Decoding the Gurus Elon Musk: The Techno Shaman
Dec 29, 2022
02:27:28
Myth-Making Fuels Investment
- Elon Musk combines real technical ventures with persistent overclaiming that builds myth around him.
- That myth functions to attract investment and public attention beyond the companies' intrinsic merits.
Technological Shaman Role
- Musk's public persona performs the role of a 'technological shaman' promising futures others cannot.
- That role converts cultural fascination into funding and talent for his ventures.
Perpetual 'Next Year' Promise
- Musk repeatedly promises imminent breakthroughs (FSD, Neuralink, Mars) and moves timelines forward when unmet.
- This pattern keeps headlines and investor belief alive despite chronic delays.
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Introduction
00:00 • 2min
Nut Diet - I'm a Nut Guy, I'll Be Alright.
01:34 • 2min
Dietary Science in Scare Quotes
03:11 • 1min
Do You Want More DTG Content?
04:36 • 2min
We're on a Complaint About Elon Musk
06:18 • 2min
Elon Musk's Twitterings
08:02 • 2min
The Spirale of the Guru Universe
09:38 • 2min
Elon Musk on Twitter
11:26 • 1min
The Mask of a Billionaire
12:47 • 2min
Elon Musk's a Liar and Hyperbolic Salesman and You Can't Check Those in Real Time Right?
14:47 • 2min
Is Musk a Scammer?
16:28 • 2min
We Tesla Mega Investor Ron Baron
18:58 • 2min
Elon Musk Says Neural Link Brain Interfaces in the Next 12 Months or Mission Critical?
20:37 • 2min
Elon Musk and the Solar City
22:14 • 2min
Tesla Manufacturing - Is This for Crash Safety?
24:00 • 2min
Is There a Defect on the Battery Pack?
25:37 • 3min
Neuralink Brain Interface
28:19 • 2min
Is There a Way to Get a Wireless Magnetic Recharge?
30:38 • 2min
Is It Possible to Develop a Robotic Artificial Limb or a Boom Conduction for Hearing Aids?
32:13 • 2min
Musk's Claims About the Manhattan Project Are a Lot More Resemblance to Elizabeth Holmes Than to Some Scientist in the Manhattan Project
33:48 • 2min
Elon Musk Is a Billionaire and He's Not a Very Good Public Speaker
35:32 • 2min
The CEO's a Devoted CEO Figure Who Wants to Rally the Troops Right
37:15 • 2min
Wing San Andreas Is a Great Example of Teamwork and Teamwork
38:49 • 2min
Investing in Speculative Business Opportunities
40:20 • 2min
Tesla's Manufacturing Process Is Unique
42:19 • 2min
Engineering First Principles Algorithm
44:40 • 2min
Elon Musk Is a Total Sycophant
46:41 • 2min
Elon Baren Interview Questions Mark Hardball Questions
48:39 • 2min
Tesla and the Autonomous Car Program
50:52 • 3min
Elon Musk and the Self-Driving
53:41 • 2min
The House of Cards - How to Solve Logistics and Production Bottlenecks
55:50 • 2min
The Humanoid Robot Demonstration
57:25 • 2min
Eelon Musk and the Fanboys
59:01 • 3min
The Techsphere and the NFT and the Kind of Cryptocurrency
01:01:40 • 2min
The Role of the Leader Guru - Elon Musk
01:03:13 • 3min
Elon's Career in SpaceX and Tesla Is in Engineering and Design
01:06:21 • 2min
Twitter Is a Much Easier Thing to Manage Than SpaceX or Tesla
01:07:53 • 2min
Is There a Future for the Humanities?
01:09:54 • 2min
Muskers Isn't a Futurist and He's Not a Musker at All.
01:12:21 • 3min
Buying Stock in Telstra Is Not Just Pie in the Sky Optimistic Language
01:14:52 • 2min
The Falcon Nine Orbital Rocket Is a Critical Breakthrough
01:16:48 • 2min
Reusable Spacecraft Is Not a New Thing
01:18:42 • 2min
The Future Is Not a Ferenos or Something Like That
01:20:13 • 2min
Musk's Consent in Space Visions
01:22:01 • 3min
Starting a Company Is Like Eating Glass and Staring Into the Abyss
01:25:03 • 2min
The Tech Entrepreneurial Spirit
01:26:37 • 2min
The Moon Landing Is a Good Example of a Great Mission
01:28:10 • 2min
I Think He's Like Carl Sagan in His Eloquence
01:29:55 • 2min
The Parallels With Trump Are Very Strong
01:31:43 • 2min
Trump Is Often Light-Heady in the Dress
01:33:38 • 2min
Twitter and It's Impact on the Advertising Industry
01:35:29 • 2min
Elon Is Saying It's Unfair if They Successfully Convince Advertisers to Stop Investing in Twitter
01:37:49 • 2min
CM Moderation and Censorship Aren't Working
01:39:19 • 2min
How Do You Prevent Anti-Semitism?
01:41:12 • 2min
Is It the Job of the Platform to Do Any Moderation?
01:43:13 • 2min
How Does Kanye Back on Bans Change Content Moderation?
01:44:52 • 3min
Twitter
01:47:51 • 2min
Is There a Way to Make Money on Twitter?
01:49:33 • 2min
Is It a Rocket or a Technology Company or Something Like That?
01:51:04 • 2min
Elon's Twitter Subscription Scheme Isn't It Amazing?
01:52:46 • 2min
Is This a Fox News Ecosystem?
01:54:20 • 2min
Elon Musk Is a Polymath Who Can Command Both Rocket Science and Brain Surgery
01:56:02 • 2min
You Know I Hate You Just Like You Want to Make the 20 Percent of People on the Far Right Hate Me
01:57:35 • 2min
Eml's Chong Is a Centrist but He's Not Leaning in Any Direction and I Don't Want Them to Hate Me Um but I Think It's Very Difficult to Satisfy Extremists
01:59:09 • 2min
I'd Be Able to Center's Crisp but That's Not My Centrism
02:00:59 • 2min
I Think the Covid Pandemic Is a Lot of Impulsive Trollish Responses From Somebody Who's a Billionaire
02:02:37 • 2min
Investing in Tesla Is an Insanely Fundamental Breakthrough
02:04:10 • 2min
Autonomous Vehicles
02:05:53 • 2min
I'm Not a Robot but I'll Give You a Personal Example
02:07:42 • 2min
Musk Is a Techno Optimist and I'd Like to Think That the Future of the World Is in the Hands of Progressive Innovations
02:09:13 • 2min
Is He a Guru or a Salesman?
02:10:45 • 2min
I Think He's Like Trump in That He Tends to Fit
02:12:15 • 2min
The Most Sycophonic Question Ever
02:14:13 • 2min
Musk Is the Guru's Guru
02:15:46 • 2min
A Review of a Podcast by August Papas
02:17:27 • 2min
The Wine Stings Is a Good Show
02:19:16 • 2min
We're Not Going to Advance Conspiracy Theories We Will Advance Conspiracy Hypotheses
02:20:54 • 2min
The Kourin Academia Series - Revolutionary Geek
02:22:27 • 2min
The Christmas Gurus - Interviews With Coffee Zella
02:23:59 • 3min
So here we are rounding off 2022 with a Guru of the moment, Elon Musk.
Trust us, we want to stop hearing about him as much as you do but we have long had him scheduled as the finale for the tech season. Unfortunately, the Decoding the Gurus curse (most of the people we cover quickly become worse and spiral into conspiracism) seems to have become more potent. Now we don't even have to cover a Guru just announce that we will and the spiral occurs. And with Elon what a spiral it has been.
But we *try* not to dwell much on his recent antics and instead focus on decoding our chosen material. In this specific case, it is a recent wide-ranging interview conducted by a fellow billionaire and large Tesla investor, Ron Baron. This proved to be one of the most sycophantic interviews we have ever examined, which is a real achievement given the competition.
Musk himself is an interesting figure. Softly spoken, prone to mumbling, he can even seem self-effacing, and yet he is also a prolific hype man, prone to hyperbole, and self-mythologizing. Is he the master engineer and polymath he claims? The ultimate conman? And how has he become the guru for so many gurus? Join us as we try to disentangle the Elon puzzle box and see if there is actually anything interesting inside.
Oh and also Happy New Year! Remember to keep an eye out for those pesky Distributed Idea Suppression Complexes.
Links
- Ron Baron Interview Nov 2022 with Elon Musk: Source for the Decoding
- Thunderfoot Video: Why you should NEVER believe Elon Musk!
- Common Sense Skeptic: Debunking Elon Musk (Part 1 & Part 2)
- Guardian Article on Musk's comments on the Diver involved in the Thai Cave Rescue
- Futurism Article on Elon Musk promising Full-Self-Driving Cars Every Year since 2014
- Rolling Stone: Elon Musk Keeps Taking Twitter Advice From Right-Wing Trolls
- Article from buildd.co on Tesla's Marketing Strategy