
Elon Musk gives first glimpse inside Tesla Model 3 production line - Element_
https://electrek.co/2018/04/11/elon-musk-inside-tesla-model-3-production-line/
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bhouston
I known someone who has been to the Tesla Model 3 production line. He said it
was very advanced compared to other production lines and that was part of the
issue. Advanced means theoretically better, but it also means more risky to
get going, lots of unknowns and new things. Apparently it is filled with ex-
Toyota people.

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kreetx
Yes, supposedly there is plenty of exploration going on in making the process
more automated than it usually is. Unsurprisingly, and not unlike software,
bringing about masses of issues of things not working out-of-the-box.

It will probably be great in the end, but stressful if the guy doing the
exploring is you.

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millettjon
Good to see them pushing the boundaries. The payoff will be huge if they can
achieve faster velocity of iterative improvements.

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sschueller
Why is "sleeping in a sleeping bag on the factory floor." a good thing?

It seems utterly ridiculous to me. A good night's sleep is a must to be most
effektiv at any task. In addition you can't tell me Musk can't get a bed in
his office.

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nmeofthestate
> Why is "sleeping in a sleeping bag on the factory floor." a good thing?

Who said that quote? Nobody in any of the videos on the linked page said it.

I assume "sleeping on the factory floor" means sleeping at the factory, in a
camp-bed, or similar. "The factory floor" is a synecdoche for "the factory".

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mkempe
That phrase is also a modern aphorism, an allusion to the many inspiring
stories of an entrepreneur's will and dedication to commercial success. Edison
slept in his lab, for instance.

On a side note, your use of "synecdoche" reminded me that I should make a more
systematic effort to introduce my daughters to the uses and benefits of
figures of speech. Thank you.

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internalfx
> “I don’t believe like people should be experiencing hardship while the CEO
> is like off on vacation.”

People will respect a leader who is in the trenches with them.

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krapp
When you can walk away from the trenches at any time without risk, you're not
really "in the trenches."

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Robotbeat
Pretty big reputational risk, actually.

Musk isn’t going hungry any time, but it’s easier for reputation for any
employee to leave Tesla and join some other venture than it would be for Musk.

(I don’t think this should be taken as an argument that we should feel bad for
the rich and that the rich shouldn’t pay their fair share at all.... In fact
the opposite is true: the very rich are primarily focused on relative
reputation, so you can happily tax them all without any reduction in relative
reputation).

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siculars
I'd like to consider the general atrophy on a macro scale of the manufacturing
capabilities in the US. My theory is that because we outsourced the making of
so many things to so many other places (China), we generally lost the skills
necessary to make things. Not to say that really advanced things aren't
actually made in the US. It is more to say that the general population of able
bodied workers do not have the skills and knowledge their ancestors did when
it came to working in a factory. It is that actual work - the day in day out
grind - that fosters innovation. Other comments point out that the Tesla
factory is generally staffed with ex-Toyota folks. Why is that? Because Toyota
has been pushing the envelope in Japan making all kinds of interesting things
and developing a mentality of manufacturing innovation all along the way.

Thoughts?

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maloney
I don't buy this, the United States is still the second largest manufacturing
country in the world.

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robin_reala
Not that I doubt you, but by what metrics?

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darepublic
Some nice PR plays by Elon. Our general is sleeping on the floor! Hey Elon,
please wake up I need to sweep here. It is quite Henry V @ Agincourt-esque.
Honestly I am cheering for Elon to succeed since he has become a symbol of
western innovation.

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kreetx
I guess we'll see more when the story actually airs tomorrow.

