Voo and vti are cool but I'll take the big bucks
FUCK TESLA THREAD ( ongoing )
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Elon Musk makes stunning claim after Tesla profits plummet: 'If the ship of America goes down, Tesla will go with it'
Elon Musk makes stunning claim after Tesla profits plummet: 'If the ship of America goes down, Tesla will go with it'
Tesla's net income dropped 71% year over year.
Tesla CEO Elon Musk is responding to the electric vehicle manufacturer's disappointing first-quarter financial results with some surprising rhetoric, according to CNN.
What's happening?
Tesla announced its first-quarter results on Tuesday. Tesla revenue fell 9% in the last quarter, with auto revenue dropping 20%. Both drops were bigger than were forecast, but the downward trend was not unexpected. Perhaps most notably, Tesla's net income dropped 71% year over year.Reports and analysts have attributed much of the blame to Musk, citing that his actions and statements in U.S. and world politics have often been polarizing enough to lead some potential customers to say they would boycott or protest the company.
While many support the intentions of Musk's work in the Department of Government Efficiency to reduce spending, it has upended decades of government structure and led to the cutting of many social programs and thousands of government employees. It's those actions that have reportedly led many to protest outside Tesla locations, with Tesla being the primary public brand associated with Musk. Other concerns for shareholders, who have seen the company's stock price drop in half in recent months, include that Musk's DOGE work has been taking him away from the company.
It's at least with that in mind that Musk also announced on the earnings call his intention to return and focus more of his time with Tesla again, though Musk argued that this work was necessary to keep Tesla in business.
"I think the right thing to do is fight the waste and fraud and try to get the country back on the right track," said Musk on the earnings call, per CNN. "If the ship of America goes down, Tesla will go with it."
Watch now: How bad is a gas stove for your home's indoor air quality?
Why is Tesla important?
Tesla has been at the forefront of popularizing electric vehicles for years. It remains the most popular EV brand in America by far, building to be one of the world's most valuable companies over the last decade. Regardless, political pushback against Musk has resulted in protests, and some owners have even disguised their Teslas as other brands.Advertisement
Electric vehicles are a vital stepping stone to decarbonizing transportation. Light-duty vehicles contribute a significant amount of pollution into the atmosphere. That pollution traps heat, which exacerbates destructive weather patterns and warms oceans. At a more localized level, gas cars produce pollution that is bad for personal health, including drivers and passersby.
What's being done about Tesla's struggling profits?
Musk has pledged to spend much less time dedicated to DOGE, and focusing more on Tesla. He said he plans to only spend a day or two a week on DOGE work starting next month. This change may be the reason Tesla stock climbed despite the disappointing financial results.Looking to the future, Tesla confirmed plans to release more affordable vehicles by the end of June.
I swapped my gas truck for a Chinese hybrid. The BYD Shark is great to drive, but one thing worries me.
Summarize
Sat, May 10, 2025 at 9:21 PM PDT
Dopson bought his BYD Shark pickup for 64,000 Australian dollars ($41,000).Wayne Dopson
- Wayne Dopson runs a renovation business in Brisbane, Australia, and bought a BYD Shark hybrid pickup in March.
- He said it's great to drive compared with his old gas truck, but fears it may be obsolete in a few years.
- Chinese EV makers are expanding rapidly in tariff-free Australia, putting Tesla under pressure.
I've always been in the property market, flipping houses and doing renovations. I have a small renovation business, working on kitchens, bathrooms, and decks for clients in Brisbane, which I've been doing for about 12 years now.
I bought a VW Amarok diesel-powered pickup in 2015. I wanted to upgrade for a while, but nothing came along that took my interest.
Other combustion-engine trucks like the Ford Ranger were all very similar to the Amarok. I would have been getting pretty much the same car with just a bigger screen, so I waited for something a little bit different.
I bought the BYD Shark hybrid pickup in March for 64,000 Australian dollars, around $41,000.
Ford and Toyota are charging ridiculous prices for their pickup trucks, or utes in Australia. You're looking at up to 80,000 dollars for something that is, to me, inferior to what BYD is charging 60,000 for.
I've only done 2,000 kilometers in the Shark so I'm still learning the car, but so far I love driving it.
The technology, the power, and the smoothness — it feels decades ahead of the Amarok.
Luxury and power on the cheap
The level of luxury inside is incredible for the money. I've owned Audis and BMWs and it feels just as good, just as solid and well-built as a premium car. It also does 0 to 100km/h in 5.7 seconds, so it drives like a sports car.Dopson said the BYD Shark's interior was luxurious.Wayne Dopson
I use it mainly for work as well as leisure, and there are a couple of advantages to using it for work.
It costs me just cents to run it each day. I've got 30 solar panels on my roof, so my electricity during the day is free.
I pay eight cents per kilowatt hour from 12 a.m. to 6 a.m., which is enough time to charge the car — it takes between three to four hours to charge.
If I set the car to charge at midnight, it's done by about 4 a.m., and it generally costs less than two Australian dollars, or $1.03. I'd be using 13 or 14 dollars ($8-9) worth of diesel a day in the VW Amarok, so comparatively it's very cheap to run.
The other advantage is you've got power outlets in the back of the truck that provide about six kilowatts of power, which you can use on-site to power tools.
The Shark's power sockets can be used for appliances and tools.Wayne Dopson
It's got a really big tray with a couple of little tricks up its sleeve. You can open your tailgate with a quick press of the key, which is handy if you're walking up with your hands full.
Range is not a problem
The Shark is what they call an EREV, or extended range electric vehicle. It's got two electric motors, at the front and rear, and it also has a 1.5-liter petrol turbo engine that acts as a generator.The petrol engine means range anxiety isn't really a thing for me.
Generally, I do less than 100 kilometers a day, which will be done in electric mode, but if I do want to go to the beach or further down the coast, I've got the petrol engine right there.
That just kicks in and charges the battery and I'm good to go for around 800 kilometers.
The only thing that would worry me down the line is the resale value. I've already seen that new vehicles are coming out from Nissan, Ford, and Great Wall.
The technology is advancing like crazy at the moment, so my Shark could be fairly obsolete in five years.
It's got a six-year warranty, and I'm planning to keep it for the warranty period. What's it going to be worth at the end is anyone's guess.
BYD puts down roots in Australia
I think having more Chinese EV brands in Australia is great. We're getting longer warranty periods and better quality cars.Dopson uses the Shark for his renovation business in Brisbane.Wayne Dopson
Utes are a very important part of Australian culture. One of the issues the BYD Shark will face is that it doesn't have the same off-roading credentials as a vehicle with a diff lock — an axle mechanism that you need to crawl over rocks and rough terrain.
It's fine on the sand and in the mud, but when it comes to really serious off-roading, where you are crawling up huge hills with ruts and boulders, it's going to struggle.
For me, though, the Shark is great. It's a pleasure to drive, and it's nice being able to drive around knowing it's not costing me and not costing the planet either.
I swapped my gas truck for a Chinese hybrid. The BYD Shark is great to drive, but one thing worries me.
Wayne Dopson, who swapped his gas truck for a Chinese hybrid, loves his new BYD Shark but is concerned about it's resale value in a couple years.
Patiently waiting for $300 a share.
Looking good @^SpiderMan^
Man… I made just under $40K in profit TODAY from my Tesla stocks and options. And honestly, I think we’re still just getting started.
At around $400/share, Tesla is still a bargain if even part of what Elon and the executive team say happens in June actually plays out.
Here’s why I’m so bullish:
- Full Self-Driving (FSD) has improved massively. My car is already driving me around smoothly—and I’m not even using the latest internal version. Tesla employees are testing an updated build that’s reportedly running robotaxi functions in Austin, and it’s been doing so for months.
- Robotaxi Launch is expected to go public in June. Once that hits, Tesla plans to expand into other cities and states, not piece-by-piece like Uber and Lyft did. Why? Because the federal government is working on a nationwide regulatory framework for autonomous vehicles.
- Tesla has massive advantages:
- Cars already on the road that are robotaxi-capable
- A built-out charging network
- Manufacturing ramp-ups, including a new 2-seat Robotaxi vehicle that could become the fastest mass-produced car ever
- Imagine cheap, fast, safe rides—no driver, total privacy, summoned on demand. That’s the future we’re stepping into.
- And don’t sleep on Tesla Bots either. Their robotics are improving faster than people realize.
This reminds me of when Nokia and Blackberry ruled the phone world. Then Apple came in and changed everything. Tesla is doing the same in transportation—and this is still early.
I just hope bruthas don’t miss out because of politics or skepticism. Do your own research, but don’t ignore what’s happening in front of us. I truly believe Tesla is on track to become the biggest company in the world.
I bought a pltr leap today as well..200c for June 2027
Yeah Pltr is going to kill it. Congratulations.
All of this is noise and opportunity. The 12/17/27 $450 Call is $84.65. And the stock is $296. Do not get caught up in the BS and get your money.