And also, arrogant to the point of being funny? "Interviewer: Do you think people that want to be useful today should get PhDs?Elon: Mostly not." LOL.
It's not sci-fi, it's a legitimate view. It's basically the opposite of the common "omg children today are spending too much time with computers, this is unnatural, they should communicate more face to face instead of texting so much" bullshit. The idea is that our tools are a part of us, extensions of our bodies, not something "weird" or "unnatural".
> And also, arrogant to the point of being funny? "Interviewer: Do you think people that want to be useful today should get PhDs?Elon: Mostly not." LOL.
That seems like a sane view of the current state of scientific process. There are way too many career-PhDs. So many that a lot of research is bullshit. I thought this is widely recognized as an issue.
Is this arrogant? I get asked all the time whether a masters in computer science is useful for someone who wants to be a dev. In general, no, a bachelors degree is fine.
Maybe you feel the reverse is the problem, that he's suggesting that some people do need a PhD to be useful? I think there are people and some disciplines for whom getting a PhD greatly expands their ability to contribute.
"Mostly not." Seems like a fair statement to me?
Funny that investors actually like it.