
Tesla's Musk sells $10M in flamethrowers in four days - rwx------
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-musk-flamethrower/teslas-musk-sells-10-million-in-flamethrowers-in-four-days-idUSKBN1FL544
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flexie
That Elon Musk can sell $10M worth of something as silly as flamethrowers,
should be a sign of worry for car manufacturers. The cult surrounding Elon
Musk is second to none in the auto world. Which car manufacturer could sell
useless merchandise branded with the name of what is really just an
experimental side project run by a sister company, not even the brand of the
auto company itself?

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e_b
Tesla investors should worry about stunts like these. Each time Musk sells
nonsense products like these he trades brand equity for money. To be explicit,
these flamethrowers diminish the value of Tesla.

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hunterxg
This isn't even Tesla. It's the Boring Company. Tesla investors shouldn't care
about other companies. Maybe do some research before posting.

~~~
dogma1138
There is another way to look at it.

How much of the Tesla valuation is due to Musk? 20, 30, 50, 90%?

Each stunt like this makes which ever percentage that is a bit bigger.

What happens if or more like when Musk retires from Tesla to focus on SpaceX
or another company? He’s running effectively 4 companies atm Tesla, SolarCity,
SpaceX and the Boring Company eventually he could want or will have to focus
on fewer ventures.

Tesla is effectively the only public traded company if he leaves the stock can
tank and tank to the point where it would put them in serious trouble.

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Strubo
Ah, the good ol' Spaceballs Merchandising technique.
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgRFQJCHcPw](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fgRFQJCHcPw)

~~~
icc97
Musk tweeted about that [0].

edit: I'd forgotten that there's a flamethrower at the end of the clip. That
YouTube clip you posted is broken for me.

[0]:
[https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/937447589460426752](https://twitter.com/elonmusk/status/937447589460426752)

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rwx------
People will buy any thing if it is endorsed/sold by celebrities.

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squarefoot
The real news is at 1:15. I don't know if he planned this, but if I was in
Musk's shoes I'd create a fake flamethrower-rights movement just to ridicule
those who would like to ban them so fast even before they could be accounted
for a single fire or injured person, while doing nothing about guns.

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ftoo
And Kylie Jenner sold over $250 million worth of makeup last year. Celebrity
sells, what’s new about this?

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onion2k
I realise that this is a marketing stunt, but _potentially_ this could have a
serious impact on the Boring Company. A flamethrower is a weapon, even if it's
a 'toy' like Elon's flamethrower. This means the Boring Company is probably in
violation of any open source license that prohibits use in evil applications -
for example, the JSON license
([http://www.json.org/license.html](http://www.json.org/license.html)). I'm
pretty sure that there's a bunch of other OSS licenses that prohibit their use
in military applications too.

I don't seriously imagine for a second that anything will actually happen as a
result of this. It's just fun to think about.

~~~
askvictor
Interesting, though presumably as long as the flamethrower itself doesn't use
the json library, they're clear. Though I now imagine a licence that blocks
use by any company that manufactures or distribute weapons, for example. Or is
in the coal industry. Is 'licence activism' a thing? Could it be?

~~~
rcxdude
It is a thing (most memorably a piece of software which is freeware normally,
but you must make a donation if you air travel over a certain amount year),
but it's rare. Most definitions of Open Source and Free Software do not
include licenses with such restrictions (a core freedom being being able to do
_whatever_ you want with the software).

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kome
I had to check, it's the 2 of February and not the 1st of April.

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wklauss
Shouldn't it read "Boring Company's Musk"?

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M_Bakhtiari
I think in the name of decency the headline should reflect that this is about
butane-powered novelty toy, not a defence contract.

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hulahoof
To the surprise of everyone involved, I'm sure.

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grinsekatze
This is so weird.

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WillReplyfFood

        Musk! 
    
        He'll sting you with his dreams of power and wealth. 
    
        Beware of Musk! 
    
        His twisted twin obsessions are his plot to rule the world 
        And his employees' health. 
    
        He'll welcome you into his lair 
    
        Like the nobleman welcomes his guest 
    
        With free dental care and a stock plan that helps you invest! 
    
        But beware of his generous pensions 
    
        Plus three weeks paid vacation each year 
    
        And on Fridays, the lunchroom serves hot dogs and burgers and beer! 
    
        He loves German beer!

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fredley
This is probably a controversial opinion, but there's are similar forces at
play here with Musk's flamethrowers and Trump's MAGA hats.

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craftyguy
'Celebrities' sell crap when they endorse it. What's new?

