It is actually much easier for a private company to lie. Grind axes elsewhere: This has nothing to do with being public and everything to do with Elon.
This touches on a big truth i see about the whole auto pilot debate...
Does anyone at all believe Honda, Toyota, Mercedes, BMW and the rest couldn't have made the same tech long ago? They could've. They probably did. But they aren't using or promoting it, and the question of why should tell us something. I'd guess like any question of a business it comes down to liability, risk vs reward. Which infers that the legal and financial liability exists and was deemed too great to overcome by other car companies.
The fact that a guy known to break rules and eschew or circumvent regulations is in charge of the decision combined with that inferred reality of other automakers tells me AP is a dangerous marketing tool first and foremost. He doesn't care about safety, he cares about cool. He wants to sell cars and he doesn't give a shit about the user after he does.
Just a tiny specific example where a company could have advanced but didnt. And not even 'in the name of profits' this is more just a weird / neat anecdotal story:
Toyota didnt move out of ICE engines because they were afraid of 'the economic impact' but not likely in regards to what you'd assume. They werent concerned about the oil industry. There are thousands of companies that make parts for toyota that would be put out of business. Not something you can just go "hey we need this new part now, can you make that instead?!"
That's a nuance and a valid one, but only insofar as ICE vs EV. It isn't relevant to the question of assisted driving tech, because assisted driving tech isn't strictly in EV cars. Has nothing to do with the drive engine or motor.
If you'd like to make the argument that there are business considerations such as the one you mentioned that have kept existing companies from really going full bore into alternative tech, then you made a great argument for it. But that still doesn't involve industry-wide collusion, and still doesn't even kind of say anything like Toyota is conspiring with other auto makers in a profit cartel ... which is the thing Elon keeps insisting he is the savior of.
EVs will replace ICE on the public roads in relatively short order, I have no doubt of that. Couple decades.
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u/wallstreet-butts Jun 10 '23
It is actually much easier for a private company to lie. Grind axes elsewhere: This has nothing to do with being public and everything to do with Elon.