WEBVTT - Elon Bets Big on Trump and the Robotaxi 0:00:03.120 --> 0:00:09.600 Bloomberg Audio Studios, podcasts, radio news. 0:00:12.680 --> 0:00:15.600 Well, Elon Musk is now the richest person on the planet. 0:00:15.920 --> 0:00:18.800 More than half the satellites in space are owned and 0:00:18.880 --> 0:00:20.720 controlled by one man. 0:00:21.239 --> 0:00:23.079 Well, he's a legitimate super genius. 0:00:23.280 --> 0:00:24.240 I mean legitimate. 0:00:24.400 --> 0:00:27.040 He says. He's always voted for Democrats, but this year 0:00:27.120 --> 0:00:27.840 it will be different. 0:00:27.880 --> 0:00:28.840 He'll vote Republican. 0:00:29.120 --> 0:00:31.600 There is a reason the US government is so reliant 0:00:31.640 --> 0:00:31.960 on him. 0:00:32.200 --> 0:00:34.880 Alon Musk is a scam artist and he's done nothing. 0:00:36.440 --> 0:00:39.159 Anything he does, he's fascinating people. 0:00:49.240 --> 0:00:53.840 Welcome Delon Ink, Bloomberg's weekly podcast about Elon Musk. It's Tuesday, 0:00:53.920 --> 0:00:58.319 October eighth. I'm your host, David Papadopolis. The moment we've 0:00:58.360 --> 0:01:01.640 been waiting for is almost he here, the grand unveiling 0:01:01.720 --> 0:01:05.080 of Elon's Robotaxi, the self driving droid card that is 0:01:05.120 --> 0:01:08.200 supposed to push Tesla far into the future and make it, 0:01:08.360 --> 0:01:13.080 according to Elon, a multi trillion dollar company. Now, a 0:01:13.200 --> 0:01:16.720 launch like this would normally dominate the show, perhaps it'd 0:01:16.760 --> 0:01:19.640 be the only thing we talk about. But over the weekend, 0:01:19.680 --> 0:01:24.199 Elon jumped and jumped and jumped onto stage with Donald 0:01:24.240 --> 0:01:28.319 Trump lashing himself ever more tightly to the Trump train 0:01:28.360 --> 0:01:31.440 as the election approaches, and so we just gotta get 0:01:31.480 --> 0:01:33.800 into that. And to help us, we're going to bring 0:01:33.800 --> 0:01:37.520 in a special guest, Jacob Silverman, an independent journalist who 0:01:37.560 --> 0:01:40.560 covers the tech industry. But we will start with that 0:01:40.680 --> 0:01:43.800 Robotaxi launch to talk about what we can expect from 0:01:43.800 --> 0:01:46.959 the big event Thursday night. We have our regulars, Dana 0:01:47.000 --> 0:01:48.320 Hall and Max Chafkin. 0:01:48.840 --> 0:01:50.440 Hey there, Hey, hey, good to be here. 0:01:50.680 --> 0:01:54.560 Hi David, and we also are beaming in from London 0:01:54.760 --> 0:01:58.800 our Global Autos editor, a very busy man, Craig Trudell. Craig, 0:01:58.840 --> 0:02:06.720 how you doing Robotaxi week? Happyt rowboat Taxi week to you, sir? Okay, So, Craig, 0:02:07.120 --> 0:02:10.040 we are just a couple of days away. I can 0:02:10.200 --> 0:02:12.720 sense the excitement in your voice. By the way, all 0:02:12.760 --> 0:02:14.640 the way across the pond, I can just feel it. 0:02:14.960 --> 0:02:17.160 No jumping around though in the studio over there, our 0:02:17.160 --> 0:02:20.720 studio can't take that. What do we know? Remind us, 0:02:20.760 --> 0:02:23.640 what do we know so far about this robotaxi the 0:02:23.760 --> 0:02:27.280 cyber cab as Elon calls it, and what's he been 0:02:27.639 --> 0:02:30.360 promising and what are the general expectations for it? 0:02:30.919 --> 0:02:32.919 Well? I think about you know, this time of year, 0:02:32.919 --> 0:02:35.560 everyone talks about you know, debates and playing the quote 0:02:35.600 --> 0:02:38.480 unquote expectations game, right where you try to you know, 0:02:38.600 --> 0:02:40.200 under promise and then over deliver. 0:02:40.480 --> 0:02:40.639 Right. 0:02:40.720 --> 0:02:44.160 I think Governor Walls his people were talking about he's 0:02:44.200 --> 0:02:47.079 not such a great debater, He's very nervous. Elon isn't 0:02:47.080 --> 0:02:50.160 playing that game. He is posting on x about this 0:02:50.320 --> 0:02:53.200 being you know, one for the history books and agreeing 0:02:53.240 --> 0:02:55.960 with one of his super fans that you know, this 0:02:56.080 --> 0:02:58.840 is going to be the most significant moment for Tesla 0:02:58.919 --> 0:03:02.400 since the unveiling of the Model three that was a 0:03:02.480 --> 0:03:06.040 super important moment in the history of Tesla's So you know, 0:03:06.080 --> 0:03:09.239 he is is you know, setting expectations awfully high here. 0:03:09.520 --> 0:03:12.040 He's in full, full on hype mode. 0:03:12.120 --> 0:03:15.280 He's in hype mode, he's in in salesmanship mode. And 0:03:15.680 --> 0:03:17.440 you know, honestly, you guys have been talking about on 0:03:17.520 --> 0:03:19.880 the podcast about the idea that it's been quite effective, right, 0:03:19.919 --> 0:03:22.079 It's been driving the stock price up for months now, 0:03:22.120 --> 0:03:26.560 and so you know, the the expectations going into this event, 0:03:26.880 --> 0:03:30.679 I would say are hugely elevated. There are some analysts 0:03:30.720 --> 0:03:32.880 maybe who are starting to come out with notes to 0:03:33.000 --> 0:03:35.400 kind of you know, maybe maybe temper things a bit 0:03:35.480 --> 0:03:37.600 so that they can sort of, you know, declare what 0:03:37.640 --> 0:03:40.480 a what a surprise everything was. But I think you know, 0:03:40.640 --> 0:03:43.440 you look at what Elon has been saying and hosting. 0:03:44.080 --> 0:03:46.920 It's been anything but you know, lowering expectations. 0:03:47.560 --> 0:03:52.280 Now, Dana remind us he's been promising the Robotaxi the 0:03:52.360 --> 0:03:54.000 cyber Cap. I don't know, by the way, when he 0:03:54.080 --> 0:03:56.400 changed from Robotaxi to cybercap, but he's been promising it 0:03:56.440 --> 0:03:58.720 for a long time. When we're according to his initial 0:03:58.760 --> 0:04:01.080 predictions way back when where we going to get the 0:04:01.160 --> 0:04:01.840 cyber cap. 0:04:02.040 --> 0:04:03.760 I mean, he made a big pitch to Wall Street 0:04:03.760 --> 0:04:06.040 investors that twenty twenty was going to be the year 0:04:06.040 --> 0:04:08.480 of the Robotaxi. Here it is, you know, late twenty 0:04:08.520 --> 0:04:11.960 twenty four, and we're gonna have this unveiling Thursday night. 0:04:12.000 --> 0:04:14.200 But I just wanted to make sure that everyone understands 0:04:14.200 --> 0:04:17.279 that it's not just the Romotaxi event. People, it's called 0:04:17.880 --> 0:04:20.720 we robot And so I predict that we're going to 0:04:20.800 --> 0:04:23.520 see a Robotaxi, we're going to hear about the fleet, 0:04:23.839 --> 0:04:26.720 We're going to see optimists do something like they are. 0:04:26.960 --> 0:04:29.600 This is like sort of beyond just the robotaxi. They're 0:04:29.680 --> 0:04:32.240 they're really pitching this is like the big event that's 0:04:32.279 --> 0:04:36.080 gonna kind of explain to, you know, the plebes, why 0:04:36.160 --> 0:04:40.400 Tesla has this huge advantage. And there it's there. They're 0:04:40.400 --> 0:04:43.920 calling the event our official unveiling of the future of autonomy. 0:04:44.279 --> 0:04:47.520 So it goes beyond just this robotaxi. It's like it's 0:04:47.560 --> 0:04:49.240 much it's much bigger in their minds. 0:04:49.480 --> 0:04:54.120 So they're going to flex max all their technological prowess, 0:04:54.400 --> 0:04:57.960 the technical prowess that the market says makes the company 0:04:58.360 --> 0:05:01.600 infinitely more valuable than it's all old school peers. And 0:05:01.839 --> 0:05:02.760 I guess we'll see. 0:05:02.800 --> 0:05:04.440 Can you unveil the future? 0:05:04.680 --> 0:05:05.760 I don't think you can. 0:05:06.040 --> 0:05:08.400 And I think that that language, you know right there, 0:05:08.480 --> 0:05:10.240 kind of hints at one of the problems. This is 0:05:10.320 --> 0:05:13.719 not a product launch because there is no product, like 0:05:13.839 --> 0:05:16.720 they can say that they are launching a cyber cab. 0:05:16.760 --> 0:05:19.440 But there's a reason this event is being held on 0:05:19.440 --> 0:05:22.000 a Hollywood sound stage, and I'm sure it's going to 0:05:22.040 --> 0:05:24.520 be very impressive. I'm sure we're going to see something 0:05:24.520 --> 0:05:27.320 that looks very much like a taxi driving around streets 0:05:27.320 --> 0:05:29.839 that look very much like streets, but of course you 0:05:29.920 --> 0:05:32.480 can't just do this in the real world because in 0:05:32.520 --> 0:05:36.400 the real world it is not legal. And leave aside 0:05:36.440 --> 0:05:39.920 the questions about whether Tesla can come anywhere to achieving 0:05:39.960 --> 0:05:41.800 this on it from a technological basis, which I think 0:05:41.839 --> 0:05:44.279 are big questions. You know, we tend to like think 0:05:44.320 --> 0:05:48.160 about the really successful Elon Musk launches, the Model three launch. 0:05:48.279 --> 0:05:50.960 Dana brought up the cyber truck launch also, I think 0:05:51.040 --> 0:05:53.520 a very successful launch, notwithstanding. 0:05:52.960 --> 0:05:53.720 The broken glass. 0:05:53.960 --> 0:05:56.960 But of course there have been times when things have disappointed, 0:05:57.000 --> 0:05:59.000 and in particular around autonomy. 0:05:59.080 --> 0:06:00.920 Yeah, now, Max, let me through for a second, because 0:06:00.920 --> 0:06:04.800 we have curated over the years some Musk highlights from 0:06:04.839 --> 0:06:06.440 some of these events. Let's listen to them now. 0:06:06.920 --> 0:06:09.960 The car can do almost anything. You can pick your 0:06:09.960 --> 0:06:12.520 favorite color, and it looks like a beautiful sculpture on 0:06:12.560 --> 0:06:15.800 the wall. We expect to have the first operating robotaxis 0:06:15.880 --> 0:06:20.240 next year. The goal is to make have electric you know, 0:06:20.400 --> 0:06:25.360 solar roofs that look better than normal roof The new 0:06:25.440 --> 0:06:30.360 Tesla Roadster will be the fastest car production car ever 0:06:30.400 --> 0:06:31.640 made period. 0:06:34.839 --> 0:06:37.880 Man. Listen to that stuff makes me want to jump 0:06:37.920 --> 0:06:41.320 around here now. But Craig, so you've gone back and 0:06:41.520 --> 0:06:42.159 look through. 0:06:42.640 --> 0:06:42.800 Uh. 0:06:42.880 --> 0:06:44.560 Well, first of all, I think you were there for 0:06:44.640 --> 0:06:47.520 many of them, for many of these events, and you 0:06:47.600 --> 0:06:50.320 recall some of the greatest hits and the biggest crash 0:06:50.360 --> 0:06:54.400 and burns. Like, what do you typically get concretely out 0:06:54.400 --> 0:06:57.080 of these events and how does the market tend to 0:06:57.120 --> 0:06:58.000 react to them? 0:06:58.400 --> 0:07:00.920 I mean, musk. You can say what you will about 0:07:00.960 --> 0:07:04.200 his political leanings of late or his you know, sense 0:07:04.200 --> 0:07:06.840 of humor. Sometime it can be you know, everyone's cup 0:07:06.880 --> 0:07:09.600 of tea. But he is a showman. I think you 0:07:09.680 --> 0:07:12.120 guys have talked about this on the podcast in the past. 0:07:12.240 --> 0:07:15.680 Well boast about, you know, being able to deliver a 0:07:15.720 --> 0:07:18.600 car in you know, rapid fashion did so with the 0:07:18.840 --> 0:07:21.560 Model X and twenty twelve that that launched a couple 0:07:21.560 --> 0:07:25.600 of years late, the Model three handover in twenty seventeen. 0:07:25.960 --> 0:07:29.680 I just remember him talking about, you know, warning of production. Hell, 0:07:29.760 --> 0:07:31.720 I guess he was. He was right there. But I 0:07:31.800 --> 0:07:35.200 think he both is able to hype up the product 0:07:35.280 --> 0:07:39.560 that he is springing to market and also, you know, 0:07:39.600 --> 0:07:41.600 really get people excited about what's coming. 0:07:41.720 --> 0:07:41.920 Right. 0:07:42.240 --> 0:07:45.240 I think back to twenty seventeen, when you know, toward 0:07:45.320 --> 0:07:47.800 the end of the year they were showing the Semi 0:07:48.360 --> 0:07:52.000 and surprise everybody by showing the next generation roadster that 0:07:52.080 --> 0:07:55.040 was their first vehicle ever. He said on stage, you know, 0:07:55.080 --> 0:07:56.880 people have asked us for a long time, when are 0:07:56.920 --> 0:07:59.800 you going to make a new roadster. We are making 0:07:59.840 --> 0:08:03.280 it now. He's still not making that roadster. He's not 0:08:03.320 --> 0:08:05.880 even really making that Semi either, that that is in 0:08:05.960 --> 0:08:09.400 pilot production. So he will make a lot of big pronouncements, 0:08:09.680 --> 0:08:12.800 big statements, big predictions. I mentioned his sense of humor. 0:08:13.400 --> 0:08:15.680 I do want to give him credit that he has 0:08:15.800 --> 0:08:19.280 said that Tesla specializes in making the impossible merely late. 0:08:19.320 --> 0:08:20.600 I think that's a pretty good line. 0:08:20.800 --> 0:08:23.320 I just want to note that, like you know, I mean, 0:08:23.360 --> 0:08:25.520 I think for the stock, there's a question of if 0:08:25.560 --> 0:08:27.920 do people like sell on the news because the news 0:08:28.000 --> 0:08:31.040 could be like less hypey than when then what people 0:08:31.080 --> 0:08:34.320 are anticipating. But like if you actually go to the event, 0:08:34.679 --> 0:08:37.640 people are super into it. Like these diehard fans, they 0:08:37.679 --> 0:08:40.040 are flying in from all over the country. They're begging 0:08:40.080 --> 0:08:43.560 for plus ones. Like to be clear, Tesla's inviting Wall 0:08:43.559 --> 0:08:48.319 Street analysts, big investors, and they're like chosen influencers plus 0:08:48.360 --> 0:08:50.520 some randos to like go to this thing. So all 0:08:50.600 --> 0:08:53.360 the influencers who are part of the like Musk single 0:08:53.480 --> 0:08:56.160 phantic echo chamber are all going to be there and 0:08:56.880 --> 0:08:58.920 to be in the room with this guy who some 0:08:58.960 --> 0:09:01.160 people think is like the i'mas Edison of our time, 0:09:01.280 --> 0:09:04.160 like it is, it is enthralling for people. They are like, 0:09:04.400 --> 0:09:06.560 oh my god, Like I got to see Elon Musk 0:09:06.600 --> 0:09:08.520 in person, and that's like what they live for. 0:09:08.600 --> 0:09:09.480 And it's a little bit. 0:09:09.400 --> 0:09:13.000 Like a tent revival situation where just being in the 0:09:13.040 --> 0:09:14.920 same room with him and hearing him and being able 0:09:14.960 --> 0:09:18.360 to scream his name, it's like very religious almost, And 0:09:18.480 --> 0:09:20.920 I don't think you can sort of negate that. Like 0:09:20.960 --> 0:09:24.120 when the Model three was unveiled, Like I was there 0:09:24.240 --> 0:09:26.600 when he did that along with you know, like Mary Nichols, 0:09:26.640 --> 0:09:29.160 the head of the California Air Resources Board, and like 0:09:29.200 --> 0:09:31.480 there was electricity in the room because people really felt 0:09:31.480 --> 0:09:35.280 like you were seeing the needle move. And I can 0:09:35.320 --> 0:09:37.680 imagine that they will there will be a similar vibe, 0:09:37.880 --> 0:09:41.880 you know, at this AI event, except Elon. I don't 0:09:41.920 --> 0:09:44.080 get the sense that Elon is like preparing for his 0:09:44.800 --> 0:09:47.520 you know, preparing for his remarks that much. I mean, 0:09:47.559 --> 0:09:49.920 he's like on the campaign trail with Donald Trump, Right, so, 0:09:50.040 --> 0:09:53.280 like in terms of showmanship, like, I don't think he's 0:09:53.320 --> 0:09:55.800 like practice his pattern, Like I don't think the sense 0:09:55.840 --> 0:09:59.720 that he's like hunkered down doing like product launch prep 0:10:00.120 --> 0:10:02.920 way that most CEOs do. And so if he just 0:10:02.960 --> 0:10:05.040 sort of like rolls in late and is off the 0:10:05.080 --> 0:10:08.400 cuff and like shambles around and makes some jokes about 0:10:08.720 --> 0:10:11.160 how the future is autonomy, like I don't. I don't 0:10:11.160 --> 0:10:13.320 think Wall Street's gonna be super keen on that. 0:10:18.640 --> 0:10:21.280 One thing we haven't mentioned yet is that this event 0:10:21.480 --> 0:10:24.960 is at seven pm Pacific time, so that's ten pm 0:10:25.160 --> 0:10:25.760 Eastern time. 0:10:25.800 --> 0:10:27.800 This is a late event, and that. 0:10:27.760 --> 0:10:29.760 This is how Elon Musk likes it, right, he likes 0:10:29.800 --> 0:10:32.400 these things as Danna and Craig are hinting as to 0:10:32.400 --> 0:10:33.360 feel like parties. 0:10:33.679 --> 0:10:34.560 But it isn't. 0:10:34.880 --> 0:10:36.880 It's unlikely to me that this is going to have 0:10:36.960 --> 0:10:39.760 a big media impact even no matter what he does, 0:10:39.760 --> 0:10:43.360 because of how they've decided to kind of do the 0:10:43.800 --> 0:10:45.920 theater of it. And I've been sitting here trying to 0:10:45.920 --> 0:10:49.040 think about, well, what could Elon announce that would be perceived? 0:10:49.240 --> 0:10:51.880 What does a positive what does success at the event 0:10:51.960 --> 0:10:52.320 look like? 0:10:52.480 --> 0:10:56.040 So I think, okay, success would look like awesome design. 0:10:56.400 --> 0:10:59.120 Does does does this thing somehow just blow you away? 0:10:59.160 --> 0:11:01.280 That would be one thing Number two, and this is 0:11:01.280 --> 0:11:05.280 more important, some sort of indication that they have a 0:11:05.320 --> 0:11:09.360 deal in place with some municipality anywhere in the world 0:11:09.559 --> 0:11:12.360 to deploy this thing in any kind of time front 0:11:12.440 --> 0:11:15.600 frame that is like soon ish, you know, Like but 0:11:15.679 --> 0:11:18.680 if we end this with just like here's a cool product, 0:11:18.960 --> 0:11:22.440 but it doesn't there's no plan for deployment, I think 0:11:22.679 --> 0:11:24.760 the reaction is going to be poor because I think 0:11:24.880 --> 0:11:27.040 Elon has done so much to make it seem like 0:11:27.080 --> 0:11:29.679 this is happening like right now that if the truth 0:11:29.760 --> 0:11:32.680 is it's happening three four, five, six years from now, 0:11:32.880 --> 0:11:35.199 that's going to be processed as a big disappointment. 0:11:35.640 --> 0:11:38.480 Craig first, and then Dana the same question to you, 0:11:38.520 --> 0:11:40.040 What does success look like for you? 0:11:40.400 --> 0:11:43.079 Craig, Yeah, I mean I would agree with Max. I 0:11:43.120 --> 0:11:46.560 think hard and fast plans for deployment to me is 0:11:46.600 --> 0:11:49.760 a must. And I think that's where this gets really tricky, 0:11:49.840 --> 0:11:52.960 right because we've heard him literally year after year say 0:11:53.000 --> 0:11:55.640 that you know, his robotaxis are just around the corner, 0:11:56.040 --> 0:11:58.560 and even you know, as Dani alluded to earlier, back 0:11:58.600 --> 0:12:02.240 in twenty nineteen, he was telling everybody that their Tesla, 0:12:02.360 --> 0:12:04.280 the Tesla that you know was in their driveway, that 0:12:04.320 --> 0:12:06.560 they had already bought, was on the verge of being 0:12:06.600 --> 0:12:11.120 a Robotaxi. We know that there is no Tesla robotaxi 0:12:11.200 --> 0:12:13.480 on the road. What is going to be shown in 0:12:13.679 --> 0:12:17.199 La Thursday night is going to be, you know, prototypes. 0:12:17.920 --> 0:12:20.880 I do think that, you know, Dana, you know, scooped 0:12:21.040 --> 0:12:22.960 a few months back that you know, this event after 0:12:23.000 --> 0:12:25.439 all got delayed because he wanted to make a design change. 0:12:25.440 --> 0:12:27.760 I think that speaks to this idea that this thing 0:12:27.840 --> 0:12:30.559 is not baked, and you know, I think the question 0:12:30.640 --> 0:12:33.760 will be, does this guy end up having any credibility 0:12:33.760 --> 0:12:36.480 with Wall Street when you know, in twenty nineteen, as 0:12:36.559 --> 0:12:38.880 Dana alluded to, he said, you know, we expect to 0:12:38.920 --> 0:12:42.280 have the first operating robotaxis next year, and then has 0:12:42.320 --> 0:12:45.120 proceeded to predict that over and over again at nauseum. 0:12:45.960 --> 0:12:48.520 I don't know if he's got credibility with Wall Street 0:12:48.640 --> 0:12:52.080 or Wall Street analysts per se, but clearly, judging from 0:12:52.200 --> 0:12:54.200 the reaction in the stock market of the last few 0:12:54.200 --> 0:12:56.719 months when he made his grand pivot to the Robotaxi. 0:12:56.760 --> 0:12:57.000 I e. 0:12:57.080 --> 0:12:59.679 The stock has popped fifty percent. I guess he seems 0:12:59.720 --> 0:13:02.200 to have still that credit in the bank with the 0:13:02.200 --> 0:13:05.640 broader investor base out there, Dana, what does success looklick 0:13:05.679 --> 0:13:05.840 for you? 0:13:06.559 --> 0:13:08.480 Well, he has to give people rides. I mean, he 0:13:08.520 --> 0:13:11.120 can't just like stand on the stage and like pull 0:13:11.200 --> 0:13:14.760 the sheet off of this you know, two seat robotaxi 0:13:14.960 --> 0:13:18.200 like people. He actually has to give investors like rides. 0:13:18.280 --> 0:13:19.960 They have to be able to and I think they're 0:13:19.960 --> 0:13:22.360 gonna have to show like the app, the Tesla app, 0:13:22.400 --> 0:13:25.360 and people are gonna have to like experience hailing it 0:13:25.440 --> 0:13:27.840 and then like riding around in it. I mean that said, 0:13:27.840 --> 0:13:29.559 you know, they are doing this on this kind of 0:13:29.600 --> 0:13:32.040 closed course, and there's a lot of questions about whether 0:13:32.080 --> 0:13:33.720 they pre mapped the route or whatever. 0:13:33.760 --> 0:13:35.280 But you have to have. 0:13:35.280 --> 0:13:38.480 People actually experience it. Because Tesla's try to sort of 0:13:38.520 --> 0:13:42.080 do two things at once. They have sold current tesl 0:13:42.200 --> 0:13:44.559 owners on the idea that eventually, with the flip of 0:13:44.600 --> 0:13:47.640 a switch, your car will be self driving. And then 0:13:47.679 --> 0:13:53.200 simultaneously they are now unveiling dedicated, purpose built robotaxi that 0:13:53.280 --> 0:13:56.720 Tesla's gonna run itself. And you know, the whole idea 0:13:56.720 --> 0:13:59.400 is that it's gonna be this combination of Uber and Airbnb, 0:13:59.520 --> 0:14:02.560 where like you can drive your car yourself, or like 0:14:02.679 --> 0:14:05.480 if you're on vacation or asleep, you can like lend 0:14:05.520 --> 0:14:07.960 your car to this Tesla fleet and it'll make money 0:14:08.000 --> 0:14:10.480 for you when you're not around. And so they kind 0:14:10.480 --> 0:14:13.280 of have to differentiate and explain to people how this 0:14:13.320 --> 0:14:15.640 is actually gonna work. But I think that it's not 0:14:15.720 --> 0:14:19.520 a success unless, like the big investors actually get to 0:14:19.600 --> 0:14:20.280 ride in this thing. 0:14:20.680 --> 0:14:23.600 Just to note a caution, getting a ride in a 0:14:23.680 --> 0:14:27.400 quote unquote robotaxi on a closed course at a demo 0:14:27.640 --> 0:14:31.080 is not anywhere near the same thing as a robotaxi 0:14:31.160 --> 0:14:34.080 being deployed in public. So, like, I think Dan is 0:14:34.160 --> 0:14:36.320 right if they give If they don't give anyone rides, 0:14:36.320 --> 0:14:38.840 that that will be a disappointment. But even if they 0:14:38.880 --> 0:14:40.640 do give rides, everyone needs to watch that with a 0:14:40.880 --> 0:14:43.200 you know, with a big granult. 0:14:43.560 --> 0:14:44.680 Google has been. 0:14:44.520 --> 0:14:48.480 Doing this for like fifteen years. Other companies, me and 0:14:48.560 --> 0:14:51.800 Craig and Dana, we've all sat through demos on real 0:14:51.920 --> 0:14:54.640 roads with robotaxis before. Like this has been going on 0:14:54.680 --> 0:14:57.160 for a very long time. It is not novel to 0:14:57.200 --> 0:14:59.920 be able to have a robotaxi demo on a close 0:15:00.040 --> 0:15:02.840 of course, even though I am sure so certain that 0:15:02.880 --> 0:15:05.280 Elon Musk will make it seem novel when he announces 0:15:05.320 --> 0:15:06.080 it on the teenth. 0:15:06.280 --> 0:15:08.520 Wait, the point is that Tesla does not have a 0:15:08.560 --> 0:15:11.680 permit from the California Department of Motor Vehicles to deploy 0:15:11.880 --> 0:15:15.560 any kind of robotaxi on public roads in California, full stop. 0:15:15.640 --> 0:15:17.400 Like they do not have a pump permit. So the 0:15:17.440 --> 0:15:19.600 only way that they can demonstrate this is to do 0:15:19.640 --> 0:15:22.800 it on private land at the discretion of the owner. 0:15:22.960 --> 0:15:26.400 And they're doing it at the Warner Brothers studio in Burbank. 0:15:26.600 --> 0:15:28.560 And there's a lot of reasons for that. I mean, 0:15:28.640 --> 0:15:31.760 Musk has done demos at Hollywood studios before. He like 0:15:31.840 --> 0:15:35.280 famously unveiled the solar roof on like the set of 0:15:35.320 --> 0:15:39.280 you know, Hollywood, what was it called, Desperate Housewives. So 0:15:39.320 --> 0:15:42.080 that just the fact that it's happening on private you know, 0:15:42.160 --> 0:15:44.960 on a private lot where you know they can control 0:15:45.040 --> 0:15:48.560 the variables of what is in the built environment, is 0:15:49.280 --> 0:15:49.920 really telling. 0:15:50.160 --> 0:15:54.800 Now, Craig, this big event is late here East Coast time. 0:15:55.680 --> 0:15:58.720 It's either super late London time or super early, depending 0:15:58.760 --> 0:16:00.600 on the way you look at it. Three in the morning, 0:16:00.680 --> 0:16:03.520 I'm guessing you're setting your alarm for two fifty five. 0:16:04.200 --> 0:16:08.360 You're gonna pound a couple cups of espresso, and then, Craig, 0:16:09.200 --> 0:16:15.840 you shall play Tesla cyber car cyber what what is 0:16:15.880 --> 0:16:20.760 this thing again? To cyber cab launch bingo? Are you 0:16:20.840 --> 0:16:24.640 not gonna play bingo? And to play bingo? Craig Dana 0:16:24.920 --> 0:16:27.840 seems to have a card ready for us well. 0:16:27.840 --> 0:16:29.800 So to back up for a bit. Listeners of the 0:16:29.960 --> 0:16:32.280 you know, regular listeners of the pod know that we 0:16:32.360 --> 0:16:35.880 often make an earnings call bingo, and this time around, 0:16:36.040 --> 0:16:39.680 instead of earnings called bingo, we're doing Robotaxi edition Bingo. 0:16:39.960 --> 0:16:43.240 And you know, like Musk uses a lot of stock 0:16:43.280 --> 0:16:45.440 phrases over and over again. So we've got the big 0:16:45.440 --> 0:16:48.120 O card and you'll be able to download it at 0:16:48.160 --> 0:16:51.520 some point. But I bet Craig and Max and David 0:16:51.560 --> 0:16:53.360 you can probably guess some of the words. 0:16:53.880 --> 0:16:57.160 Come on, I'm Max, Tesla is an AI company. 0:16:57.360 --> 0:16:59.360 I think you say that. There we go, Craig, what 0:16:59.600 --> 0:17:00.320 here is this square? 0:17:00.440 --> 0:17:03.320 There is a square called that that very simply just 0:17:03.320 --> 0:17:03.960 says AI. 0:17:04.200 --> 0:17:08.639 I got a feature complete March of the nines. 0:17:09.200 --> 0:17:12.440 Oh those are good. Gosh, they're not on the card though. 0:17:12.520 --> 0:17:12.720 Yeah. 0:17:12.840 --> 0:17:16.920 Regulatory approval, We do have regulators. Regulators. 0:17:17.000 --> 0:17:20.920 Yeah, not not optimistic en up for approval. 0:17:21.000 --> 0:17:25.480 We have some other phrases are scalable, cost per mile, 0:17:26.040 --> 0:17:31.640 compute bus ticket end to end. We also have horse max. 0:17:31.680 --> 0:17:34.640 You want to explain the why why horse often comes 0:17:34.680 --> 0:17:35.720 up on our Bingo cards? 0:17:36.000 --> 0:17:38.160 Do you remember the bastery like Elon? 0:17:38.720 --> 0:17:42.560 There have been a few horse related incidents, I believe, 0:17:42.560 --> 0:17:45.920 But I think what this refers to is the fact 0:17:45.960 --> 0:17:48.000 that Elon has said that buying a car without this 0:17:48.080 --> 0:17:50.439 technology would be like buying a horse. 0:17:50.840 --> 0:17:56.359 Can I throw one one other animal one other animal 0:17:56.400 --> 0:18:00.359 related card? How about boy boy who cried FSD instead 0:18:00.359 --> 0:18:03.520 of boy who cried wolf? Because Elon has called himself 0:18:03.560 --> 0:18:05.879 the boy who cried full self driving and was wrong. 0:18:06.200 --> 0:18:07.920 This is why you're not part of the committee that 0:18:07.960 --> 0:18:11.760 creates the Bingo card. You're demanding squares that are just 0:18:11.800 --> 0:18:14.800 too hard. No one's gonna get Bingo America and the 0:18:14.840 --> 0:18:17.840 world more broadly, they want to get Bingo. They want 0:18:17.840 --> 0:18:20.680 to say Bingo. All right, listen, this is what we're 0:18:20.680 --> 0:18:23.840 gonna do. First thing Friday morning, Craig, we're gonna have 0:18:23.880 --> 0:18:26.919 you back on. You're gonna give us your impressions of 0:18:27.080 --> 0:18:30.920 the grand unveiling of the cyber Cab, and perhaps we'll 0:18:30.920 --> 0:18:33.120 hear a little bit from Max and Dan as well. 0:18:33.160 --> 0:18:35.359 So Craig, we say goodbye to you, sir, Thank you 0:18:35.359 --> 0:18:40.760 for joining us, Thanks for having me. Okay, now, the 0:18:41.280 --> 0:18:45.120 cyber Cab launch should have been the biggest news story 0:18:45.119 --> 0:18:48.040 of the week for Elon. But then then Elon showed 0:18:48.119 --> 0:18:51.800 up with Trump and Butler Pennsylvania and it got a 0:18:52.000 --> 0:18:55.879 little wacky. Let's actually listen to the tape when Trump 0:18:56.000 --> 0:19:00.520 introduces him on stage. His name is Elon Musk. Saved 0:19:00.720 --> 0:19:07.359 free speech. He created so many different great things. Where 0:19:07.480 --> 0:19:09.240 is he? Come on up here, ey lot. 0:19:09.600 --> 0:19:14.680 He created the first major American car company, and generations 0:19:14.720 --> 0:19:18.280 in his rocket company is the only reason we can 0:19:18.320 --> 0:19:20.879 now send American astronauts into space. 0:19:21.720 --> 0:19:25.120 Come here, take overy, Lot, Yes, take over. 0:19:25.760 --> 0:19:30.520 Hi everyone. 0:19:34.560 --> 0:19:36.880 As you can see, I'm not just Maga, I'm dark 0:19:36.920 --> 0:19:37.879 Mega Jacob. 0:19:37.920 --> 0:19:40.520 Welcome to the show. We appreciate having you on. You 0:19:40.560 --> 0:19:43.679 are an independent journalist and currently writing a book about 0:19:44.359 --> 0:19:47.440 the tech industry and right wing politics for Bloomsberry, which 0:19:47.480 --> 0:19:51.199 is all perfect for this segment. Did you watch this 0:19:51.600 --> 0:19:55.120 either live or subsequently Jacob on Saturday? 0:19:55.240 --> 0:19:57.680 Yes, I did. I caught it later. I wasn't able 0:19:57.720 --> 0:19:58.320 to watch it live. 0:19:58.440 --> 0:20:04.840 And your thought as you are watching this scene, well. 0:20:04.480 --> 0:20:08.120