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Comment by mtw | Hacker News Reader

Toyota and Tesla merging would be great. Toyota masters scaling and world-wide logistics but doesn't have EV technology. Their software is also very basic. Tesla doesn't control logistics but master EV and autopilot. Them merging is not impossible, Toyota once had a stake in Tesla.

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Elon would be a roadblock to such a merge. Toyota won't be able to function with him in any managerial position. I doubt he'll accept anything less than full control. He won't be content as an "evangelist".

If his dream is really to have the world switch from ICE to EV cars, then he should consider this. That would be an engineering and laudable feat, and he would be in the annals of history. He can then focus on SpaceX and go to Mars. But if his dream is to become ultra-wealthy and be like Stark in Ironman, then I guess he can keep to himself Tesla.

This is a guy with 5 Beverly Hills mansions and a private jet. All financed via his Tesla stock.

It seems as though any sacrifices related to "the mission" are expected to come from Tesla and SpaceX employees who have to suffer through periodic rounds of layoffs.

https://variety.com/gallery/elon-musk-buys-fifth-bel-air-hom...

https://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-elon-musk-mortgages-m...

His dream is to go down in history. Everything else is a means to an end.

You never know if Toyota would shut down Tesla after merging. This has happened so many times before.

Elon defines idealism, while Toyota defines pragmatism.

Toyota has solved enough EV for practical requirements, in the form of hybrids. They've over a decade experience in deploying for practical purposes.

Toyota's "basic" software can be an advantage, it works. Autopilot is far from mastered, by anyone.

Toyota does EVs well. They had hybrids for ever. They never moved into full EVs because there wasn't a market for EVs.

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