Personally, I think this is incredibly irresponsible. Elon told his workers to stay home even if they feel "slightest bit ill or even uncomfortable" [0]. Yet, according to the CDC, symptoms may not appear until 2-14 days after exposure [1]. So Tesla employees may be spreading the virus to each other, and the rest of the world, without knowing it.
In the Alameda order which describes what "essential businesses" may remain open, the closest loophole I can see that might allow the Tesla factory to stay open is for "Airlines, taxis, and other private transportation providers providing transportation services necessary for Essential Activities and other purposes expressly authorized in this Order" [2]. I think it's more than a stretch to say that building new cars counts as transportation services. Repairing existing Teslas, sure. But I don't think Tesla should be allowed to keep building new cars. And I think if Elon cares about his workers' safety, and the safety of the world, he would ask his employees who are building new cars to stay home.
Judging from the full body of his email (which I'm guessing plenty of people read before it even reached the news judging from how many of my friends sent it to me), it seems like he really doesn't care about his staff.
Choice quote:
> I will personally be at work, but that's just me. Totally okay if you want to stay at home for any reason.
If this isn't the most peer-pressure-y way to tell people to show up, I don't know what is. The head of the company choosing to keep showing up to the office in the middle of an outbreak is the exact opposite of the precedent he should be setting right now.
Shoot, he can even tell people he's going to work from home and still secretly come to the office; people would understand. It's his company. Or he could've just not mentioned his plans at all. But by mentioning his plans, his direct reports will still show up, their direct reports will largely still show up, and anyone who doesn't want demerits on their performance reviews will all still show up. No different from an unlimited leave policy where people take no leave.
This is absolutely wrong. And hopefully illegal. And I definitely did cancel my Tesla order (RN112815329) because of it.
To be fair, other bosses in other places went through that stage and a day or two later decided to tell people to stay home.
I wouldn't have a problem being chosen to be one of the "skeleton crew". But I'd have a huge problem with the leader not doing the right thing for the group, namely having most people not come in.
The issue isn't just peer pressure, it's giving people the choice at all, pushing them into a conflict of interest. Telling them to do what makes them feels best seems reflexively correct to many people not just Musk, but it's not.
As far as new cars, there were no new cars for civilians during WWII, right?
Super Bowl on Feb 2, was irresponsible. 17k confirmed cases in China at the time, 10x of that unconfirmed.
Tesla factory. One has to balance the economic damage and public health risk. And take into consideration that there is a public health risk from economic damage.
Irresponsible? From a company that sticks glorified lane assist and touts it as full autonomous driving (“pending regulatory approval” lol)? Shocked pikachu face
The definition of “essential business” is extremely broad. It even includes cannabis stores. Tesla is a whole lot more important to our country and our economy than keeping the cannabis stores open.
Yuck, leadership at its worst. It's tough to shut down factories - restarts are sensitive - so it makes sense to allow a skeleton crew. That's not what's happening. This looks like obvious local corruption in the face of a public health crisis. Not thrilled to be "shelter at home-d" next to these pricks with a wife who works at an area hospital and someone elderly at home: this is quite the FU to the community that keeps bailing this government-funded company out.
I've been keeping a tally of companies and leaders who force people to come to the office or use this as a marketing opportunity (vs data4good), and Tesla is now on the shortlist for evil.
This is consistent with Tesla's safety record both for its own employees [0] and for its customers [1]. Government is all too happy to allow Elon to keep testing the boundaries.
If things work out for Tesla and they don't have a Covid-19 outbreak among their employees, a small number of people stand to benefit greatly (Elon Musk especially).
If things go south for Tesla, not only do Tesla employees have to deal with the fallout, but also their families and their communities.
Marin county resident here. The details of the lockdown permit essential businesses and services. Automobile repair, parts, and services fall under that category.
So much of what he does can be seen as driven by pure self interest despite his altruistic, saver of humanity persona.
He is personally set to receive tens of billions in compensation if Tesla hits its targets. Which no matter who the person is has a significant influencing effect.
If I'm playing chess with a guy who is known for making good decisions in (i.e. winning) many chess games, and he makes a move that looks dumb, the prudent conclusion is not that the move is dumb, is that I'm dumb and I need to figure out what the motivation was.
I'm not excusing Musk's decsion, but I will say that lots of places are ignoring the shelter in place request. Residential construction workers are still putting up drywall, laying tiles, etc. Parts of the city have the usual number of people on the street you'd expect on a weekday. Tourists are walking around. High end coffee shops are still selling $6 lattes.
I went to the doctor and the pharmacist and was surprised at the amount of people milling about. Definitely no 6 feet of social distancing either.
While the public works construction crews are exempt from this, maybe they can fix Van Ness while everyone's cooped up?
The new apartment complex near the (old) Fremont BART station still had people actively working at it this morning. It doesn't seem to be on the essential list from what I saw from the official Alameda County order.
That sounds like it would be covered under item 10d:
> For purposes of this Order, individuals may leave their residence to provide any services or perform any work necessary to the operations and maintenance of “Essential Infrastructure,” including,but not limited to, public works construction, construction of housing (in particular affordable housing or housing for individuals experiencing homelessness), airport operations, water, sewer, gas, electrical, oil refining, roads and highways, public transportation, solid waste collection and removal, internet, and telecommunications systems(including the provision of essential global, national, and local infrastructure for computing services, business infrastructure, communications, and web-based services), provided that they carry out those services or that work in compliance with Social Distancing Requirements as defined this Section, to the extent possible.
Unless Fremont factory is 100% automated with robots, this sounds reckless. However, the Gigafactory 3 in Shanghai has been reopened and working in full speed (except when it's bottlenecked by upstream suppliers)
I used to support Tesla but can’t help but think recent successes (including the astronomical rise in stock price) got to Elon Musk. I hate to say it but they’re 2-3 quarters away from possibly filing if the virus continues at current pace in US and EU.
Send home all the elderly people and anyone with a preexisting condition. Most people will get sick anyone. Vaccines take a least a year to make. Elon is openly saying people are overreacting
The models say this would still overwhelm the healthcare system. Population wide quarantine is the only way to keep this thing inside ICU capacity limits. That's why we're doing it.
[+] [-] mkolodny|6 years ago|reply
In the Alameda order which describes what "essential businesses" may remain open, the closest loophole I can see that might allow the Tesla factory to stay open is for "Airlines, taxis, and other private transportation providers providing transportation services necessary for Essential Activities and other purposes expressly authorized in this Order" [2]. I think it's more than a stretch to say that building new cars counts as transportation services. Repairing existing Teslas, sure. But I don't think Tesla should be allowed to keep building new cars. And I think if Elon cares about his workers' safety, and the safety of the world, he would ask his employees who are building new cars to stay home.
[0] https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-tesla-... [1] https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/symptoms-testing/s... [2] http://acphd.org/media/559658/health-officer-order-shelter-i...
[+] [-] eganist|6 years ago|reply
Choice quote:
> I will personally be at work, but that's just me. Totally okay if you want to stay at home for any reason.
If this isn't the most peer-pressure-y way to tell people to show up, I don't know what is. The head of the company choosing to keep showing up to the office in the middle of an outbreak is the exact opposite of the precedent he should be setting right now.
Shoot, he can even tell people he's going to work from home and still secretly come to the office; people would understand. It's his company. Or he could've just not mentioned his plans at all. But by mentioning his plans, his direct reports will still show up, their direct reports will largely still show up, and anyone who doesn't want demerits on their performance reviews will all still show up. No different from an unlimited leave policy where people take no leave.
This is absolutely wrong. And hopefully illegal. And I definitely did cancel my Tesla order (RN112815329) because of it.
[+] [-] perl4ever|6 years ago|reply
I wouldn't have a problem being chosen to be one of the "skeleton crew". But I'd have a huge problem with the leader not doing the right thing for the group, namely having most people not come in.
The issue isn't just peer pressure, it's giving people the choice at all, pushing them into a conflict of interest. Telling them to do what makes them feels best seems reflexively correct to many people not just Musk, but it's not.
As far as new cars, there were no new cars for civilians during WWII, right?
[+] [-] dchichkov|6 years ago|reply
Tesla factory. One has to balance the economic damage and public health risk. And take into consideration that there is a public health risk from economic damage.
[+] [-] dilyevsky|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] xkjkls|6 years ago|reply
Minimum operations for auto manufacturers only include replacement parts.
[+] [-] lacker|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] ____a|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bdcravens|6 years ago|reply
I hope someone follows the money and prosecutes Elon if he exercised any financial influence here.
[+] [-] heisenbit|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|6 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] rolltiide|6 years ago|reply
corroborated here
https://www.reuters.com/article/us-health-coronavirus-tesla-...
[+] [-] anthm1988|6 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] lmeyerov|6 years ago|reply
I've been keeping a tally of companies and leaders who force people to come to the office or use this as a marketing opportunity (vs data4good), and Tesla is now on the shortlist for evil.
[+] [-] panarky|6 years ago|reply
Has Tesla received taxpayer subsidies for anything in the last year or two other than customer incentives to buy zero emission vehicles?
[+] [-] KKKKkkkk1|6 years ago|reply
[0] https://www.revealnews.org/article/inside-teslas-factory-a-m...
[1] https://www.caranddriver.com/news/a31093282/ntsb-autopilot-t...
[+] [-] zomglings|6 years ago|reply
If things work out for Tesla and they don't have a Covid-19 outbreak among their employees, a small number of people stand to benefit greatly (Elon Musk especially).
If things go south for Tesla, not only do Tesla employees have to deal with the fallout, but also their families and their communities.
[+] [-] heartbeats|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] thordenmark|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] rolltiide|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] wideasleep1|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|6 years ago|reply
[deleted]
[+] [-] Funes-|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] threeseed|6 years ago|reply
So much of what he does can be seen as driven by pure self interest despite his altruistic, saver of humanity persona.
He is personally set to receive tens of billions in compensation if Tesla hits its targets. Which no matter who the person is has a significant influencing effect.
[+] [-] sershe|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] thrill|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] scurvy|6 years ago|reply
I went to the doctor and the pharmacist and was surprised at the amount of people milling about. Definitely no 6 feet of social distancing either.
While the public works construction crews are exempt from this, maybe they can fix Van Ness while everyone's cooped up?
[+] [-] cjhopman|6 years ago|reply
Wow, really? Let's take a look at your examples.
> Residential construction workers are still putting up drywall, laying tiles, etc.
Residential construction is exempted.
> High end coffee shops are still selling $6 lattes.
coffee shops are exempted for take-out and delivery.
> the doctor and the pharmacist and was surprised at the amount of people milling about
Doctor's offices and pharmacists are exempted.
[+] [-] aatharuv|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] tzs|6 years ago|reply
> For purposes of this Order, individuals may leave their residence to provide any services or perform any work necessary to the operations and maintenance of “Essential Infrastructure,” including,but not limited to, public works construction, construction of housing (in particular affordable housing or housing for individuals experiencing homelessness), airport operations, water, sewer, gas, electrical, oil refining, roads and highways, public transportation, solid waste collection and removal, internet, and telecommunications systems(including the provision of essential global, national, and local infrastructure for computing services, business infrastructure, communications, and web-based services), provided that they carry out those services or that work in compliance with Social Distancing Requirements as defined this Section, to the extent possible.
Source: http://acphd.org/media/559658/health-officer-order-shelter-i...
[+] [-] njarboe|6 years ago|reply
[1]http://acphd.org/media/559658/health-officer-order-shelter-i...
[+] [-] kyuudou|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] xkjkls|6 years ago|reply
Apparently under county order they cannot make any new vehicles, only replacement parts.
[+] [-] devy|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] bitxbit|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] DeonPenny|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] closeparen|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] mandeepj|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] unknown|6 years ago|reply
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[+] [-] kgc|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] zyang|6 years ago|reply
[+] [-] insiderinsider|6 years ago|reply