Elon Musk does "Ask Me Anything (AMA)" session on Reddit

32no · Jan 4, 2015

Elon Musk is scheduled to have an AMA session on Reddit tomorrow at 9 PM.

For the benefit of those who are not familiar with Reddit, an AMA is a popular "ask me anything" thread on Reddit where people ask questions to famous or interesting people. All of the AMAs are supposedly confirmed by moderators, so this is probably not a hoax. I think some of us investors and owners have some various questions that are yet to be answered and since this is Elon Musk, he is probably the most capable to answer our questions. We can discuss possible questions and the answers he provides in this thread.

The AMA will take place at 9 PM Eastern on January 5, 2015

Link to first post related to the AMA

Link to the AMA schedule

Link to AMA question suggestion thread for those who will not be awake

LINK TO AMA SUB-REDDIT (THIS IS WHERE THE AMA WILL TAKE PLACE)

vgrinshpun · Jan 4, 2015

Thanks for posting this, 32no! I do not have account on reddit, would you ask the following question for me:

Assuming that external market conditions are not prohibitive, what automobile market strategy would you prefer Tesla Motors to follow:

Mass market auto manufacturer (Toyota).

Premium auto manufacturer (BMW), developer and manufacturer of electric drivetrains for other automobile companies.

Premium auto manufacturer (BMW), developer of electric drivetrains, licensing this technology to other auto manufacturers.

Lump · Jan 4, 2015

I PM'd DaveT, hopefully he can participate & ask some questions, having attended the shareholders meeting & listening to ridiculous questions about Tesla garments & the super genius guy that wanted Elon's job it would be a shame to miss another opportunity to get important info.

32no · Jan 4, 2015

Here are the questions I would LOVE to get answered:

1. (vgrinshpun's question) Assuming that external market conditions are not prohibitive, what automobile market strategy would you prefer Tesla Motors to follow:

A. Mass market auto manufacturer (Toyota).
B. Premium auto manufacturer (BMW), developer and manufacturer of electric drivetrains for other automobile companies.
C. Premium auto manufacturer (BMW), developer of electric drivetrains, licensing this technology to other auto manufacturers.

2. What operating margin does Tesla aim for in the 2020 time frame, when Tesla will be producing 500,000 vehicles/year?

3. When does Tesla plan on becoming free cash flow positive?

4. While the Gigafactory is supposed to cut battery costs by 30% before the Model 3 is released, how much further will Tesla cut battery costs by 2020?

5. How significant is Tesla's technology in the battery cell and pack? (Some believe that Tesla just spot welds Panasonic 18650 cells and wraps it into a pack, which means that any other company can partner with Panasonic and make similar batteries)

6. Do you still work 100 hours a week with a 60/40 split between Tesla and SpaceX respectively, or has your schedule changed?

7. When will you do a blog that addresses well-to-wheels carbon emissions of electric vehicles vs gasoline vehicles and maybe hydrogen vehicles as well?

spentan · Jan 4, 2015

Are the answers posted so that they are accessible later?

Would be interesting to go through them one by one.

32no · Jan 4, 2015

spentan said:
Are the answers posted so that they are accessible later?

Would be interesting to go through them one by one.

Yes. It will be similar a TMC thread. There will be an original post from Elon Musk, and then a bunch of comments that are displayed based on how many more "upvotes" minus "downvotes" each comment has. Then the whole thread will be up for reference.

Johan · Jan 4, 2015

It will be interesting but I'm sure he won't answer TSLA investment related questions in any more detail than he has before in quarterly calls or shareholder meetings.

He attends as Elon Musk and everything that goes with, not just as the CEO of Tesla Motors Inc.

Auzie · Jan 4, 2015

I hope no one asks him what he thinks about TSLA

Jack6591 · Jan 4, 2015

I would like to ask the following question:

Could you provide some color on the intellectual property of SpaceX, Tesla Motors, and SolarCity and how that IP is shared and not shared?

RobStark · Jan 4, 2015

Johan said:
It will be interesting but I'm sure he won't answer TSLA investment related questions in any more detail than he has before in quarterly calls or shareholder meetings.

But Elon isn't asked all the Right questions on quarterly calls and shareholder meetings.

He could totally answer "Where do you see Tesla Motors in 20 years.... As a mass market Toyota Motors or Volkswagen with premium lines within the portfolio or an exclusive premium market automaker like BMW or Mercedes Benz?"

Or in 20 years, what percentage of revenue do you foresee being automotive related vs energy storage related?

yobigd20 · Jan 4, 2015

Someone needs to ask/inform him about insurance rate sharp increases due to absurdly high repair costs and Tesla's refusal to sell parts to third parties and whether or not they plan on doing anything about it. I'd also like to know when they plan on showing a prototype for Model 3 and how exactly they plan on keeping the costs down at $35k when some research reports say that the gigafactory will only reduce the cost of batteries by about $3k per car. Also how they plan on keeping service center repair costs down for out of warranty vehicles (like how to broken center console without forking out $6k).

RobStark · Jan 4, 2015

yobigd20 said:
how exactly

That is something he would not answer exactly only in general terms.

Exactly would be not only Tesla but Panasonic proprietary information.

Repairs,parts, salvage vehicles I would like the question too but he will say that safety is more important than cost.

ryanjm · Jan 4, 2015

I too lack a Reddit account. If anyone wants to ask on my behalf, I'd love to know:

-How much do you anticipate a fully-maxed-out Model 3 will cost?

-Will AWD be offered on Model 3 from the beginning?

Nomad · Jan 4, 2015

Just a heads up, reddit accounts are incredibly easy to create. It takes seconds. You don't even need an email address. Furthermore, creating one just for this AMA wouldn't be considered bad form; people create accounts called throwaways all the time.

bollar · Jan 4, 2015

Gee, the "Valet Mode" promised in Q2/13 isn't top of the list?

omarsultan · Jan 4, 2015

I am kind of surprised they are doing this as they should be in quiet period - I would not expect him to respond to anything that might be considered material.

linkster · Jan 4, 2015

bollar said:
Gee, the "Valet Mode" promised in Q2/13 isn't top of the list?

I hope so.

As I stated before, this was/is so important to us that I had the "Empress" ask Elon at TESLIVE during Q & A session. IMO, the possibility (now more than ever with the introduction if the P85D) of some unsuspecting 3rd party/valet of incurring property damage, personal injury or even death is far too great to ignore from a safety/$TSLA perspective.

drinkerofkoolaid · Jan 4, 2015

omarsultan said:
I am kind of surprised they are doing this as they should be in quiet period - I would not expect him to respond to anything that might be considered material.

Why would Tesla be in a quiet period? Auto Show and Press conference in 10 days, Space X launch Tuesday, and earnings aren't expected to be reported until February.

aznt1217 · Jan 4, 2015

You shouldn't bunch up questions. They should be short and quick to reply. He's going to get bombarded between the divorce, Tesla, Solar city, spacex, hyperloop, etc. There's going to be a handful.

GreenT · Jan 4, 2015

My number 1 question is - how is he balancing his 4 companies, kids, ex-wives; etc. ? I am NOT being nosey, but there aren't enough hours in a week to spend quality time on all 11.

Did I add that up right?

SpaceX, Tesla, SolarCity, Hyper???, wife 1 (visitation), wife 2 (even probably Talulah doesn't count for visitation as they're not her biological kids); and 5 kids.

Elon Musk does "Ask Me Anything (AMA)" session on Reddit

Member

Well-Known Member

Active Member

Member

Active Member

Member

Ex got M3 in the divorce, waiting for EU Model Y!

Tree Hugger Member

Active Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Well-Known Member

Tesla Podcast Host

Member

Disgruntled Member

Active Member

Active Member

Active Member

Active Member

verT

Similar threads