What has happened to Elon Musk?
A highlight reel of the billionaire Tesla CEOs activities since early March includes his pooh-poohing the coronavirus panic as dumb; keeping his northern California factory open in defiance of local public health orders; falsely asserting that children are essentially immune from the virus; providing a giant platform to promoters of an unproven and potentially dangerous treatment; predicting (inaccurately) that the US would have no new cases of Covid-19 by the end of April; attempting to re-open the factory before the end of the local shelter-in-place order; and calling shelter-in-place orders fascist. (Lets not even get into the drama over whether the BiPap machines he donated to some hospitals count as ventilators.)
Musks dissemination of misinformation about the virus is not without consequences
Musks dissemination of misinformation about the virus is not without consequences. He has more than 33m followers on Twitter and a fan base that tends to exalt him as a cross between Tony Stark and God. A recent study published as a letter in the Journal of the American Medical Association Internal Medicine linked his tweet about chloroquine, an anti-malaria drug that was subsequently touted as a potential Covid-19 treatment by Donald Trump, to a dramatic surge in online demand for the prescription medication. They werent aware of it, they werent interested in it they were trying to buy it, John Ayers, a UC San Diego professor of medicine and one of the studys authors, told the Guardian in an interview.
The chloroquine document that Musk shared was an example of what the infectious disease expert Carl Bergstrom has described as quantitative bullshit the use of statistics and data to persuade someone by overwhelming and intimidating them, without any allegiance to truth or accuracy. Last week, Musk was apparently taken in by another pair of coronavirus bullshit artists, this time a pair of doctors from Bakersfield, California.
Drs Dan Erickson and Artin Massihi held a press conference to promote the idea that Covid-19 is much more widespread and much less deadly than what ivory tower figures such as Dr Anthony Fauci have said. Docs make good points, Musk tweeted, with a link to a YouTube video of the 50-minute press conference. (YouTube removed the video for spreading misinformation, but not before it received millions of views; one of the doctors has gone on to make appearances on Fox News.)
The docs did not make good points. After opening his remarks by defining science like a high schooler writing a term paper (What is science? Essentially, its the study of the natural world through experiment, through observation, so thats what were doing) Erickson presented testing data from the chain of urgent care clinics they own. The clinics have performed 5,213 Covid-19 tests and had 340 positive results, which they claimed means that there is a 6.5% rate of infection in the local population. The pair performed the same math (positive tests divided by total tests) on the statewide numbers of 33,865 positive tests out of 280,900 total, to arrive at a 12% infection rate for the state. From there, they calculated that California has had a total of 4.7m infections and calculated that the death rate for people who contract Covid-19 in California is just 0.03% much lower than that of the seasonal flu.
None of this stands up to scrutiny. In order to assume that the rate of infection amongst a small number of people can apply to the entire population, you have to use a random and representative sample. But the people who are getting tested at urgent care clinics in California are neither random nor representative; they are people with severe symptoms or who are performing certain essential jobs. Figuring out the actual infection rate across the broader population will require careful sampling that avoids this selection bias.
The Bakersfield duo used their meaningless numbers to argue that shelter-in-place orders must be lifted a position that Musk clearly also holds. (In an extraordinary joint statement, the American College of Emergency Physicians and the American Academy of Emergency Medicine jointly and emphatically condemn[ed] the pair, and suggested they were releasing biased, non-peer reviewed data to advance their personal financial interests without regard for the publics health.)
The issue is not that Musk has staked out a contrarian stance on the coronavirus. There are difficult debates that need to be had over how and when to restart the economy in order to minimize long term economic harms and maximize public health. We can and should have that discussion, and we should do it without impugning the moral character of everyone who argues for a faster loosening of restrictions.
But its increasingly difficult to take Musk seriously when he makes his argument by cherry-picking numbers or relying on blatant misuse of data. Please, make your case, but make it using real facts, and not by playing fast and loose with numbers in an effort to mislead the public about what is actually happening. Otherwise you look and sound a lot less like the brilliant engineer and entrepreneur, and a lot more like just another used car salesman.
Excerpt from:
Coronavirus has Elon Musk acting like just another used car salesman - The Guardian
- Elon Musk bought Twitter because the account tracking his private jet annoyed him, book says - Quartz - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Elon Musk Says Employees Are 'More Productive' in the Office. A New Study Says He's Wrong - Inc. - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Elon Musk, fuming over $55 billion Tesla pay ruling, switches Neuralink incorporation from Delaware to Nevada - Fortune - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- SpaceX files to move incorporation site from Delaware to Texas - CNBC - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Top labor economist says dont believe the AI doom narrativeand his reason why is the underpopulation crisis Elon Musk talks about - Fortune - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Elon Musk to his sycophant pet journalist Matt Taibbi: "You are dead to me" - Boing Boing - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Ukraine Says Russia Is Using Starlink at the Front Line, Prompting Pushback From Elon Musk - The Wall Street Journal - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Elon Musk opposes aid to Ukraine, says Putin can't lose Bloomberg - Yahoo News - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Musk ordered to testify again in SEC investigation of Twitter takeover - The Guardian - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Tesla Stock Is Up Again. What's the Latest News. - Barron's - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Who killed Twitter? - Platformer - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- Ex-Twitter engineer says Musk wrongly fired him for leaking information to the press - Business Insider - February 16th, 2024 [February 16th, 2024]
- How Teslas Board Can Solve Its Elon Musk Problem Without Overpaying - Barron's - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk: Diversity-based hiring is antisemitic - POLITICO Europe - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk Backs Prediction of 1 Billion Humanoid Robots by 2040 - Elon Musk Backs Prediction of 1 Billion Humanoid ... - IoT World Today - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk, CEO of X, to visit Poland amidst online antisemitism uproar - NBC News - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk expresses shock about the Holocaust after Auschwitz visit that was incredibly moving, and deeply sad and tragic that humans could do this to... - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk says he is 'Jewish by Association' after Auschwitz visit - USA TODAY - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- MrBeast's first video on X made $263,000 in win for Elon Musk's creator dreambut the YouTube star dismissed the ... - Yahoo Finance - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musks satellite army has a new target: Connecting the $183 billion farm industry to high-tech ag tools - Fortune - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Everything Elon Musk Did During His Visit To Auschwitz - The Onion - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk visits Auschwitz after uproar over antisemitic messages on X - The Guardian - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk visits Auschwitz with Ben Shapiro - The Jerusalem Post - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- At Auschwitz, Musk says social media, free speech would have prevented extermination - The Times of Israel - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Musk on visiting Auschwitz: It will take a few days to sink in - Forward - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Stellantis CEO warns of EV bloodbath and race to the bottom if car makers follow Elon Musks lead and start cutting prices - Fortune - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk says audits show less antisemitism on X than other apps - Fox Business - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Musk vs. Zuckerberg: Elon seems to envy the other CEO's Meta control - Business Insider - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk With Ben Shapiro in Auschwitz: Another Cynical Whitewashing Performance - Haaretz Today - Haaretz - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk visits Auschwitz after uproar over antisemitic messages on X - South China Morning Post - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Following Auschwitz visit, Elon Musk says X could have saved Jews from the Holocaust - JTA News - Jewish Telegraphic Agency - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Will Elon Musk's xAI Be The Downfall Of OpenAI After Sam Altman's Betrayal and Ousting? - Yahoo Finance - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk Surprisingly Reacts to Bitcoin's Epic Surge By U.Today - Investing.com - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk visits Auschwitz amid uproar over antisemitic messages - Business Insider - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- MrBeast reveals his first video on X made $263,000but the YouTube multi-millionaire dismissed the cash as a facade and is giving it away - Fortune - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk Just Demanded 25 Percent of Tesla Stock. Here's Why That's Not as Crazy as It Sounds - Inc. - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk lays wreath at Auschwitz after private tour with Ben Shapiro and European rabbi - Baptist News Global - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk denies AI startup has raised $500M of $1B goal - Fox Business - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk's Tesla Confronts 'Black Cloud': Q4 Earnings Must Draw 'Line In The Sand Around Margins,' Analy - Benzinga - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk visits Auschwitz, says he was 'naive' about antisemitism: 'Two-thirds of my friends are Jewish' - New York Post - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk pledges to fund any Irish legal challenges to hate speech legislation - The Irish Times - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- X appears to be juicing MrBeast's views as Elon Musk tries to woo the YouTuber to the platform - Mashable - January 23rd, 2024 [January 23rd, 2024]
- Elon Musk Wants You to Use Neuralink to Lose Weight. That's a Bad Idea. - The Daily Beast - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- Twitter Violated Contract by Withholding Employee Bonuses, Judge Rules - The Daily Beast - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- How Elon Musk Made Himself the Internet's Main Character in 2023 - Vanity Fair - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- Elon Musks X Breached Twitter Worker Contracts By Refusing Bonuses, Judge Rules - Forbes - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- Elon Musk's X accused of not paying employee bonuses after promising them verbally, to face court battle - India Today - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- How Elon Musk became the world's most famous poster - Business Insider - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- Sam Altmans OpenAI to be second-most valuable U.S. startup behind Elon Musks SpaceX based on early-talks funding round - Fortune - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- Judge rules that Twitter violated contract when it withheld millions of dollars in bonuses - Courthouse News Service - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- Elon Musk reveals production plans of low-cost Tesla model: The revolution [of] that car will blow peoples minds - Yahoo - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- Tesla in 2024 will have 'moving pieces' from the Cybertruck to EV pricing - Austin American-Statesman - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- Hyperloop, Elon Musks Pipe Dream, Bites the Dust - Rolling Stone - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- The best books that CEOs read in 2023 from Airbnbs success story to Elon Musks biography - Fortune - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- Elon Musk's Feud With Disney CEO Bob Iger Spills Over to Tesla - Observer - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- Musk and Tesla are battling unions across Scandinavia. What comes next in the labor dispute? - The Associated Press - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- From AI and inflation to Elon Musk and Taylor Swift, the business stories that dominated 2023 - The Associated Press - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- Elon Musk Calls It 'Insane' -- But What Does the World Think? - Inc. - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- How Donald Trump and Elon Musk killed Twitter, with Marty Baron and Zoe Schiffer - The Verge - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- Hyperloop One to Shut Down After Failing to Reinvent Transit - Bloomberg - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- Tesla Stock 2024 Forecast: Will the Elon Musk-Run Company Break Out to New Highs? - Nasdaq - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- 49% of Americans dislike tech billionaires, but you probably still want to be like themhere's why, say experts - CNBC - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- Startup that tried to realize Musk's hyperloop dream is shuttering - Business Insider - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- The year of social media soul-searching: Twitter dies, X and Threads are born and AI gets personal - The Associated Press - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- Elon Musk wants Grok to be the 'funniest' AI chatbot - Business Insider - December 27th, 2023 [December 27th, 2023]
- Musk's Erratic Behavior May Be Caused By Escalating Drug Use, Associates Say - The Daily Beast - August 24th, 2023 [August 24th, 2023]
- Keith Lee pitches Mr. Beast fight on Elon Musk vs. Mark Zuckerberg card - MMA Fighting - August 24th, 2023 [August 24th, 2023]
- Elon Musk Is Apparently Making the US Government Quite Nervous - Futurism - August 24th, 2023 [August 24th, 2023]
- Elon Musk Says He 'Looks Forward' To Visiting India In 2024 - Benzinga India - August 24th, 2023 [August 24th, 2023]
- Elon Musk, Sundar Pichai Applaud Chandrayaan-3's Landing on ... - The Weather Channel - August 24th, 2023 [August 24th, 2023]
- Tesla CEO Elon Musk still isn't ready to release hard information on ... - Longview News-Journal - August 24th, 2023 [August 24th, 2023]
- Mark Zuckerberg vs Elon Musk: clash of the tech egos - Financial Times - July 9th, 2023 [July 9th, 2023]
- "I Look..": How Elon Musk Reacted To His Viral Childhood Pic - NDTV - July 9th, 2023 [July 9th, 2023]
- Elon Musk believes Tesla will have 'level 4 or 5' self-driving this year ... - Electrek - July 9th, 2023 [July 9th, 2023]
- Arnold Schwarzeneggers Son Already Gives Up, Amid Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerberg Rigorously Hustling to Outdo Each Other: Honestly Dont Think I Have It... - July 9th, 2023 [July 9th, 2023]
- Elon Musk Responds To His Parody Account's "Lizard Boy" Tweet - NDTV - July 9th, 2023 [July 9th, 2023]
- Musk sues law firm for $135m bill on Twitter deal - The Australian Financial Review - July 9th, 2023 [July 9th, 2023]
- `Insane`: Elon Musk Reacts To His Viral Baby Picture, Netizens Say This - Zee News - July 9th, 2023 [July 9th, 2023]
- Mark Zuckerberg Trolls Elon Musk Over Threads With First Tweet ... - The Daily Beast - July 9th, 2023 [July 9th, 2023]
- An Elon Musk-Controlled Charging Network Imperils The EV ... - Jalopnik - July 9th, 2023 [July 9th, 2023]