Tesla now worth more than Ford

[Jason78]

I wonder if Tesla tried to do too much too soon with it's driverless car.  It's hard enough building an electric concept car and eventually getting it right.  But everyone is aware of the driverless concept and already forming philosophical opinions about the idea long before they've ever ridden in one or seen one.  This is a big problem for Tesla.  No matter how workable and safe driverless cars will be, they will be scrutinized under a microscope with the media salivating to make it into a controversy.  This fatality was going to happen eventually, and Tesla is already straining under philosophical prejudice against driverless cars.

Although, it sounds like Musk may have problems beyond the driverless issue.  Well of course he does.  He's created a new car that people crave, and mass producing millions of the things is a whole different undertaking than building a one-off in a garage for some billionaire.  But then Honda started out during my teens building nothing but crappy motorcycles, and from that grew to producing superior cars to the American big three until they became just another car today.  But that took 60 years.

It's not a driverless car.   It's a car with a cruise control feature.

Honda build some of the best motorcycles around today.    I've owned three of them and they are some of the best machines I've ever had between my legs.

[SGOS]

Honda build some of the best motorcycles around today.    I've owned three of them and they are some of the best machines I've ever had between my legs.

I would agree, absolutely.  I was talking about the original models starting around 1960 and the metamorphosis into Honda products of today.  I was suggesting, possibly incorrectly that Tesla would have a similar metamorphous ahead of it.  Hondas first venture into the cycle was the Honda 50, which was cheap, but disposable, and many were disposed of, rather quickly too.  About 1965, I bought a Honda 250 scrambler, which was fast enough and great fun when it was running, but keeping it running was a constant problem.  I hung with 4 other guys who rode our 250 scramblers in a small pack, and we all had problems.  Mine was mostly with carburation.

If I were in the market for a bike today, I would Buy a Honda without even looking at anything else.  It might be Honda that drove Harley Davidson into bankruptcy at a time when riding was increasing in popularity by leaps and bounds; A time when Harley should have been riding a wave of growth and financial success it had never before experienced.

This is just speculation on my part.  But Honda figured out how to make a good bike.  Not to say Tesla isn't a good car.  It's just too expensive for the masses.

[Cavebear]

Don't confuse stock value or revenue with company survivablity.  Ford is still WAY more important than Telsa.  Ford could make a Telsa-style car and just wipe it off the market.  Why they don't suggests that the vehicle is not commercially viable.  Though I wouldn't mind a surprise.  I really am waiting for a very good fuel cell SUV...

[PopeyesPappy]

Earlier this week, Goldman Sachs issued a statement saying they did not believe Tesla was going to be able to meet their production goals this quarter. If not they say the company will require another round of financing. They urged their investors to sell their Tesla stock predicting a 30% plus decline in the price.

[SGOS]

Earlier this week, Goldman Sachs issued a statement saying they did not believe Tesla was going to be able to meet their production goals this quarter. If not they say the company will require another round of financing. They urged their investors to sell their Tesla stock predicting a 30% plus decline in the price.

I take it this meant an extraordinarily atypically large amount of financing. Hmmm. I've been so rooting for Tesla too.  It doesn't have to be Tesla that becomes the gold standard for electric cars, however.  That will make no difference to me when the prices come down and the charge stations become plentiful.  Still, I hate to see Tesla fail. 

Without Tesla leading the way, both in technology and responding to demand.  Car manufactures will just keep doing what they are doing.  They did this back in the 70s and 80s, when Japan started innovating, possibly with help from their government, and American manufacturers were too arrogant (or too unaware) to keep up.  I'll credit Japan for providing the competition that eventually got Ford and Chevy off their butts and started them engineering better vehicles, instead of just adding fins and changing grills. 

Competition is one of the cornerstones of free market economies.  It's a mistake to kill off the competitors, and I can't think of a better source of competition than Tesla at the moment.  Eventually, they will need to make it on their own without financial assistance, of course, just like big three to do it on their own. <cough cough>  However, I'm not sure growth and well being should be left to economics, anymore than the buying and selling of politicians should be left to economics.

[Baruch]

Earlier this week, Goldman Sachs issued a statement saying they did not believe Tesla was going to be able to meet their production goals this quarter. If not they say the company will require another round of financing. They urged their investors to sell their Tesla stock predicting a 30% plus decline in the price.

They are just shouting fire in a crowded theater.  If you or I did this, we would be arrested.  Not so with stock jobbers.

[Cavebear]

I encourage the Tesla concept.  But the first one into a market is not usually the last one standing.

[SGOS]

I encourage the Tesla concept.  But the first one into a market is not usually the last one standing.

It's hard to get it right the first time you build something from scratch, and you invest a lot of money in research and development.  It's cheaper to swipe someone else's idea and make improvements.  Just ask Bill Gates.

[Cavebear]

It's hard to get it right the first time you build something from scratch, and you invest a lot of money in research and development.  It's cheaper to swipe someone else's idea and make improvements.  Just ask Bill Gates.

Which, I suppose, is why I'm on a Mac...

[Baruch]

It's hard to get it right the first time you build something from scratch, and you invest a lot of money in research and development.  It's cheaper to swipe someone else's idea and make improvements.  Just ask Bill Gates.

Gutenberg went bankrupt trying to invent modern printing.  The guy who bought his equipment at the bankruptcy auction, was the first financially successful printer.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Which, I suppose, is why I'm on a Mac...

You paid too much to spite a billionaire?

[Baruch]

You paid too much to spite a billionaire?

I am using a pad and pen this morning.  Cheaper than any of your fancy technology.

[Cavebear]

You paid too much to spite a billionaire?

I've been on both platforms and I have one of both.  Mac is better.  Finder is one of the best things EVER, and Mac gives me total control of organizing and creating folders.  Windows fights me about that.  And IT wants to control how I organize things.  I used to have control of my directory folders on Windows.  Now I have to practically beat the software into submission.

[Baruch]

I've been on both platforms and I have one of both.  Mac is better.  Finder is one of the best things EVER, and Mac gives me total control of organizing and creating folders.  Windows fights me about that.  And IT wants to control how I organize things.  I used to have control of my directory folders on Windows.  Now I have to practically beat the software into submission.

I have both too.  I prefer the Mac for home.  I have to use Windows at work, but in a highly controlled way (military).  Both companies were run by megalomaniacs.

[Cavebear]

I have both too.  I prefer the Mac for home.  I have to use Windows at work, but in a highly controlled way (military).  Both companies were run by megalomaniacs.

Who runs the companies is irrelevant. What matters is the usefulness to the user.  Everyone I know personally who has tried Mac software is surprised at how much control the user has over the file structure.

On the other hand, Windows Office( Word and Excel) beats Mac Pages and Numbers every way you look at them.  So I have a Mac platform but added Windows Office for Mac and get the best of both worlds.  Office for Mac isn't totally "Windows Word and Excel " (there are some missing features) but it sure is better overall.

And thank you for a rational post...