With Musk winning back his $1T pay plan and doubling down on Robotaxi, Tesla looks less like an automaker and more like a belief system.
Earlier analysis showed how the choice between Model 2 and Robotaxi wasn’t just a business decision it was about maintaining a valuation tied to imagination.
Curious what others here think: is Tesla’s brand of narrative leadership still an advantage, or does it signal fragility?
re-thc•2mo ago
The automaker race has been won by BYD and the infinite other Chinese car manufacturers already. It was wise to get out. Even BYD is suffering from competition.
It's not TSLA valuation. Even BYD's stock has crashed. Buffet exited. Even with a 50x less valuation TSLA as an automaker can't survive.
Tesla and non-Chinese automakers survive by tariffs on China (e.g. by EU and US). It's not going to work when China also owns the batteries.
A Robotaxi service is tied to location similar to Uber. It's much much easier to defend.
Zigurd•2mo ago
When all is told, I'd bet that the key ingredients are that Musk is a messianic figure to men with Robin Hood accounts, and there are some financial shenanigans going on with investors that are sympathetic to his politics.
He just needs to buy a sports team or three to pick up the remaining sports gamblers who haven't joined the cult yet.
d_e_solomon•2mo ago
Earlier analysis showed how the choice between Model 2 and Robotaxi wasn’t just a business decision it was about maintaining a valuation tied to imagination.
Curious what others here think: is Tesla’s brand of narrative leadership still an advantage, or does it signal fragility?
re-thc•2mo ago
It's not TSLA valuation. Even BYD's stock has crashed. Buffet exited. Even with a 50x less valuation TSLA as an automaker can't survive.
Tesla and non-Chinese automakers survive by tariffs on China (e.g. by EU and US). It's not going to work when China also owns the batteries.
A Robotaxi service is tied to location similar to Uber. It's much much easier to defend.