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It's really not clear at all that Musk did anything other than get in the way.

Trying to help and getting in the way instead isn't praiseworthy.

I addressed that claim in my earlier comment.

> The biggest argument against I've read was that the online drama took attention and resources away from the people in the cave. I find that absolutely absurd. The rescue team weren't checking their social media or waiting on Musk, or distracted in any way by the online drama.

Has anyone in the cave said that some engineers on the other side of the world were holding them up or in some way impeding their efforts? I find it extremely hard to believe that some shitty twitter drama got in the way of cave rescue efforts.

I believe one of the divers did. Then Musk accused him of having sex with children.

That was not what happened. The tweet is here:

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-12-28/elon-musk-says-cave-r...

I thought it was obvious, that it was a clever dig at a guy he was fighting with (as much as idiots can fight on twitter, cough trump). Something about a guy with a hard on for getting to some kids. I'm sure Elon was high. I REALLY don't understand the HN brigade trying to imagine it into more than that.

There's plenty of reason to go after some of Elon's money to keep the fame train going, but it wouldn't go anywhere in the US. In the UK? They are big on curbing particular kinds of speech and behavior. He has a good shot at getting the money.

Edit: I am wrong, that's why.

Didn't Elon later tweet something along the lines of "He must be an actual pedo because he hasn't sued me for libel yet?" Can't say I blame the guy for suing after that.

Some of the very specific things Musk said also seem a bit too specific for just joking around. "He’s an old, single white guy from England who’s been traveling to or living in Thailand for 30 to 40 years, mostly Pattaya Beach, until moving to Chiang Rai for a child bride who was about 12 years old at the time."

From your link:

> he later urged a BuzzFeed News reporter in an August 30 email to investigate Mr Unsworth and "stop defending child rapists".

That's not an accusation (or defamation) either. Sheesh.

How is "stop defending child rapists" not suggesting the person is a child rapist, doubling down on the initial claim? (which was in bad taste, but wouldn't have been to big a deal if he'd not stuck by it)

That's a circumstantial partial quote from an email, editorialized, that fits the narrative. That's how. I really don't understand how this is confusing. I mean, I'm willing to read the email where he makes an accusation, but you would think that would be helpful evidence in the case presented.

well, then read it in context: https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/ryanmac/elon-musk-thai-...

The claims are quite specific.

There are very few people in the world that can dive like these guys do. If I was that good at something, having some Silicon Valley billionaire show up to "help" with some outrageously stupid idea, that would also piss me off. Although he should have known better than to throw the first punch.

> some outrageously stupid idea

Citation needed. It was a great idea, and vastly superior to the method they actually used to get the kids out. Of course it turned out not to fit, but that just means the cave diver who was in communication with Musk gave him incorrect data in the first place.

The divers themselves said it was a great risk bringing them out and the only reason they eventually took the risk they did was because the rain continued and it was feared that the water level would rise.

You can be the best diver in the world, but have no idea how to handle panicked kids who have no dive training. Sticking them in a tube and dragging them out would have been far safer than the method that luckily worked. You and the douchebag diver who attacked Musk for offering help would both be singing a different tune right now had a couple of the kids drowned on the way out.

That douchebag diver did succeed though. There were like a dozen people involved that were the best in the world at what they do and that's the plan they came up with and it worked. US and Thai navy seals couldn't do any better. Maybe if Harry was an engineer / cave diver instead of an anaesthesiologist / cave diver they would have come up with the submarine idea.

> that just means the cave diver who was in communication with Musk gave him incorrect data in the first place

Citation needed?

So on top of everything else, Musk has such anger management issues that he can't avoid being sued for libel and making a fool of himself in the media? You're not really helping your case.

> Why would you attack some guy trying to help you achieve your goal of rescuing the trapped boys, and call him names on twitter

Something I've been wondering about too.

>> Why would you attack some guy trying to help you achieve your goal of rescuing the trapped boys, and call him names on twitter

>Something I've been wondering about too.

Because it was a distracting and transparent PR stunt designed to nothing other than stroke Musk's ego.