Breaking News: Elon Musk admits he has Asperger's during SNL monologue

[Autistic Yoda]

Elon Musk! Anyone see it coming?

Elon Musk Reveals He Has Asperger’s On ‘Saturday Night Live’

 

[Au Naturel]

I had him pegged as "highly probable" long ago but I don't do diagnoses of other people. I think he's the coolest guy around but there are those who hate him.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

Always suspected, but this is the first time of any confirmation. Elon is one of my inspirations. I've got the solar panels, the storage battery, and two of his cars,...and made a bunch of money on Dogecoin. Looking forward to the future with Elon, a fellow Aspie, guiding the way.

 

[Ronald Zeeman]

Lots of succsessful aspies out there

 

[MyLifeAsAnAspie]

Yes, I had decided he was some time ago. A biography on him sends mixed messages on the subject. Biographer attributes high school bullying to his odd name (yeah right). But also includes a story from a woman he met at a party who reported that all he wanted to talk about was electric cars (long before Tesla). Then a googled him again last year and found they kept checking is hearing as a little kid. Same here, and it doesn't get much obvious than that.

Maybe he had the same epiphany as me, Greta Thunberg is brave enough to go public and I'm still hiding behind this not-very-effective mask .

 

[Magna]

I thought it was very cool that he disclosed his autism to the world. So...should we (ie humanity) still be working to find a "cure" for autism?... (Not!). < Given his accomplishments and how they may/will benefit humanity. Plus, he's still young. Who knows what other things he might come up with in his lifetime that could benefit humanity.

 

[Magna]

And yet Autism Speaks and other people think autism is something that still needs to be "cured".

 

[Neonatal RRT]

And yet Autism Speaks and other people think autism is something that still needs to be "cured".

Yeah,...I think some things need to be put into some meaningful context. We cannot lump "autism" into one group. So many variants. I can see the personal tragedy of a person being born with such severe impairment to the point where they are in such distress and dysfunction that daily living activities are nearly impossible. I wouldn't wish that upon anyone,...and I may be open to some sort of "cure" for this particular group of individuals. However, there are people like Elon at the other end, extraordinary individuals at I feel we need more of. Then we have the millions of people scattered somewhere in between in terms of their daily functional abilities,...and this is where things can get a bit nebulous.

 

[Finder]

I do not appreciate rich jerks making us the butt of a joke. Lets face it, if it was not for his resources (and his talented employees), we would never have heard of Elon Musk. He really has not done anything someone else has not thought of before. He just had the money. I do not find him particularly intelligent, just petulant

 

[OkRad]

Uh oh. Now that sets the bar a whole lot higher for most of us.............

 

[Magna]

I do not appreciate rich jerks making us the butt of a joke. Lets face it, if it was not for his resources (and his talented employees), we would never have heard of Elon Musk. He really has not done anything someone else has not thought of before. He just had the money. I do not find him particularly intelligent, just petulant

I know that one of the most common criticisms of Greta Thunberg is being petulant.

Hopefully however, overall high profile people such as Musk and Thunberg can contribute to an overall positive view of autistic people in society.

 

[Finder]

I know that one of the most common criticisms of Greta Thunberg is being petulant.

Hopefully however, overall high profile people such as Musk and Thunberg can contribute to an overall positive view of autistic people in society.

And that is the problem, Musk does not really create a positive view of autistics. He actually reinforces the negative "Sheldon Cooper" stereotype of a geek, arrogance, and a lack of empathy.

Thunberg, in contrast, was attacked politically by right-wing groups trying deny climate change because of the success of her message. Thunberg is nothing like Musk.

 

[Judge]

Hopefully however, overall high profile people such as Musk and Thunberg can contribute to an overall positive view of autistic people in society.

They can if they desire.

However I suspect such people have an intense sense of tunnel-vision when it comes to their own personal goals and will be forever focused elsewhere. But then most of us on the spectrum probably would be as well if we had their resources.

At this point I'll settle for just the notion of some out there who potentially can break or broaden the spectrum of perceived stereotypes when it comes to autistic people. Then again the rich and powerful tend to be stereotyped as well.

Either way I don't see many recognized visionaries winning any popularity contests either.

 

[Magna]

And that is the problem, Musk does not really create a positive view of autistics. He actually reinforces the negative "Sheldon Cooper" stereotype of a geek, arrogance, and a lack of empathy.

Thunberg, in contrast, was attacked politically by right-wing groups trying deny climate change because of the success of her message. Thunberg is nothing like Musk.

Petulance is a type of behavior. " insolent or rude in speech or behavior. "

I'm not sticking up for nor am I criticising Musk or Thunberg in the context of this thread. Thunberg may have been attacked by "right-wing groups" as a rejection of her message. Her message is not a behavior. I'm simply stating a fact that independent of her message she has been criticised for petulance in how she has delivered her message.

I'm pointing out opinions:

Some people do not think Musk is petulant. Some people do.

Some people do not think Thunberg is petulant. Some people do.

Everyone is entitled to their own opinions.

 

[Neonatal RRT]

I do not appreciate rich jerks making us the butt of a joke. Lets face it, if it was not for his resources (and his talented employees), we would never have heard of Elon Musk. He really has not done anything someone else has not thought of before. He just had the money. I do not find him particularly intelligent, just petulant

Nothing could be further from the truth. His financial resources came from himself, not others. As a child, he created a video game, which he sold. He created what is now PayPal, which he sold. He created Tesla, sold it, then rebought it. It's only been since he sold PayPal that he has had any money, and was at the point of loosing everything several times afterward. He had to borrow millions of dollars in order to get the ball rolling with Tesla. As far as him not doing anything someone else has not thought of before,...even Thomas Edison borrowed the idea of the incandescent light bulb,...but to make something that works better than the previous, produce at scale, and have it at a price point where it can be mass marketed,...that is not an easy accomplishment. If you ever want to get a sense of how intelligent Elon Musk is, listen to Sandy Munro of Munro and Associates describe what he found when he did a tear down of the latest Tesla Model Y, and his visit to Space X. The motors and several components are from the space industry, not automotive. Elon is probably the only CEO who is an engineer that can pivot from automobile making, to battery production, to solar, to satellites, to computer design, to tunnel making, to rocketry and discuss the tiniest theoretical and practical applications of different alloys, chemistry, physics, etc with his own engineering teams. He's extremely hands on. It's one thing to be proficient in a particular area,...but to be proficient in several areas is extremely rare,...almost unheard of. To suggest that he is not particularly intelligent is absurd,...he's likely at least a few standard deviations higher than average. Most engineers that do a tear down of any of his products generally cannot repeat the process and don't even understand the materials he is using to produce the products,...his vehicles are 10 years ahead of any such competition and accelerating forward faster each year. Most electric vehicles that have come out from any of the other manufactures in 2021 are just about 2012-era Tesla. There is no such thing and never will be a so-called "Tesla killer",...there is no competition,...not as long as Elon is at the helm. Now, as far as his talented employees,...absolutely,...my two sons are engineers and would never work for Elon. Elon expects his team to be working a minimum of 60 hrs/week. He expects them to push innovation and have failures,...or else be replaced. This is not a gig for your average engineer,...he expects exceptionalism on his team.

You can hate on him if that's your thing, but hate on him for the right reasons.

 

[Judge]

I don't see the point of judging visionaries on their personalities. I just see them for what they are. People that aren't satisfied with just talking about something. Where they make things happen with profound results. I believe Elon Musk fits that description. But then the private sector does as well.

If it helps people in understanding the broader nature of autism, so be it. If not, oh well...

I still chuckle thinking about that old tv series with Andy Griffith about private sector ventures in the space program. Always thought it was a joke. But Elon Musk made it really happen, and in my lifetime.

Though SpaceX is not the only competitor in this market either. Time will tell whether or not Musk continues to lead in the headlines, or if he ends up sharing the laurels with others.

The top 10 business visionaries creating value for the world

 

[_eri_bellehumeur]

I do not appreciate rich jerks making us the butt of a joke. Lets face it, if it was not for his resources (and his talented employees), we would never have heard of Elon Musk. He really has not done anything someone else has not thought of before. He just had the money. I do not find him particularly intelligent, just petulant

I agree. He's rich, maybe smart but mostly just privileged and morally bankrupt. It's not hard to make money when you already have a lot of it to begin with, feel you are better than others and aren't afraid that others will need to suffer in order for you to reach your goals. I don't see Elon as an autistic advocate by any means, as I interpreted his monologue as saying "don't hold me accountable for the stupid things I say please, I am autistic and eccentric".

 

[Finder]

Nothing could be further from the truth. His financial resources came from himself, not others. As a child, he created a video game, which he sold. He created what is now PayPal, which he sold. He created Tesla, sold it, then rebought it. It's only been since he sold PayPal that he has had any money, and was at the point of loosing everything several times afterward. He had to borrow millions of dollars in order to get the ball rolling with Tesla. As far as him not doing anything someone else has not thought of before,...even Thomas Edison borrowed the idea of the incandescent light bulb,...but to make something that works better than the previous, produce at scale, and have it at a price point where it can be mass marketed,...that is not an easy accomplishment. If you ever want to get a sense of how intelligent Elon Musk is, listen to Sandy Munro of Munro and Associates describe what he found when he did a tear down of the latest Tesla Model Y, and his visit to Space X. The motors and several components are from the space industry, not automotive. Elon is probably the only CEO who is an engineer that can pivot from automobile making, to battery production, to solar, to satellites, to computer design, to tunnel making, to rocketry and discuss the tiniest theoretical and practical applications of different alloys, chemistry, physics, etc with his own engineering teams. He's extremely hands on. It's one thing to be proficient in a particular area,...but to be proficient in several areas is extremely rare,...almost unheard of. To suggest that he is not particularly intelligent is absurd,...he's likely at least a few standard deviations higher than average. Most engineers that do a tear down of any of his products generally cannot repeat the process and don't even understand the materials he is using to produce the products,...his vehicles are 10 years ahead of any such competition and accelerating forward faster each year. Most electric vehicles that have come out from any of the other manufactures in 2021 are just about 2012-era Tesla. There is and never will be a so-called "Tesla killer",...there is no competition. Now, as far as his talented employees,...absolutely,...my two sons are engineers and would never work for Elon. Elon expects his team to be working a minimum of 60 hrs/week. He expects them to push innovation and have failures,...or else be replaced. This is not a gig for your average engineer,...he expects exceptionalism on his team.

You can hate on him if that's your thing, but hate him for the right reasons.

I don't hate him--what a strange thing to say. However, his parents are wealthy. He had a very similar trajectory as Bill Gates. Yes, he is a good engineer, but there are many polymaths. He made a ton of money out of PayPal, as did others. That is also about being at the right place at the right time where online banking was taking off. That certainly gave him financial clout, which he needed as his Tesla business has had to be supported by injecting outside cash.

As you pointed out, he is abusive toward his workers. But that does not create either a creative work environment nor an efficient one. But like a lot of wealthy people, he can afford to be abusive. That is not a sign of intelligence. Anyone that think abuse creates better outcomes has not read the science.

Suggesting you can rescue boys trapped in a cave with a submarine does not sound very intelligent. Then lashing out at someone that knows how to do is not a sign of intelligence. He also has a hard time understanding biology and how viruses work. Allowing disease and injuries (not a great safety record at Tesla) in the workplace is not an intelligent business decision.

But in software development and engineering, he seems to have talent. Hard to separate his contribution from those that also work on these projects. But that is also a very narrow definition of intelligence. Arthur Conan Doyle was intelligent, but also believed in the occult. Kary Mullis is a Nobel Prize winning scientist and a bizarre conspiracy theorist that believes he was abducted by an alien, among other things.

I guess I don't see Elon Musk as someone that is revolutionary, but is very good at applied sciences. His success has much to do with luck as having ability. Meritocracy is just not a thing. I think you will find him pretty human and that resources are more of a factor in his "success" than innate talent. I would be more impressed if he had the talent of his eponymous car company.

Now, you obviously admire the person. And it does you credit to defend him.

 

[Au Naturel]

Elon Musk is a brilliant visionary and probably the greatest engineering genius of our age. He didn't just happen to stumble on a bag of money and make a company.

There is a gigantic gap between having an idea and bringing it to fruition. Nobody else has accomplished what he has. I believe there are people who just don't want to believe that Musk might be the smartest person on the planet, so they write it all off as lucky money.

Musk succeeded wildly because his business model was different. SpaceX is delivering where the military-industrial complex could not because he isn't afraid to fail. Failure is part of the engineering plan. Launch a rocket and it blows up. Fix the problem and launch it again. It blows up again. Rinse and repeat. One fine day it doesn't blow up and it is on to the next step.

This is an alien concept to traditional aerospace. If something doesn't work, heads roll and massive cost overruns ensue. Consequently, chances don't get taken and innovation crawls along at a snail's pace. ULA still hasn't launched a human to orbit and Blue Origin's "New Glen" rocket is still spare parts in a hangar.

 

[Magna]

I know when I peruse Huffington Post, it seems to have a largely negative view of Musk. I'm not really sure why though.