When someone is suppressed, restrained or otherwise pushed into a corner, the aggressor tends to assume unlimited power. The feeling of isolation and power imbalance gives the oppressor a form of momentum - as long as they can control the rules of the system, they are unstoppable, able to bend and crack someone to their will, even as onlookers attempt to intervene.
Seeing more and more people gain understanding about just how little there is behind these supposed geniuses is the best part of 2020 for me. I never expected Musk to be this stupid, but I never believed the hype about him either; I know a bullshit artist when I hear one. Can't wait to hear how the stans who always seem to be milling about will attempt (poorly) to justify all of it.
Always up for a good serving of schadenfreude from Ed. After WorldComm and Enron it always intrigued me that people who had arrived at a point that they had stolen more money than they could spend in several lifetimes with no risk of getting caught would then risk going after “one more dollar” that would place all their earnings at risk. This posits that there must be a risk damping factor similar to toxoplasmosis in the greed gene.
Ed, I really appreciate for you putting into words what I have a hard time articulating to my family and friends that think of these fools as anything other than fools. Looking forward to your work in the new year! Happy holidays!
I think that Twitter’s pre-Musk operation was bad for humanity. That’s mainly because of how you can like a tweet, but not dislike it, so it tends to promote people playing to their own crowd and ignoring anyone who disagrees: everyone stays in their own echo chamber. And that’s before all the stuff coming out in the Twitter files. So, if Elon is willing to blow $44B of his own dough burning it to the ground, I’m good with that. But the banks that are on the loans for a big chunk of the purchase price strike me as having made a very, very bad decision.
Seeing more and more people gain understanding about just how little there is behind these supposed geniuses is the best part of 2020 for me. I never expected Musk to be this stupid, but I never believed the hype about him either; I know a bullshit artist when I hear one. Can't wait to hear how the stans who always seem to be milling about will attempt (poorly) to justify all of it.
Ed, you are a welcome voice of sanity in an insane age. Thank you for your work and its moral clarity.
This is the nature of wanting to be a billionaire: “...because such greed may be impossible to acquire without hubris.”
Thank you for writing this and providing the analysis that is not driven by some self-handling motive.
So glad I found your writing. Looking forward to your take on the ongoing wonders of 2023.
Hey, I managed to read this just before it went down. Thanks for writing it.
Thanks for your writing and enjoy the well deserved holiday break!
Thank you Ed 🫡
Joyeux Noël et Bonne Année!
Always up for a good serving of schadenfreude from Ed. After WorldComm and Enron it always intrigued me that people who had arrived at a point that they had stolen more money than they could spend in several lifetimes with no risk of getting caught would then risk going after “one more dollar” that would place all their earnings at risk. This posits that there must be a risk damping factor similar to toxoplasmosis in the greed gene.
Ed, I really appreciate for you putting into words what I have a hard time articulating to my family and friends that think of these fools as anything other than fools. Looking forward to your work in the new year! Happy holidays!
I think that Twitter’s pre-Musk operation was bad for humanity. That’s mainly because of how you can like a tweet, but not dislike it, so it tends to promote people playing to their own crowd and ignoring anyone who disagrees: everyone stays in their own echo chamber. And that’s before all the stuff coming out in the Twitter files. So, if Elon is willing to blow $44B of his own dough burning it to the ground, I’m good with that. But the banks that are on the loans for a big chunk of the purchase price strike me as having made a very, very bad decision.
What about Jack Dorsey? what is he like? what is his deal?
Perhaps if Musk and Zuckerberg keep screwing up we might be rid of both Twitter and Facebook at some point.
I appreciate reading your write-ups. You have a skill for cutting to the (rotten?) core of things. Can't wait to read your stuff in the New Year!
Thank you, this was great!
All I can do after reading this article is sit and clap, clap so hard my hands hurt. Thank you. (And a very happy 2023!)
Cheers,
Rick
bandit, or stupid?
The 5 Laws of Stupidity, by Carlo Cipolla:
https://youtu.be/3O9FFrLpinQ