Brian Wang and Randy Kirk recorded this discussion four days before the Q1 earnings call on Tuesday April 23. We predicted several aspects of the earnings call but also post earnings developments.
This was recorded at the same time as the reaction video to the insightful BG2 Pod that Brad Gerstner and Bill Gurley made.
I had identified that Brad and Bill had demolished the case for that Tesla would shift to exclusively operating their own robotaxis. There were people saying that Tesla would stop making cars for purchase by the general public.
Brian Wang is a Futurist Thought Leader and a popular Science blogger with 1 million readers per month. His blog Nextbigfuture.com is ranked #1 Science News Blog. It covers many disruptive technology and trends including Space, Robotics, Artificial Intelligence, Medicine, Anti-aging Biotechnology, and Nanotechnology.
Known for identifying cutting edge technologies, he is currently a Co-Founder of a startup and fundraiser for high potential early-stage companies. He is the Head of Research for Allocations for deep technology investments and an Angel Investor at Space Angels.
A frequent speaker at corporations, he has been a TEDx speaker, a Singularity University speaker and guest at numerous interviews for radio and podcasts. He is open to public speaking and advising engagements.
For some reason a lot of otherwise intelligent analysts seem to have a lot of trouble thinking about this stuff. When that story came out it simply made no sense at all but it moved markets. Tesla has made it’s position about this clear for years and nothing important changed. Tesla gets a lot of benefit from having outside Capital buy it’s hardware so it’s liberated to make enormous profits from the software/service that uses it. It’s the same with giving other OEMs licenses and help to incorporate FSD more or less at cost. That throws them a lifeline but it’s not all benevolence, it also accelerates production and the variety of hardware that runs FSD and Tesla Network.
All Teslas for years could become Robotaxis. The $25k car is just not different from the Cyber Cab any critical way. Just delivering the Cab without controls is trivial for a design where it’s all drive by wire anyway and controls are simply plug and play I/o devices. Musk said it was BS but they couldn’t think it through themselves so they doubted him.
I know you’re a fan of Musk, Brian. So am I. But unfortunately I think it’s downhills for him ever since he revealed the nasty Twitter business. The powers that be are out to get him and they’re winning
There are no ‘powers that be’ out to get him. Everything that has happened or is happening to him is a direct result of his own actions. Time to take responsibility for that, or is self-responsibility no longer a trait of the conservative sect?
Musk can look into a mirror for the cause of his own woes.