionaire entrepreneur can be an important public figure even if he’s a self-aggrandizing raging asshole” and “thinking that if a multibillionaire entrepreneur is an important public figure then it doesn’t matter if he’s a self-aggrandizing raging asshole”. On the contrary, the more important a public figure is, the more damage his raging assholery can do. See also: Donald Trump. ---
**Author:** ![Darren\_Garrison](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/darren_garrison/32/92_2.png) [@Darren\_Garrison](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darren_Garrison)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 1:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/63 "2022-03-16T01:48:29Z")
> [@Jophiel](#): > > Elon Musk reminds me of the TV drama characters who are terrible people but good at their one thing so they become successful in their field. Which also describes Steve Jobs. ---
**Author:** ![Smapti](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/smapti/32/17938_2.png) [@Smapti](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smapti)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 2:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/64 "2022-03-16T02:14:51Z")
> [@Kimstu](#): > > On the contrary, the more important a public figure is, the more damage his raging assholery can do. See also: Donald Trump. At least we’re spared the possibility of Musk ever running for president. ---
**Author:** ![nate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nate/32/13085_2.png) [@nate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nate)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/65 "2022-03-16T02:45:22Z")
There is so much hatred based on misinformation in this thread. Most of you just want to hate him and will try to see some assholish behavior in everything he does. It’s pathetic. I expected better of the SDMB. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/66 "2022-03-16T03:02:58Z")
> [@Smapti](#): > > At least we’re spared the possibility of Musk ever running for president. Elon would never lower himself to running for president. That’s a job for chumps. > [@nate](#): > > There is so much hatred based on misinformation in this thread. Most of you just want to hate him and will try to see some assholish behavior in everything he does. It’s pathetic. I expected better of the SDMB. Enlighten us; of all of the cites and observations that have been made so far in this thread, what of them are “misinformation”? Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Rushgeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rushgeekgirl/32/3715_2.png) [@Rushgeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rushgeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/67 "2022-03-16T03:05:40Z")
Are you serious? I have read this entire topic in one sitting and you have been provided with overwhelming examples of why people are not fond of this man. It is their RIGHT to not be fond of him. He doesn’t need everyone to like him, so why is it that you think you need to be his staunch defender? I’ll tell you what set me off about him and you can wave it off all you like, but it won’t change the fact that I am grossed out by him. I found him distasteful before the SNL show, but his sudden claim to have “OSSBURGA” as some cutesy way of shrugging off his recent ill behavior and making jokes about his dogecoin scam (and it is so don’t bother trying to claim it’s not) showed me something even darker about him. I can see with my own two eyes he’s a jerk. That’s enough for me. It’s not like he’s having me over for dinner any time soon. I can dislike him if I want and you coming here chastising people looks like you’re just looking for reaction. I have read all these articles that would, if it was anyone else, likely show YOU he’s a jerk. I wouldn’t say “hate” I haven’t see any hate here at all, just disgust based on the man’s behavior over the years. So what is it you are so fond of? What is it about him you think justifies all the ill behavior shown here? It can’t ALL be everyone else taking things out of context surely. I rarely come here anymore but tonight I saw this topic and I realized I wasn’t wrong in my assumption of him. He really is a jerk and I don’t get how this isn’t obvious to all of us here. But he does have some bizarre following much like other famous poorly behaved boors. ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/68 "2022-03-16T03:13:10Z")
I do not hate Musk. Not at all. I think he has done some interesting things. But he would perhaps benefit from cultivating a little gravitas and eschewing the limelight in times of crisis for the reasons I mentioned above. ---
**Author:** ![filmstar-en](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/50afbb/32.png) [@filmstar-en](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/filmstar-en)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/69 "2022-03-16T03:15:33Z")
Tesla employs 100,000 people, SpaceX about 10,000. These are substantial enterprises with huge investments in factories and infrastructure. Anything they do will have an impact that affects someone somewhere. No doubt there are regulators and courts and processes to resolve issues. This is just part of doing business at such a scale. Perhaps there is something different about these companies that makes the more objectionable than others? The whole space launch business is pretty bad for the environment. Some of the satellites they launch into space have very poor carbon footprints. Especially those earth observation satellites that monitor pollution and climate change. Do we really need all those satellites up there? Do we really need Starlink. All that Internet stuff is mainly used for porn, watching pointless sports and kids playing video games. The business of making cars also has an appalling record. Most cars sit on someone’s drive for 95% of the time. This is a huge waste. Industry is toxic, many of its products are wasteful and unnecessary. Would it be better if these inconvenient truths were hidden from the public by a more discrete business leader who takes more care to guard reputation? I don’t think so. Musk is a lightning conductor that draws the ire many who do not like the way the world of space tech and manufacturing are going, His competitors are no doubt keen for his detractors to put obstacles in the way of new businesses like his. That would then leave the field clear for them to continue their polluting and wasteful business activities, but more discretely. Musk is not doing anything worse and doing many things a whole lot better, That he makes stupid remarks about stuff in the news and some of his more fanciful ideas seem absurd. How does that compare with other magnates and moguls? There are vast swathes of country lain waste by the industries of the twentieth century. His twenty-first century factories and spaceports are nothing in comparison. He and his businesses are a lot better than those that have gone before. But I guess people do not like change…and nor do his competitors. I am sure many in the cosy cartels that dominated space tech and auto manufacturing wish he had never arrived on the scene. Anyone who shakes up business with innovation will face plenty of opposition. If he was undermining progressive, improving businesses, that would be justified. But he is not. I am very aware of all the very skilled engineers and designers that are work at SpaceX and Tesla. Their innovations and achievements have been remarkable. Musk is just a figurehead that draws the flak while they get on with revolutionising these industries. As such he plays a useful role. Because there is nothing the public like more than some celebrity personality to love or hate. ---
**Author:** ![nate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nate/32/13085_2.png) [@nate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nate)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/70 "2022-03-16T03:19:11Z")
> Well, it is “ignorable” if you aren’t a Tesla employee forced to violate county health standards and risk exposure to a pandemic under threat of being fired; or if you aren’t an investor forced to subsidize his failing Solar City endeavor and endure free-falling stock prices due to his tweeting while he profits; or if you aren’t a long-term resident of Boca Chica being impinged by noise and debris, denied access to your house or the public beach you’ve enjoyed for decades, or being pressured and harassed to sell your property so that SpaceX can expand their “Starport” which is (per their Environmental Impact Statement) only going to be used for development testing and totally not an orbital launch site. Stranger, I have genuinely always enjoyed your posts. But here is an example of hatred based on misinformation. - You believe he threatened to fire employees that didn’t come into work when he opened the Fremont factory back up despite the County’s ordinance. This is false. - You believe he used his influence at Tesla to have them buy Solar City for some sort of nefarious reasons but have no proof of that. - You believe remaining (2?) residents of Boca Chica are denied access to their house and public beach. This is absolutely false. - You believe they are being harassed to sell by Musk without offering any proof. In other posts you’ve accused him of wanting to build a 250 MW power plant in Boca Chica without proof. You say that people believe he’s a genius in various scientific fields, and while I’m sure you could find examples of someone calling him that, it’s not a popular opinion even from his fans. ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/71 "2022-03-16T03:25:36Z")
> [@Rushgeekgirl](#): > > I found him distasteful before the SNL show, but his sudden claim to have “OSSBURGA” as some cutesy way of shrugging off his recent ill behavior… It’s even worse that that. Claiming to be on the autism spectrum is a way that many people use to excuse their offensive and atavistic behavior even though they’ve never actually been diagnosed with autism or even considered being tested by a certified diagnostician. It trivializes what is a serious social handicap for people who are actually ‘on the spectrum’ and is analogous of someone falsely claiming to have cancer just for the sympathy. If he is really claiming to have Asperger’s or on the autism spectrum without an actual diagnosis, he’s even more of an asshole. > [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > But he would perhaps benefit from cultivating a little gravitas and eschewing the limelight in times of crisis for the reasons I mentioned above. And while we’re at it, and the leopard change his spots. Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Kedikat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ed655f/32.png) [@Kedikat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kedikat)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/72 "2022-03-16T03:25:51Z")
I don’t hate Elon Musk. But he inspires polarized feelings/thoughts in myself. He has accomplished some pretty good functional things. Some not so much. The Tesla is a pretty good thing. I am not 100% on board with it specifically. But it definitely ushered in the wave of electric cars in North America. I am a bit disappointed that after so many years the car is something that is still more the domain of early adopters. Other late comers to the EV are already producing more mass appeal vehicles. ( just barely ) Still waiting for a sensible EV in North America. The space stuff is great. But not revolutionary. Got out from the uni verse of NASA. But not really a revolutionary tech. Still getting lots of tax money. As does Tesla with tax rebates. I think NASA got too corporate and governmental in basic structure and fell behind what was possible in many avenues. Starlink? I like the point of it. But the technical execution? Too much space junk? I don’t know… The vacuum tube tunnel transportation systems. Bust for now. For me personally. He is a bit too self aggrandizing. But has earned a portion of it. One definite redeeming thing to me. His comment on AI. “We are summoning the demon.” ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/73 "2022-03-16T03:34:37Z")
> [@nate](#): > > There is so much hatred based on misinformation in this thread. You and I obviously have very different bars for “hatred”. Simply calling someone out as an asshole based on their behavior isn’t “hatred”, at least not in my book. But the world is full of assholes, some more newsworthy than others, and I’m not going to invest the energy in _hating_ them unless there’s something else much larger and more personal going on. Elon Musk isn’t worthy of that investment – he’s just an another classic asshole, albeit one with more money to express it with. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/74 "2022-03-16T03:37:17Z")
> [@nate](#): > > You believe remaining (2?) residents of Boca Chica are denied access to their house and public beach. [Sometimes.](https://www.reuters.com/legal/litigation/enviros-sue-over-texas-beach-closures-spacex-rocket-tests-2021-10-12/) ---
**Author:** ![nate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nate/32/13085_2.png) [@nate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nate)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/75 "2022-03-16T03:40:32Z")
Not seeing anything in the article about Boca Chica residents (?) ---
**Author:** ![Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/13edae/32.png) [@Stranger\_On\_A\_Train](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stranger_On_A_Train)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 3:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/76 "2022-03-16T03:59:51Z")
> [@nate](#): > > Stranger, I have genuinely always enjoyed your posts. But here is an example of hatred based on misinformation. If you have “genuinely always enjoyed [my] posts”, surely you’d be aware that I have cites. Right? > [@nate](#): > > - You believe he threatened to fire employees that didn’t come into work when he opened the Fremont factory back up despite the County’s ordinance. This is false. Say what? > **[Tesla gave workers permission to stay home rather than risk getting covid-19....](https://www.washingtonpost.com/technology/2020/06/25/tesla-plant-firings/)** > > A day before their employment was threatened, the workers had spoken out on their concerns about conditions inside the plant. > [@nate](#): > > - You believe he used his influence at Tesla to have them buy Solar City for some sort of nefarious reasons but have no proof of that. Well… > **[Elon Musk wraps testimony in SolarCity trial after denying he set acquisition...](https://www.cnbc.com/2021/07/13/elon-musk-testifies-for-second-day-in-solarcity-trial.html)** > > Shareholders have sued Musk alleging that Tesla's acquisition of SolarCity amounted to a bailout. Wait and see… > **[Musk’s Fate in Lawsuit Over SolarCity Deal Likely Clear by April](https://news.bloomberglaw.com/mergers-and-acquisitions/musk-engineered-solarcity-purchase-as-bailout-investors-argue)** > > The judge deciding whether Elon Musk will lose billions of dollars in a shareholder lawsuit challenging Tesla Inc.’s $2.6 billion acquisition of a solar power provider said he would rule in about three months. I guess the Tesla board didn’t want to roll the dice: [https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tesla-solarcity-lawsuit-idUSKBN1ZT2HF](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-tesla-solarcity-lawsuit-idUSKBN1ZT2HF) > [@nate](#): > > - You believe remaining (2?) residents of Boca Chica are denied access to their house and public beach. This is absolutely false. Uh… [https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/16/tech/spacex-criminal-warning-security-boca-chica-scn/index.html](https://edition.cnn.com/2021/06/16/tech/spacex-criminal-warning-security-boca-chica-scn/index.html) Hmmm… > **[EXCLUSIVE: SpaceX facility under FAA review after changing rocket tests in...](https://www.borderreport.com/hot-topics/exclusive-faa-is-investigating-south-texas-launch-facility-after-change-in-rocket-tests-by-spacex/)** > > Test launches and road closures of a popular public beach near SpaceX’s Texas Launch facility in South Texas are now a weekly occurrence — including twice last week. But locals say when… Oh, and check this out: > **[Starbase Status - Boca Chica Road Closures](https://starbasestatus.com/closures/)** > > All current and upcoming Starbase/Boca Chica road closures. > [@nate](#): > > - You believe they are being harassed to sell by Musk without offering any proof. Ahh, well… > **[Elon Musk and the Grand Scheme That Tore Apart a Texas Town](https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a30709877/elon-musk-space-x-boca-chica-residents/)** > > SpaceX is dismantling a remote beach community in south Texas, one house at a time. Not everybody agrees with your policework, Lou: > **[Elon Musk's SpaceX Is Reportedly Trying to Gobble Up This Small Texas Community](https://gizmodo.com/elon-musks-spacex-is-reportedly-trying-to-gobble-up-thi-1846850735)** > > Residents of Boca Chica Village are facing pressure from SpaceX and local officials to sell their property, ostensibly so CEO Elon Musk can realize his dream of creating a modern-day company town around SpaceX’s launch facility nearby, according to... > [@nate](#): > > In other posts you’ve accused him of wanting to build a 250 MW power plant in Boca Chica without proof. C’mon! [https://www.esghound.com/spacex-boca-chica-gas-plant-findings/](https://www.esghound.com/spacex-boca-chica-gas-plant-findings/) From the horse’s mouth: [https://www.faa.gov/space/stakeholder\_engagement/spacex\_starship/media/Draft\_PEA\_for\_SpaceX\_Starship\_Super\_Heavy\_at\_Boca\_Chica.pdf](https://www.faa.gov/space/stakeholder_engagement/spacex_starship/media/Draft_PEA_for_SpaceX_Starship_Super_Heavy_at_Boca_Chica.pdf) Stranger ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 4:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/77 "2022-03-16T04:04:32Z")
Per [page 20 of this FAA PDF,](https://www.faa.gov/space/environmental/nepa_docs/spacex_texas_eis/media/PA_SpaceX_Texas_Launch_Site_Fully_Executed.pdf) if SpaceX follows the proposal to the letter, [everything between this US Border Patrol checkpoint and Boca China Beach plus 6 miles into the Gulf is closed off whenever there’s a launch operation.](https://goo.gl/maps/zW5rV3nfQANR7A3r7) ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 4:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/78 "2022-03-16T04:11:36Z")
> [@Dr\_Paprika](#): > > But he would perhaps benefit from cultivating a little gravitas He does seem to have a Shortfall of Gravitas… ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 6:32am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/79 "2022-03-16T06:32:50Z")
> [@filmstar-en](#): > > That he makes stupid remarks about stuff in the news and some of his more fanciful ideas seem absurd. How does that compare with other magnates and moguls? There are vast swathes of country lain waste by the industries of the twentieth century. Do you think “other magnates and moguls” didn’t also get popular hate for their personal assholery and ethical missteps? Are you familiar with the term “robber baron” and how it became part of the US political lexicon, for example? > [@nate](#): > > Most of you just want to hate him and will try to see some assholish behavior in everything he does. It’s pathetic. What’s pathetic is a hero-worshipper coming into a thread full of reasonable and well-cited fact-based critiques of his hero and whining “well you just want to hate him”. HMS\_Irruncible was [spot-on](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/35). I am absolutely gobsmacked how anybody can think that popular contempt for a STEM entrepreneur [repeatedly talking out his ass to spread dangerous misinformation about a global pandemic from the bully pulpit of his public notoriety](https://www.forbes.com/sites/joewalsh/2021/03/13/elon-musks-false-covid-predictions-a-timeline/?sh=629e487e5b6d), to take just one example of Musk’s egregious misbehavior, is based on nothing but “just want[ing] to hate him”. > [@nate](#): > > I expected better of the SDMB. If by “better” you mean “more credulously adoring libertarian fellating of billionaire dick”—and apparently you do—then yeah, those attitudes have become a bit more skeptical over the past few years around here. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [March 16, 2022, 6:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053/80 "2022-03-16T06:52:54Z")
He couldn’t even get the name right (it’s _Experiencing A Significant Gravitas Shortfall_) for his drone. He has _Zero Gravitas_. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-the-hate-for-elon-musk/961053.md?page=5)