LARRY PAGE: I Would Rather Give My Billions To Elon Musk

Posted by sdesapio 10 years ago to Business
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"In a conversation with Charlie Rose at a TED conference on Wednesday, Page said he wanted his money going to capitalists like Musk — those with big ideas for changing the world"
SOURCE URL: http://www.businessinsider.com/larry-page-elon-musk-2014-3


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  • Posted by $ Stormi 10 years ago
    The guy scares me. He definitely sounds liberal. How long before he goes over the edge like Bill Gates and decides how many of us should live? He found it necessary to use the word philanthropy, so he is not pure.
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  • Posted by ObjectiveAnalyst 10 years ago
    He has the right idea but is on the wrong track. He should invest his money now, in companies that have a proven track record of creativity, profitability and job creation. Obama threw money at companies with big dreams like Solyndra, Beacon power, etc. Sure, it is fine to put some towards promising technology and R&D, but the quickest way to make a difference is to put most of your investment into things that work and fight against the arbitrary gov't obstacles that inhibit both the innovators and the tried and true.
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  • Posted by $ jlc 10 years ago
    I am amazed at the negative Gulch response to a high-profile pro-capitalism, pro-technology statement. Charlie Rose can stand under my umbrella during any rainstorm. Let us go to Mars, and then further! We will perhaps learn enough about the universe that we will have a whole new set of physical and mathematical tools in a few decades - and we will not achieve that sitting on this beautiful big ball of dirt.

    Jan
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  • Posted by $ Thoritsu 10 years ago
    I actually like his message. He told the masses than an investment in a company is a faster, more efficient means to an end than donations to a charity (or by inference Government). This is powerful, and he speaks to a demographic most capitalists have eal problems appealing to. We may not agree with his goal, but it is his money after all, and I for one, and very pleased such a message is getting to the younger, socialist-leaning lemmings!
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  • Posted by jamesjenkins 10 years ago
    Musk is NOT a capitalist. He is a tool of the government and government subsidies. His companies LIVE on tax payer dollars. The only thing he has created is a transfer of our wealth to his company. A company that can not be profitable without our tax dollars. He is a Cap and Trade lover. This guy page must be just as bad.
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  • Posted by $ jbrenner 10 years ago
    Google had always scared the s*** out of me, especially with what they did to foster the Arab Spring (Winter?). I now have a little more respect for Larry Page. Don't get me wrong. I still don't trust Larry Page. But, maybe, as Luke Skywalker was able to turn Darth Vader, some good can be found in him to turn him away from the Dark Side.
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  • Posted by Herb7734 10 years ago
    I like the idea, but how do you find the right person? There aren't many John Galts out there with miracle motors to finance.
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    • Posted by $ jbrenner 10 years ago
      I once had a business partner who invented the equivalent to the Mr. Fusion (actually a plasma arc reactor for ionizing a variety of hydrocarbon wastes) that Doc Brown put the banana peel into to power the DeLorean from the Back to the Future movies. He was likely as close to Galt as I will ever meet. It's too bad we had to go Galt with that business.

      Now that I think about it, I have a college sophomore working for me that really reminds me of John Galt. I can do a lot of things, but he blows me away almost daily. He has three different projects progressing nicely with me in about 10 hours per week. Then he works 20 hours per week for another guy who runs our electronics and 3D printing shop. And he still gets straight A's. I don't think he needs to sleep.

      If you want to fund a 3D printing of metals project, he is your next John Galt.
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  • Posted by MikeJoyous 10 years ago
    Personally I'd prefer that he get involved with distributing Rand's works to every teacher in America and to have million dollar essay contests about Objectivism. Let those contests be open to teachers as well as to students. He has enough money that, if he really got energized about Rand's works, it might really help to turn this country's direction towards a self-interested capitalism. Talk about BIG change for the buck!
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  • Posted by shivas 10 years ago
    A little anecdotal evidence on lighting the water coming out of the faucet: I come from the Marcellus shale region and many of those who lived out in the country and drew their tap water from a well have been able to light their tap water since the well was drilled. Long before any fracking took place. If they opposed the fracking, that fact didn't stop them from using those videos against the oil companies.
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  • Posted by FlukeMan2 10 years ago
    I like the way he's lead Google. Google stands to show that entrepreneurs can help the world more than government ever has.

    "I’m really dismayed. Most people think corporations are basically evil. They get a bad rap. And that’s somewhat correct, if companies are doing the same incremental things they did 20 years ago. But that’s not really what we need. Especially in tech, we need revolutionary change, not incremental change. ... We have a lot of employees at Google who’ve become pretty wealthy. You’re working because you want to change the world and make it better; if the company you work for is worthy of your time, why not your money as well? We just don’t think about that. I’d like for us to help out more than we are."
    - Google CEO Larry Page
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  • Posted by barwick11 10 years ago
    I like some of these "capitalists" ideas (like Musk), but that guys is a giant liberal. Either that or he's talking the liberal talk to try to get greenies on his side with all his environmental crap.
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    • Posted by evlwhtguy 10 years ago
      Exactly my take on his comments....he wasn’t talking about investing in something practical like Fracking....just this pie in the sky crap.
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      • Posted by khalling 10 years ago
        One needs visionaries. Often disruptive technologies come onto the scene looking very 'pie in the sky.'
        Lasers, 3D printing, genetic engineering, etc. rarely new technologies are readily adopted and often the wealthy and innovators are first to try it out. But the govt should never pick the winners and losers and Musk has gone after that as part of his formula ever since he sold paypal.
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        • Posted by evlwhtguy 10 years ago
          You are correct about that....but at the risk of sounding like a Luddite...there are some things that get in the way of things like colonizing Mars....like Physics!
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          • Posted by khalling 10 years ago
            well the colonization part of the concept is the PR draw. projecting goals into the future often speed the invention. Let's think landing on the moon. I have many favorite scenes from Apollo 13 where invention is flying fast, pardon the pun, because of need that arises in the middle of the mission. and these inventions were incorporated into future designs. One of my favorite parts is a scene where the camera pans across the command center and everyone is furiously working their slide rules. the personal calculator was only a few short years away from everyone's hands, not just NASA engineers'. What disruptive game changer is around the corner? I have a huge bias. I don't see electric vehicles as a game changer. and what opportunities may be lost or overshadowed by govt focus and encouragement of their pet projects?
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            • Posted by barwick11 10 years ago
              I don't know how one can't see electric vehicles as a game changer, not from an environmentalist standpoint, but from a "save me a ton of money every year" standpoint.

              Each and every driver in this nation that works spends roughly $2000 every year on gas (15k miles @ 25 mpg, x $3.50/gal). Assuming 100 million daily commuters, and not counting heavy trucks, that's $200 billion every single year that isn't blown on gasoline.

              That's also millions of people who no longer have to work pumping oil out of the ground at the rates we do, and who are now free to do some OTHER form of useful work.

              Even counting the cost of electricity (let's say 1/3rd the cost of gasoline per mile driven), that's still a huge chunk of money saved every year.
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              • Posted by khalling 10 years ago
                http://fullcomment.nationalpost.com/2013...
                the big elephant in the room: electricity is mainly produced with FOSSIL FUELS. the efficiency of generating the electricity, transmitting the electricity, putting it in a battery then getting it out of a battery to run a motor is not very impressive from an efficiency standpoint. as well, over the life of the vehicle it costs the purchaser an additional $12000 a year. I guess subtract your $2000 how is that a game changer. there needs to be big advancements in battery tech broadly speaking like fuel cells. how about chemical energy into electrical energy efficiently. I'm sure jbrenner knows much more about that...
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