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Comment by hshshshshsh | Hacker News Reader

Sorry. When I look at Musk I see self landing rockets, electric cars , star link etc. Obviously he seems to be quite close to truth since without getting close to reality you can't do any of these since Physics is brutal and does not reward any false assumptions.

So that gives me a sense that Musk is much closer to truth than most people out there. What am I missing?

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> I see self landing rockets, electric cars , star link etc

You mean brilliant people were able to achieve this despite him? I don't see why this CEO should be the one taking credit for such achievements.

In fact, I believe we would probably be further into the “Space Age” if it weren't for the lost decade since he appeared on TV.

Are you saying without Musk involvement these companies would have been even better performing? Like how did you do that calculation? Seems almost impossible to me how one can simulate that.

This is demented levels of cope. Musk is the most successful is basically everything he does across extremely different industries. SpaceX is a decade ahead of the next closest competitor. Tesla and self driving is wildly ahead of any other car manufacturer.

> basically everything he does

Like The Boring Company? Or Twitter? Or Hyperloop?

You do know we're in January 2025 and no other company has landed an orbital booster yet.

SpaceX has done it with two completely different systems.

Other companies have smart people and money too.

At the risk of Godwinning the thread, I’ll just say that I think Werner von Braun circa 1943 is a telling and relevant counterexample here.

I think this makes a great argument for Sharia Law as created during the Islamic Golden Age. I don't think there's any period of time with more scientific advancement. Astronomy, architecture, calculus, statistics, physics, chemistry, biology, medicine... You name it, they improved it. Does this means their legal system must be "closer to truth" too?

What inventors are you interested in that aren't billionaires?

Not many. I grew up in a developing country so making money and getting out of low middle class has always been on my mind since childhood. So I don't have much interest in inventors that remains poor. Though I love Feynman if you count him as an inventor. Funny enough PayPal helped me make my first income by doing a remote job when I was in school.

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