What if Lockdown Was a Mistake?
The majority of billionaires and Silicon Valley power players are keeping their heads down in quarantine, donating a bit, and retweeting government advice, but Elon Musk is not into that life. He canāt see the logic in lockdown. āHeās joined the rebels! Heās lost his mind!ā
Thereās always a motivation, always a self-interest. Tesla has one vehicle-assembly plant in Fremont right now and Elon Musk needs it open. He needs to deliver cars to fuel his stock market story because thatās where he gets the money to keep going.
Thereās no way flashy car companies will escape serious injury this year, but this one managed to print a miraculous, well-rounded record profit in last nightās earnings call. Analysts were dumbfounded, keen to hear about liquidity in the crisis, but Elonās mind was somewhere else.
He spent the conference call vexing about the lockdown, āfreedom, corrupt politiciansā and all that. Beneath his bluster was an argument.
The economic damage is disproportionate to the medical damage. Musk believes this is just a bad seasonal flu. The media will be feeding off it for years, with each case into a unit of political currency for world leaders to win elections. Now weāre all waiting at home for some germs to die, and though itās off the record, the global business community canāt believe it.
Elon Musk is Tesla and Tesla is Elon Musk. The public wonāt forget his taboo musings in a hurry, especially when it comes time to make a new car purchase. Thereās sure to be brand damage, so the cult-bears and cult-bulls are standing off like never before. They canāt both be right in the end, thatās investing!