The present is often exhausting and never more so than when tech execs angrily wave their styluses around in an attempt to convince everyone that they have the right view of the future. It reminds me of my favorite joke from the show Silicon Valley, wherein one tech exec proclaims that his company’s mission is to make the world a better place and that “I don’t want to live in a world where someone makes the world a better place, better than we do.”
While I think many, or most, of the people involved in big tech companies do want to improve our existence, our current political and economic system typically rewards companies that collectively gain market share at the expense of everything else. “Don’t be evil” only gets you so far.
I mention all of this because Tesla CEO Elon Musk replied to a tweet/x post/whatever stating that the refreshed Model Y consumers seem to be waiting on isn’t coming out this year. That’s news! You’d be hard-pressed to find his note because it’s buried under an avalanche of anti-OpenAI/anti-Apple posts.
Oh, totally coincidentally, a judge in California is allowing a case from the California Department of Motor Vehicles — which alleges that Tesla made false statements about its driver assistance features — to continue. But Tesla isn’t the only one under investigation. The U.S. Senate is broadening its review of BMW for its use of parts from banned suppliers, and a federal monitor is investigating United Auto Workers leadership.
Everyone is suspect! Except us. I think. We’re the good ones. Right?
The New Model Y Isn’t Coming Until 2025 At The Earliest, Maybe
No Model Y “refresh” is coming out this year.
I should note that Tesla continuously improves its cars, so even a car that is 6 months newer will be a little better.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 9, 2024
The Tesla Model Y is the most popular electric car in the world. Here in the United States it enjoyed roughly a third of the total market in Q1, followed by the Tesla Model 3, and at a great distance the Ford Mustang Mach-E.
In terms of performance, style, range, and price, the sometimes affordable (or at least cheap to finance) Model Y is hard to beat, which is why no one has yet beat it. Still, it’s old. The Model Y is slowly losing market share to the plethora of other options. While it’s only been four years since the launch of the Model Y, numerous vehicles have come into the market since then and the refreshed Model 3, while being a cheaper car, is kinda nicer.
Musk, in his reply above, makes the point that the company’s cars are continuously improved, which is sort of true of every car company, though Tesla does seem to update its cars with a higher frequency than others.
Good luck finding that tweet, though, as CEO Elon Musk went on a tirade after it was announced that Apple would partner with OpenAI, stating that he’d essentially ban the devices from his many companies:
If Apple integrates OpenAI at the OS level, then Apple devices will be banned at my companies. That is an unacceptable security violation.
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 10, 2024
Musk has long been a proponent of more AI safeguards, but at the same time, he is trying to ramp up AI at his company X so fast he’s reportedly taking chips away from Tesla.
This week, @xAI will open source Grok
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) March 11, 2024
One of Musk’s concerns seems to be that Apple will be taking your data and sharing it with OpenAI which, yeah, that’s a big deal!
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) June 10, 2024
But, isn’t Tesla also asking for huge amounts of data so that it can build robotaxis, which is what Musk says is essential to the future of his own company? Sure, he’s not sharing it with other people (that we know of), but Tesla is collecting gigs of data from its customers.
It feels like the fast pace of media means the Tesla Model Y news gets buried a little bit behind this OpenAI battle.
Tesla To California Judge: Full Self-Driving Is Just A Goal, Not A Real Thing You Can Buy
Imagine naming your company’s products over what you hope they’ll eventually do:
We’re calling it the “EZ Bake Oven” but, currently, it can only bake about 80% of the time and if you look away from the oven for a few seconds it might explode and kill you if you don’t quickly take over.
This is essentially the argument that Tesla made to a judge in California where the state’s Department of Motor Vehicles is arguing that both Autopilot and Full Self-Driving are misleading names for a product sold to consumers in the state.
The Bloomberg report, via The Detroit News, has a great tidbit:
Tesla’s lawyers also contended that marketing its vehicles as having full self-driving “capabilities” is not an assertion that the cars are currently fully autonomous, but rather a statement that they will be capable of driving themselves in the future after software updates.
FSD, like a Mets pennant, is one of those things that always seems to be close to reality while also always never happening. One day! Anyway, a judge didn’t buy the argument and is allowing the California DMV to go forward with its case.
U.S. Senate To BMW: Get It Together
Last month the Senate Finance Committee called out BMW for importing about 8,000 Mini Coopers into the United States with parts from a banned supplier. BMW said it would replace the parts and stop selling cars with those parts here as its supplier has been accused of using forced labor in violation of the Uyghur Forced Labor Prevention Act.
Senator Wyden, chair of the committee, seems unconvinced that BMW has done a job, or at least that’s how it sounds based on this report from Reuters:
On Monday Wyden, in a new letter to BMW North America CEO Sebastian Mackensen, asked if the automaker has completed its examination of its supply chain to determine whether other products it imported contained parts from Chinese supplier Sichuan Jingweida Technology Group (JWD).
“Is BMW certain that it is not currently importing vehicles containing components produced by JWD?” the letter said, asking for answers by June 21. Wyden also wants any actions taken by BMW “to address any cars or spare parts containing JWD parts improperly imported by BMW” after December 2023.
There’s no scarier question than ‘are you sure you aren’t still committing crimes?’ from a guy who has a whole staff whose job it is to find out if you committed crimes.
UAW Execs Under Investigation For Retribution
The United Auto Workers have a federal monitor whose job it is to make sure that the UAW, which saw numerous leaders go to prison over various scandals, doesn’t relapse. The current President of the UAW, Shawn Fain, got elected partially on a platform of being an outsider.
And now that he’s in? According to the federally-appointed monitor’s report, it’s not going so well. First, there’s a claim from the UAW’s Secretary-Treasurer that Fain’s crew had her power stripped in retaliation for not approving certain expenditures. Additionally, there have been allegations that an executive board member has been embezzling funds.
From the report, it doesn’t sound like the UAW is doing itself any favors:
Although the Union has cooperated in making UAW employees and senior leaders available to be interviewed by the Monitor’s investigative team, the Union has not cooperated in producing documents that are relevant to the investigation in a complete and timely manner, instead requiring the Monitor to conduct those interviews without the benefit of the full production of potentially relevant and contemporaneous documents.
The Monitor has attempted for months to garner the Union’s cooperation in gathering the information needed to conduct a full investigation, but the Union has effectively slow-rolled the Monitor’s access to requested documents.
In the words of Chamillionaire: Not a good look.
What I’m Listening To This Morning
Yesterday, my daughter asked me to play the “Hero” song and I didn’t assume it was Bonnie Tyler’s “Holding Out For A Hero” but it turns out, yes, that’s what she wanted to hear. We’ve now listened to it about 20 times. Man, Bonnie Tyler doesn’t have to go that hard but Bonnie Tyler only has one speed and that speed is “going as hard as any human being who has ever lived.” The Grand Canyon is in this video and even the Grand Canyon is like “Bonnie, you can take 10% off there if you need to.”
The Big Question
How much should we care about what Elon Musk says?
Topshot: Library of Congress, Tesla
I don’t buy the whole “continuous improvement” as a replacement for larger refreshes and redesigns. As much as the model cycle is built around the idea of planned obsolescence, there’s something to be said for major redesigns that allow for more significant updates and distinct generations/facelifts that allow for easier repair and troubleshooting down the line. This just smacks of an automaker being unwilling or unable to devote the time and resources to comprehensively update their existing products.
Tesla keeps the sheet metal the same, which as an owner I prefer; it keeps the cars from looking dated, and it keeps the cars from getting uglier over time (see: Subaru, Toyota, VW).
Tesla makes major changes under the skin: gigacastings, LPF batteries, pouch cells, new computers all introduced while the 3 and Y were in production. Hell, they even release major feature updates, for free, to existing customers: they upgraded my charging speed from 120kW to 150kW to 200kW, precondition battery on navigate to charger, multi-stop navigation, web browser, …
I don’t buy the whole “continuous improvement” as a replacement for larger refreshes and redesigns. As much as the model cycle is built around the idea of planned obsolescence, there’s something to be said for major redesigns that allow for more significant updates and distinct generations/facelifts that allow for easier repair and troubleshooting down the line. This just smacks of an automaker being unwilling or unable to devote the time and resources to comprehensively update their existing products.
Tesla keeps the sheet metal the same, which as an owner I prefer; it keeps the cars from looking dated, and it keeps the cars from getting uglier over time (see: Subaru, Toyota, VW).
Tesla makes major changes under the skin: gigacastings, LPF batteries, pouch cells, new computers all introduced while the 3 and Y were in production. Hell, they even release major feature updates, for free, to existing customers: they upgraded my charging speed from 120kW to 150kW to 200kW, precondition battery on navigate to charger, multi-stop navigation, web browser, …
Musk’s entire problem here is that he is in a legal fight with OpenAI —a company he used to have a major stake in—over management direction or some such and that Apple went with them instead of the competing company he formed after (or bought, I forget and don’t care enough to look it up). He is a shallow, petty, thin-skinned, little man, so every damn thing he rails about can be filtered through the “how was his minuscule ego personally injured by the target?” There is never anything beyond that because there is nothing more to a narcissist.
Musk’s entire problem here is that he is in a legal fight with OpenAI —a company he used to have a major stake in—over management direction or some such and that Apple went with them instead of the competing company he formed after (or bought, I forget and don’t care enough to look it up). He is a shallow, petty, thin-skinned, little man, so every damn thing he rails about can be filtered through the “how was his minuscule ego personally injured by the target?” There is never anything beyond that because there is nothing more to a narcissist.
“Man, Bonnie Tyler doesn’t have to go that hard but Bonnie Tyler only has one speed and that speed is “going as hard as any human being who has ever lived.” The Grand Canyon is in this video and even the Grand Canyon is like “Bonnie, you can take 10% off there if you need to.” “
This is fucking great 😀
“Man, Bonnie Tyler doesn’t have to go that hard but Bonnie Tyler only has one speed and that speed is “going as hard as any human being who has ever lived.” The Grand Canyon is in this video and even the Grand Canyon is like “Bonnie, you can take 10% off there if you need to.” “
This is fucking great 😀
We should care enough about what he says to not do business with him.
We should care enough about what he says to not do business with him.
The upside is that it means the Model Y can keep a stalk for turn signals a bit longer. I drove a refreshed 3 this weekend at a utility sponsored EV drive, and further proved to me that buttons on the steering wheel for turn signals are a horrible idea. I liked how the 3 drove, and the one pedal driving felt more natural than some of the other cars, but the Tesla is too different inside for me. I don’t want every function buried in a screen or limited to a couple buttons on the steering wheel. I really shouldn’t have to dig into a menu to adjust my side mirrors.
I like to say that I’ve never been in a vehicle that didn’t want me there less than a Tesla and each iteration is just getting worse in that regard. I want to drive my car and the Tesla is all “lol, no, in fact get in the backseat please”. But of course it can’t even drive itself so it just feels adversarial.
The upside is that it means the Model Y can keep a stalk for turn signals a bit longer. I drove a refreshed 3 this weekend at a utility sponsored EV drive, and further proved to me that buttons on the steering wheel for turn signals are a horrible idea. I liked how the 3 drove, and the one pedal driving felt more natural than some of the other cars, but the Tesla is too different inside for me. I don’t want every function buried in a screen or limited to a couple buttons on the steering wheel. I really shouldn’t have to dig into a menu to adjust my side mirrors.
I like to say that I’ve never been in a vehicle that didn’t want me there less than a Tesla and each iteration is just getting worse in that regard. I want to drive my car and the Tesla is all “lol, no, in fact get in the backseat please”. But of course it can’t even drive itself so it just feels adversarial.
Well I feel dumb. Kept refreshing the page looking for the morning dump banner, but didn’t notice it buried under the Tesla and it didn’t pop with that color filter.
Came here to say this. Took me a while extra day to find it.
Well I feel dumb. Kept refreshing the page looking for the morning dump banner, but didn’t notice it buried under the Tesla and it didn’t pop with that color filter.
Came here to say this. Took me a while extra day to find it.
Can we have a “big question” like, “How much should we care about new allegations of corruption at the UAW?” instead of giving more headspace to Musky? Yeah, he sucks, Tesla would be better off without him, etc. etc. But the UAW is supposed to represent the workers and what the execs do matters.
If the UAW wants to represent more workers, they need to stop acting like the dues belong to the executives. They need to limit the executive power and implement bylaws to ensure that they spend their time and money on things that support the people they represent. Sell the union retreat and put the money in the strike fund. But instead, they act like it’s their own piggy bank. It’s hard to convince people to join you when they look and all they see is a long history of corruption that appears to continue today.
*shrugs* I rant about the other stories all the time. Go off anyway, I say.
Can we have a “big question” like, “How much should we care about new allegations of corruption at the UAW?” instead of giving more headspace to Musky? Yeah, he sucks, Tesla would be better off without him, etc. etc. But the UAW is supposed to represent the workers and what the execs do matters.
If the UAW wants to represent more workers, they need to stop acting like the dues belong to the executives. They need to limit the executive power and implement bylaws to ensure that they spend their time and money on things that support the people they represent. Sell the union retreat and put the money in the strike fund. But instead, they act like it’s their own piggy bank. It’s hard to convince people to join you when they look and all they see is a long history of corruption that appears to continue today.
*shrugs* I rant about the other stories all the time. Go off anyway, I say.
I VERY much misread that the first time, maybe there is a better way to say it.
I VERY much misread that the first time, maybe there is a better way to say it.
Is it just me, or is it odd that we’re hearing complaints from the UAW’s federal monitor now that it’s actually working and organizing like a labor union, and not in absolute collusion with the automakers?
It’s just you. 🙂 The complaints are also coming from the Secretary Treasurer who was stripped of her power for refusing to approve certain expenses. It looks like they had a couple successes and decided to take a victory lap on the union’s dime. The monitor should call out the corruption whenever it happens. It just so happens that that’s now.
The UAW is the union that other unions don’t like. And those so-called “police unions” that regularly crap on the idea of accountability.
Is it just me, or is it odd that we’re hearing complaints from the UAW’s federal monitor now that it’s actually working and organizing like a labor union, and not in absolute collusion with the automakers?
It’s just you. 🙂 The complaints are also coming from the Secretary Treasurer who was stripped of her power for refusing to approve certain expenses. It looks like they had a couple successes and decided to take a victory lap on the union’s dime. The monitor should call out the corruption whenever it happens. It just so happens that that’s now.
The UAW is the union that other unions don’t like. And those so-called “police unions” that regularly crap on the idea of accountability.
That car looks like a pregnant frog and is produced by a company led by a malignant narcissist child.
That car looks like a pregnant frog and is produced by a company led by a malignant narcissist child.
Not to fit my username this embarrassingly, but the model Y had always been one of the ugliest cars on the road to me. Like if you sculpted a hard boiled egg for minimum drag and dyed it an uninspired color, and it came with a tech bro inside.
Before Elon crazied his company out of the running for me, I wanted a Model 3 but the lack of a hatchback was a deal breaker. Then the Y came out which should have solved that problem but just look at it. Yuk.
Hey, now. I feel insulted on behalf of hard boiled eggs here.
It always looked like a Model 3 that really, really needed to fart. Just a lazy, bland design.
I really like the way the Tesla cars look (although they were better with faux grilles, fight me!), but the styling doesn’t translate well to crossovers at all.
Not to fit my username this embarrassingly, but the model Y had always been one of the ugliest cars on the road to me. Like if you sculpted a hard boiled egg for minimum drag and dyed it an uninspired color, and it came with a tech bro inside.
Before Elon crazied his company out of the running for me, I wanted a Model 3 but the lack of a hatchback was a deal breaker. Then the Y came out which should have solved that problem but just look at it. Yuk.
Hey, now. I feel insulted on behalf of hard boiled eggs here.
It always looked like a Model 3 that really, really needed to fart. Just a lazy, bland design.
I really like the way the Tesla cars look (although they were better with faux grilles, fight me!), but the styling doesn’t translate well to crossovers at all.
I don’t really follow Elon so I’d say not much.
Tesla/SpaceX have done some really impressive things, but how much of that is Elon guidance and how much is the great engineers they have.
I’d really be curious how well Tesla would do without Elon, imagine if they didn’t put Falcon wing doors on the X how much easier it’d be to make and how much better it would have sold, or if they didn’t have to build the Cybertruck and could’ve updated the rest of their fleet, maybe even come out with a new roadster. But we may never know as he seems locked to it.
Yeah I am glad Starlink has actually been getting decent internet to rural folk who were stuck with old crappy satellite providers or hoping they could get 5g signal. House I am selling in VA only gets satellite and starlink was a godsend compared to crap like hughesnet. Sure it is not anywhere near as fast as the Comcast that was just ran to my house in Indiana but it is much better then the crap DSL I used to have in Indiana before Comcast.
I don’t really follow Elon so I’d say not much.
Tesla/SpaceX have done some really impressive things, but how much of that is Elon guidance and how much is the great engineers they have.
I’d really be curious how well Tesla would do without Elon, imagine if they didn’t put Falcon wing doors on the X how much easier it’d be to make and how much better it would have sold, or if they didn’t have to build the Cybertruck and could’ve updated the rest of their fleet, maybe even come out with a new roadster. But we may never know as he seems locked to it.
Yeah I am glad Starlink has actually been getting decent internet to rural folk who were stuck with old crappy satellite providers or hoping they could get 5g signal. House I am selling in VA only gets satellite and starlink was a godsend compared to crap like hughesnet. Sure it is not anywhere near as fast as the Comcast that was just ran to my house in Indiana but it is much better then the crap DSL I used to have in Indiana before Comcast.
Elon’s problem isn’t with Apple’s security. Because, Apple has put stock price were their mouth is, and has actually told US government to get lost when comes looking for some information. Elon, will give your Nan’s location for a drone strike in exchange for what ever we call retweeting now his rhetorical question on why (insert authoritarian political party) is actually super based. This Elon’s classic gaslighting thing. Like when he calls himself a free speech absolutist, then bans the word cisgender, because it interrupts his ongoing echo chamber that he paid alot of other people’s money for.
Elon’s problem is Tim Apple and friends are infringing on his path to become Tech Jesus. Elon would love nothing more than being the person collecting all your data. It’s a power that even 56 billion dollars can’t buy. And you can do stuff with that, and get more power. Then the people will finally accept he is the Holy Tony Stark, and only he can save us. Guy is just an Authoritarian Narcissist, who believes he alone can save us from ourselves. Like the time he wanted to go submarining in a Thai Cave, and some dude who was an expert in the whole underwater thing, just did his thing. So he called the dude a pedo for no reason. His direct compliant is devoid of meaning. He’s just being pissy someone did a thing first.