Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Billionaire vs. Billionaire: WaPo Takes Shot at Elon Musk, Musk Promptly Scorches WaPo AND Owner Jeff Bezos in Blistering 7-Word Response
Red State ^ | 02/23/2021 | Nick Arama

Posted on 02/23/2021 6:26:44 PM PST by SeekAndFind

To borrow from an old Jim Croce song, you don’t tug on Superman’s cape, you don’t spit into the wind, and you don’t mess around with Elon Musk. Particularly if you’re the Washington Post and you’re owned by Jeff Bezos, the erstwhile richest guy on the planet.

Did I mention the top spot currently belongs to the aforementioned Mr. Musk?

As our friends over at Twitchy noted, you’d think by now WaPo would know better than to purposely tangle with Musk. The two richest people on the planet — Musk currently sits on top with an estimated net worth of $197 billion, with Bezos in the two-spot at $182 billion, as updated by Investopedia on January 19 — have been at one another for years.

Our story begins with WaPo on Tuesday publishing a less-than-flattering piece about Musk, as it relates to Tesla, titled “Elon Musk moved to Texas and embraced celebrity. Can Tesla run on Autopilot?” with the subhead: Investors fear a world where Musk no longer leads the company. But his attention is already going elsewhere.”

Game on.

Elon Musk moved to Texas and embraced celebrity. Can Tesla run on Autopilot? https://t.co/IyubUhSEMt

— Post Business (@washpostbiz) February 23, 2021

Here are a few excerpts — for “color,” as they say.

Elon Musk says he is stretched too thin.

Twice in a matter of days recently, the 49-year old complained of what he called an “insane” work schedule, juggling responsibilities with his car company and aerospace firm and taking in “torrents of information” in wall-to-wall meetings.

But critics say the rigors of Musk’s personal schedule, and the seeming cult of personality that has developed around him, are beginning to show in the car company he runs — the one that he took from an upstart pioneer in electric vehicles to the world’s most valuable automaker.

Musk, they say, is drowning in outside commitments like his aerospace company and other endeavors while letting quality — and strategy — at Tesla fall victim. And there are familiar concerns.

The Post then quoted multiple “proof sources,” no doubt selected to bolster the desired conclusion it came to before the first line was written. One of those sources was Ross Gerber, a Tesla investor and supporter of Musk, who is close to the company.

“There have been years past where some of his behavior was horrifying and had huge costs, especially from his little tussle with the SEC. And he’s come a long way. What I’m worried about is his success makes him a little bit loose again.”

In a regulatory filing earlier this month, the company highlighted the risk it takes by relying so much on Musk, reported WaPo.

“We are highly dependent on the services of Elon Musk, our Chief Executive Officer and largest stockholder,” Tesla said in the filing, in language unusual for the way it cited a corporate CEO’s numerous outside commitments. “Although Mr. Musk spends significant time with Tesla and is highly active in our management, he does not devote his full time and attention to Tesla.”

And the following, from Ed Niedermeyer, author of “Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors”, the source of WaPo’s “cult of personality” reference:

“There isn’t a culture at Tesla really other than ‘let’s do what Elon wants to do.’ It [is] clearly reflected [in] Elon’s increasing isolation inside the company. He becomes more powerful and that power sort of isolates him more and more.”

In another example, WaPo went after Musk’s “public meltdown” during a Tesla earnings call in April — “raging against California officials’ shutdown orders in an expletive-laden rant.”

“To say that they cannot leave their house and they will be arrested if they do, this is fascist,” Musk said on the call, adding: “This is not democratic — this is not freedom.”

Amen, Elon — preach it.

The article took several more shots at Musk, and to be fair, included several acknowledgments of the success of the somewhat eccentric multibillionaire, but it was definitely a hit piece, Wapo-style, meaning “written in a professional manner while ‘subtly’ twisting the knife along the way.”

So imagine you’re Elon Musk, reading the article.

You’ve dislodged, at least for now, Jeff Bezos as the richest guy in the Universe, your car company is the most valuable car company in the world, SpaceX —your “rocket company,” as described by WaPo — has safely ferried American astronauts to the International Space Station and back, the first time that’s happened aboard an American spacecraft in ten years, and the newspaper owned by the “I’m number two!, I’m number 2!” guy, with whom you’ve had a running “spat” for years, does a not-so-subtle hit piece on you.

How would you react? Here’s how Musk reacted, via WaPo.

Tesla did not respond to repeated requests for comment. In response to emails seeking comment, Musk replied only: “

Give my regards to your puppet master.”

Game, set, match. Thanks for playing.

Quote of the day: "Give my regards to your puppet master [Jeff Bezos]," Elon Musk said in response to the Washington Post's request for comment on an article published by the newspaper today. pic.twitter.com/YItMCHiF2X

— Disclose.tv 🚨 (@disclosetv) February 23, 2021

As properly called by our friend Benny Johnson:

@Elonmusk just Rekt Bezos.

Pretty sure that left a mark.

.@Elonmusk just Rekt Bezos pic.twitter.com/vkKh2Fk43x

— Benny (@bennyjohnson) February 23, 2021

A brutal beatdown in just seven words. Of Jeff Bezos. Impressive. Gotta love that.


TOPICS: Business/Economy; Politics; Society
KEYWORDS: bezos; bidenvoters; districtofcolumbia; elonmusk; jeffbezos; mediots; musk; puppetmaster; regards; tesla; wapo; washingtoncompost; washingtonpost
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-71 last
To: SeekAndFind

I will take Musk over Bezos any day, any hour, any minute.


61 posted on 02/24/2021 7:04:59 AM PST by ridesthemiles ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Lod881019

Bezos $$$ comes from the effort/minds of many, many OTHERS. He is only a GLORIFIED DISTRIBUTOR...

Musk is the engine of his successes.


62 posted on 02/24/2021 7:06:52 AM PST by ridesthemiles ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 8 | View Replies]

To: Viking2002

Everyone dismissed Frank Lloyd Wright, also.


63 posted on 02/24/2021 7:07:55 AM PST by ridesthemiles ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 14 | View Replies]

To: LibertyOh

IF you have never seen his mother-—Mae Musk, she is a MODEL for Cover Girl makeup products. OVER 70 & gorgeous.


64 posted on 02/24/2021 7:13:25 AM PST by ridesthemiles ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 19 | View Replies]

To: logi_cal869

IIRC, Musk paid back all those ‘public dollars’—ahead of time & with all interest due.


65 posted on 02/24/2021 7:14:39 AM PST by ridesthemiles ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 27 | View Replies]

To: monkeyshine

Musk did NOT build the plant at Fremont——FORD did—years ago.

Then it was a joint venture with Gm & a Japanese auto company...called NUUMA.

The plant is landlocked & Musk cannot expand UP or OUT there.

He has been assembling cars in tents in the former employee parking lots as demand increased. His employees get shuttled from rented parking down the road.

California pissed in Elon’s soup a few too many times.

They will miss that payroll in California.

I don’t know where he is going to move the AUTO assembly operations to, but rumor has it that many acres were bought on the NE corner of Fernley, Nevada, alongside I-80 recently. I live about 24 miles from that parcel.

Similar to Sherwin-Williams Paint Co-—Got continuous grief from AQMD official in Emeryville, Calif. Finally built an entire new plant in Fernley-—about 16 years ago. Asked employees to come along, and offered decent wages. Most said no—they wanted all the UNION wages they got in Calif. NO union here in Nevada, and now those PRIOR employees of Sherwin Williams had to find new jobs.

At that time, you could buy a brand new house in Fernley for about $170,000, and pick out your own colors. Near enough to Sherwin-Williams to bicycle to work...That would have put most of those Calif employees in the position of selling in Calif & buying new homes with CASH. .


66 posted on 02/24/2021 7:26:31 AM PST by ridesthemiles ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 35 | View Replies]

To: Sgt_Schultze

Musk already taking pre-orders for Starlink.


67 posted on 02/24/2021 7:32:24 AM PST by ridesthemiles ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 43 | View Replies]

To: ridesthemiles

That struck me in an odd but amusing way. I was born and lived the first 19 years of my life just an hour away from Fallingwater, and I have never toured the place. Add that to my bucket list. :-)


68 posted on 02/24/2021 10:44:51 AM PST by Viking2002 (The revolution won't need to be televised. It'll be on your doorstep.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 63 | View Replies]

To: ridesthemiles

Did Panasonic or whomever it was ever build a battery factory in NW Nevada? I remember reading about it years ago. Would make some sense for Tesla to move closer but that would not be a primary motivator.

Yes I’ve seen those tents in Fremont. I guess as a start up it made sense to keep close to home (where he started in technology) and to retrofit an existing assembly line vs building from scratch. Now selling several 100,000 cars a year at least and wanting to sell millions, he has to consider relocating as you said no room for Tesla to grow the existing facility and too much tax and regulation. Tesla made $1 billion on bitcoin so I guess he has the cash on hand to do it.

Nevada makes sense for the reasons you stated. Also, most of the German and Japanese companies have their US assembly lines in the south. Not California, New York, or Michigan. It still boggles my mind that in my lifetime a company the size of Boeing has relocated 3 times from California to Washington to Illinois of all places. Besides the taxes, regulations and mass exodus, the weather would seem to make IL a not so great place for an airplane manufacturer.


69 posted on 02/24/2021 11:52:14 AM PST by monkeyshine (live and let live is dead)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 66 | View Replies]

To: ctdonath2

What goes around...


70 posted on 02/24/2021 12:51:33 PM PST by logi_cal869 (-cynicus the "concern troll" a/o 10/03/2018 /!i!! &@$%&*(@ -)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 60 | View Replies]

To: ridesthemiles

Exactly Elon’s stuff works and he’s clearly been red pilled by what Newsom tried to do to him in Cali and what Biden is doing to him with Space X...so having a guy in our corner with that kinda coin is kinda nice


71 posted on 02/24/2021 6:47:59 PM PST by Lod881019
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 62 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-71 last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
Bloggers & Personal
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson