On: Tesla, in SEC filing, says U.S. auto sales fell by $2B

[TrainedMonkey]

You are assuming any of the Elon companies are driven only by profit. I would hazard a guess that real M3 goal is to make a car that costs $35k while being profitable. Lowering price serves not only as incentive to sell more cars, but also internal incentive to figure out a cheaper way to make them.

[reitzensteinm → TrainedMonkey]

Tesla's mission would be better served selling the exact same number of cars with a billion a quarter in FCF.

This is true whether the true mission is Elon's pocketbook, sustainable energy, a performance art piece or to initiate the paperclip maximizer.

(ok maybe not the third one)

[computerex → TrainedMonkey]

They are driven mainly by profit, as they are public companies and therefore Elon has a responsibility to maximize shareholder wealth.

[Retric → computerex]

Maximizing shareholder wealth and short term profits are very different things. De bears could flood the market with diamonds and make a lot of money in the short term, but it would be a terrible idea in the long term.

[computerex → Retric]

Yes I know. My point is that for profit, publicly owned companies are ran for profit where their ultimate goal is to maximize shareholder wealth. The parent seemed to imply that it may not be the case for Elon Musk's companies.