Share this page!

E.W. Niedermeyer Profile picture
Twitter logo
1 May, 4 tweets, 2 min read
I don't claim to speak for the left, but:
-union busting
-poor workplace conditions/safety
-SWATing whistleblowers
-repeated environmental violations (really)
-market manipulation
-unsafe automated driving development/deployment, even by the standards of an unregulated industry
I think the core of the left's animus toward Musk is that he embodies the triumphant power of unfettered, highly-concentrated capital that defines our times. The fact that he so openly cultivates a shallow, smarmy, grifting cult of personality as cover adds insult to injury.
Musk once had a coalition of the techno-libertarian right and green left. Then the right hated him for being a climate subsidy grifter. Then the left started hating him for the reasons above (and more). Now the right loves him because he makes libs mad. The story of our times!
This is close to being the definitive case against Musk from the left. As you can see, the extent does not fit into a tweet... incidentally, that's also why I wrote a book (Ludicrous: The Unvarnished Story of Tesla Motors) referenced in this piece: currentaffairs.org/2021/04/surely…

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
　

Keep Current with E.W. Niedermeyer

E.W. Niedermeyer Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @Tweetermeyer

E.W. Niedermeyer Profile picture
28 Apr
Speaking of the need for good AV influencers, here's something to keep in mind: you don't have to be an expert to help people understand complex topics. In fact, the best way to teach is often by learning yourself and sharing your process in real time.
In my first week or so of auto industry blogging, I realized that most readers/commenters knew more about the topic than I ever would. Accepting that allowed me to stop trying to be an expert and just self-educate, share as I learn, and make space for others to build on it.
It would actually be incredibly valuable for those of us in AV education to be able to follow more people as they go about self-educating on the topic. There's no playbook for the best educational processes when it comes to this stuff, so insight into yours would be super helpful
Read 4 tweets
E.W. Niedermeyer Profile picture
28 Apr
I mean, the feds have done multiple on-site inspections since the (unenforced?) BAAQMD violations dropped, and multiple paint shop sources told me that Tesla rampantly violated its permit conditions for years... so the only surprise here is media outlets actually reporting on it.
The EPA seems to be saying that Tesla has been in a state of "high priority violation" of the Clean Air Act since the start of 2019.

You know, like I've been trying to say. echo.epa.gov/detailed-facil… Image
By the way, the BAAQMD (@AirDistrict) seems to have stopped publishing any documents related to Tesla or the double-digit Clean Air Act violations it has been sitting on for years now. At least the EPA seems to care about Tesla's entitlement to non-compliance with enviro regs!
Read 9 tweets
E.W. Niedermeyer Profile picture
27 Apr
Tesla has made this exact claim a few times.

2012:
2013: greentechmedia.com/articles/read/…
2017:
2019:

The 100% solar Supercharger network has been "coming soon" for even longer than "Full Self-Driving"!
Unless Tesla's carbon impact calculation practices have changed, the carbon impact numbers here assume that all Superchargers only use zero-emission power... which is inconveniently disproven by the promise that they will only start doing so sometime this year. 🙈🙉🙊
One of the most jarring revelations from my first big Tesla story, about its battery swap scheme, was discovering that Tesla's "carbon impact" claims were pure fiction. Their spox insisted they were "not trying to pull a fast one" but they clearly were. dailykanban.com/2015/05/27/tes…
Read 5 tweets
E.W. Niedermeyer Profile picture
27 Apr
The exit of Uber and Lyft strikes me as being reflective of growing pragmatism in the AV space, as does the increasing importance of auto OEM partnerships and the shift toward trucking and logistics. I think we're largely past the bottom of the trough at this point.
The X-Factor in this is Tesla. They never stopped acting like we're still in the midst of Peak AV Hype, and the massive risks they've embraced with their approach (see the latest fatal crash) could still send the entire sector back to deep Trough of Disillusionment territory.
One of the more disheartening things about the reaction to the most recent Tesla crash has been the number of people saying: "see, self-driving cars will never work." Most of the public has no idea that Tesla's issues are in no way reflective of the rest of the AV sector.
Read 4 tweets
E.W. Niedermeyer Profile picture
20 Apr
OK, we need to talk about this clip.

Let's start with the easy stuff: @Lebeaucarnews got a basic fact wrong, his own outlet (@CNBC) has reported that NHTSA has opened at least 28 investigations into Tesla crashes and 24 of those are STILL OPEN TODAY. cnbc.com/2021/04/19/tes…
Obviously the fact that most of NHTSA's Tesla crash investigations are still open casts doubt on @Lebeaucarnews' opinion that they exonerated Tesla and blamed the driver.

But the biggest issue I have here is Phil's framing: this is not a choice between blaming driver or system.
By far the most in-depth investigations of Autopilot-involved crashes were by the @NTSB, and in every case they found that the design of the system contributed to misuse and the crash/death. Not one or the other, but both.

Has anyone actually read these?
Read 11 tweets
E.W. Niedermeyer Profile picture
19 Apr
If onboard data wasn't destroyed in the fire, we'll know the truth about Autopilot's role in this crash.

If onboard data was destroyed in the fire, we only have Tesla's word for what it shows because there is no independent chain of custody.

"So far" seems like a hedged bet.
It appears that I am no longer the only person concerned about chain of custody issues for vehicle data related to crashes that may have involved Autopilot. I can't remember a time when a warrant was used to obtain data from Tesla, so this seems big.
To clarify, it seems that the Precinct 4 Constable Mark Herman quoted in the tweet embedded above has subpoenaed the offboard vehicle data, which makes more sense than an arrest warrant. click2houston.com/news/local/202…
Read 5 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!

This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Too expensive? Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal Become our Patreon

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

Like this author's thread?

Get emails when @Tweetermeyer has new unrolls!

Check out other threads from @Tweetermeyer!

Read all threads by @Tweetermeyer