Episode

9/1 Elon Musk: Tesla’s, And His Own Worst Enemy w/ Tim Higgins

September 1, 2021

Sam and Emma hosts Tim Higgins, Wall Street Journal reporter and CNBC contributor, to discuss his recent book Power Play: Tesla, Elon Musk, and the Bet of the Century, on how Elon Musk sells the future, and how much of that vision can actually be guaranteed. They jump off from JB Straubel’s invention that helped Elon popularize high-end electric vehicles (EVs), reflecting on the 20th-century EV attempts by GM and Toyota, and why they fell apart, before touching on why Tesla’s focus on the high-end price points was central to their success. Next, they dive into where Tesla’s production has been lacking, particularly with Elon’s self-driving cars and other fantastical promises, and Tim looks into the validity of Theranos comparisons. He, Sam, and Emma also touch on the biggest threats to Tesla in the EV market, at what age a startup truly matures into a real company, and what it means that such a long-shot investment has a massive financial backing in the industry, before Sam explores what shorting the stock would take, and the crew talks the dangers of letting a single man shape the future of an entire industry. Sam and Emma also touch on SCOTUS letting Roe v. Wade slip through the cracks in Texas with SB-8, setting the road for a massive fight for reproductive rights ahead, as well as the (hopefully) official end of fighting in Afghanistan, and the importance of the Courts moving forwards.

And in the Fun Half: The MR Crew walks through Dave Rubin’s legal expertise (mostly based on big-word usage), D from NYC calls in to defend Elon Musks’ many classic talents, including engineering and following through on his own previous claims, and DJ Cold Case gets Sam into the social security zone on the recent fear-mongering on the well running dry. They also touch on the ever-increasing role the Supreme Court has begun to play in making drastically consequential political decisions. They round it out with some classic Fox out-foxing of other journalists as Jeanine Pirro employs the classic “ignore and walk away” tactic, and they discuss the incredibly racist scandal around a Texas school board, CRT, and a Black principal, plus, your calls and IMs!

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