cbayram

Playing out this scenario:

Will missing payrolls result in layoffs/resignations? Thus, increasing unemployment rate that the FED desires. If contagion doesn’t spread outside of tech/startup, does the government have any incentive to intervene? Maybe this is not too big to fail.

A sale seems like the most likely scenario out of this liquidity problem (insolvency). It’ll be dirt cheap and has to make sense to its buyer.

edit: Even with recent downturn in tech, there is still sizable value in having tech as banking clients.

Rising interest rates is what’s different this time around

"American culture encourages the process of failure, unlike the cultures of Europe and Asia where failure is met with stigma and embarrassment. America’s specialty is to take these small risks for the rest of the world, which explains this country’s disproportionate share in innovations." - Nassim Taleb, The Black Swan

We use Echo/Alexa to play music, games, set timers/reminders, query for information. We get annoyed with up-selling and ads when issuing commands. The proliferation of fake reviews/products on Amazon has eroded any confidence in ordering anything via a voice command. It is a lazy, shallow and ineffective path to potential revenue. It lacks vision and creativity. There are missed opportunities in creating more sophisticated multi-command workflows. Ones that do not involve peddling what Amazon is already selling.

What problems should a sophisticated home assistant solve? It should curate and offer SOLICITED services; find me washer dryer, fridge, plumber, landscaper, house/pet sitter, house cleaner, mechanic... It should present these to me visually to choose from. It should remember and be ready to automate any subsequent request for the same service. This could be done via integrating with reputable third-party providers like Angie's list, thumbtack, google flights, aggregators... Alternatively, Amazon should build reputable service provider network itself. People need goods and services. Provide a path to solicit, opt-in to targeted curated offerings/ads. As important, provide the ability to opt-out when no longer necessary. Unsolicited ads are often inaccurate, invasive and damaging noise. Earned reputation and trust is gold.

It’d be great if modern society could make smaller vehicles for personal use. Average number of occupants on the road has to below 2.0, seems terribly inefficient. The industries and costs associated w car ownership would have to adjust too for this too happen. Legislation is also necessary to deal with mutually destructive nature of not wanting to be on the same roads as larger fortified vehicles; i.e. lanes/roads dedicated to smaller personal vehicles. Above all, as a society, we have to start giving a damn about environmental destruction. Rethink the status quo, rethink urban planning, rethink overuse of plastics, rethink leaf blowing...

What about GM’s role in benefiting from this fraud? By forming a partnership with this fraudulent entity:

1. GM put up no cash but received an 11% stake in Nikola (worth over $1 billion) .

2. Nikola will pay GM $700 million to manufacture up to 50,000 Badger electric pickup trucks (and a future fuel-cell version), production that will help GM achieve economies of scale.

3. GM keeps 80% of the regulatory emissions credits from sales of the Badger and can bid on the sale of the remaining credits — helpful in offsetting GM's continued sales of gasoline-powered trucks and SUVs.

4. GM will also supply the fuel cell systems to Nikola's future big semi-trucks.

Whether GM was part of the fraud from the get go, or happened to stumble upon it and willingly participated in it remains to be determined by SEC and DoJ. Given the current times, I would not be surprised the administration letting GM, an American company, keep its loot.

Nevertheless, this seems like a smart fraudulent roundabout way for a flailing company to secure public market funding, subsidies and business without the burden of its own brand or financials. Will this become a new blueprint in crony capitalism should authorities fail in prosecuting and unwinding this fraud?

Hindsight bias.

We are in a pandemic and this won’t be the last. Gov’ts and society are scrambling to contain the virus, save lives, economy and society. Pandemics sow seeds of mistrust among neighbors, xenophobia and society starts falling apart. Be kind, compassionate and constructive if you can help it. This is about self-preservation. If there was ever a case for “move fast, break things”, this is it. Your location data is already whored out to target you in every which way. We have tremendous data and tech capabilities. We should absolutely use them to effectively track and quarantine the contagion. For me the threat of terrorism and Patriot act was bullshit reason to erode our rights and liberties, but this is different. We should absolutely revisit these encroachments on privacy by out gov’t in a post-mortem and legislate accordingly.

When it comes to gov’t, I share a healthy dosage of mistrust. This is one of the reasons I support the second amendment. But remember that the gov’t are of the people and for the people. It is THE institution to defend our individual selves against threats we can’t individually battle. As Michael Lewis puts it, we have got to stop gutting the gov’t due to reactionary fear-mongering and mistrust. We are only robbing ourselves and our children of their future. This is a reason to feel patriotic for me.

Potentially narrow down and identify asymptomatic spreaders of the virus in early forming geo clusters. This information could lead to more effective quarantine measures early on or post containment to avoid further outbreak eruptions.

Temporary ripples, but mainly not much. What happens? Opportunities for people and local geographies, innovation. Words of Nassim Nicholas Taleb ring in my head. Failure is healthy to the overall health of a system. When you hide risk and prop up failure, it blows up spectacularly. Never has there been so many bureaucrats benefiting from the benefit of the true harbingers of innovation.

This. Imo, this passive aggressively skirting around the issue is just giving one some petty satisfaction. Chances are likely the the interrupter isn’t aware. Tell the person not to interrupt bluntly if that’s your gripe.