Elon Musk is a horrible human

[Pleasepleasepleaseno]

He just makes me cringe. He buys twitter after changing his mind backwards and forwards, promptly sacks half the staff, and then tells the rest they have to be in the office for at least 40 hours a week, despite them having been told previously they could wfh forever if they want.
He's a psychopath, right?

Fan girl isn’t a profession, you can be both a scientist and a simpering fan.

I am equally annoyed about governments spending money to go to space. Let’s fix this planet before we ruin some others.

Oh dear.

He’s not “hoarding” wealth, it’s pretty much all in the value of his companies, not sitting in a box in his basement.

I despair of the utter inability of so many on the left to understand even the basics of the system that they seem to hate so much. How can anyone get so worked up about something that they are so ignorant of?

It’s fucking hilarious that Musk thinks he can go live on Mars or whatever. Tell me you don’t have a PhD without telling me vibes.

@CloudybutMild - you realise shares can be sold or given away right? Other billionaires manage it, I’m sure Elon’s finances are not that unique compared to them. Don’t let logic or reality get in the way of your hatred of “the left” eh. That homogeneous group of communists.

Yes, he is. How is he not, exactly?

I'm a social researcher, so to proclaim that I don't understand the system is laughable, as is your hand wringing over the big bad bogey man 'the left'. Furthermore, I am not 'worked up' as you so eloquently put it, sociologists in general have plenty to say on such topics.

That still doesn’t mean that he’s hoarding wealth. It is his company, which he controls. If he gives away the shares then he no longer controls the companies.

And it’s not hatred, it’s contempt.

A social researcher, eh? Well done you.

In the office for 40 hours a week?

Oh the humanity!!

No answer to my question. Noted. Rather just a snarky remark on my credentials. Tbf, it's bound to be a nonsensical as the rest of your comments on this topic, so no loss.

Its not a guise free speech is indeed under attack

I think it’s quite funny seeing all the “legacy” blue ticks outraged that the plebs can now get them for £8.

That's how the entire world economy works - virtually nothing is based on assets or material value - it's based purely on how confident people are that money will keep changing hands.

Quite. 'Invisible hand' theory.

Eh? Invisible hand theory refers to the tendency for markets to match demand with suppy. Expectations theory might be the term you're looking for @Melonapplepear ?

I think tech is really struggling atm, the cuts were inevitable.

However, I can't stand the man and his faux poverty martyrdom. The ' I don't have a fancy house' schtick where he sleeps in the office or on friends couches. Utter bullshit, and if it's not I feel for his kids having to deal with his hipster nomadism.

Spot on

God who cares it’s only Twitter

It's the job market. Force skilled workers who can WFH effectively back to the office full time and they'll just take their labour elsewhere.

I am so looking forward to when the job market changes, as it will in time, and all these entitled people who stamp their feet over being forced back to the office full time (the poor darlings) find no-one wants to employ them.

He’s just a business man who owns things. Some of them are imo moving the world in a positive (environment wise) direction.

He probably is an immature jerk and I’m sure he didn’t get successful in business by cutting employees slack (nor did any of the other hyper rich businessmen) but the recent attempt to portray him as some mega villain of the far far right is too politically motivated and dishonest for my taste.

In reality he’s just a talented eccentric business man with an interest in technology who can be a bit of a dickhead.

Firing large portions of staff is nothing new if you genuinely think they’re unneeded.

I don’t know why people are acting like Twitter was owned by saints before Musk bought it. It was still owned by cut throat multi millionaires.

So, speaking as a sociologist, do you think your work provides a greater benefit to the world than Musk's?

What is it with people who seem to reveal in the idea of employers having as much power as possible over their employees? Employment is an exchange of someone’s time for money. If employers value this time and effort they tend to have a more motivated workforce who are likely to stay yet people are still very keen to presenteeism and making sure employees “know their place”

A pilot study recently showed that paying employees a full time wage to work 4 days a week lead to large increases in productivity and staff happiness/retention. 90 something percent of bosses agreed it had been overwhelmingly positive for their business but then only something like 15% said they’d keep the business model or would cut to a 4 day week but only pay for that. Can’t account for sheer stubbornness of business leaders.

I do, because buying an electric car company and sending rockets into space (the environmental damage alone is huge) have not provided much benefit to the world at large that I can see. Musk did not invent the electric car or the tesla battery, I don’t know why it’s seen as more worthy than every other car manufacturer also producing electric cars. Many who did it before Tesla.

What is it with people who seem to reveal in the idea of employers having as much power as possible over their employees?

The whole wfh thing has revealed that a substantial amount of people like the idea of others being firmly under the employer’s boot. Why would you be happy that employers are in a position to dictate petty rules - which 100% office time is for many, many roles - with ordinary working people having no bargaining power? Other than spite, bitterness, schadenfreude...

@TheWurst
@CloudybutMild

Yup. This billionaire makes EM look pretty shallow

www.nytimes.com/2022/09/14/climate/patagonia-climate-philanthropy-chouinard.html

@TheWurst

Where as your sociology work has provided the world with so much value lol
Od not for sociologists who would know that guys like musk were so bad right?