Personally I see parallels between D'Anconia and his mines and Elon and Twitter. Not as clear cut and dramatic as in AS but similarities.

See, I can imagine a world with AI Driven Suicide Car Bombs... LOL

Consider the whole from his position. His actions are legal, profitable and arguably helpful to some people. Electric vehicles are largely a bad idea but there are some uses. No one claims that energy drinks are good for you. That people should drink Monster or Redbull exclusively; yet, those companies are selling their product as fast as they can make it .Are the producers of those products immoral for taking advantage of the fact that they are legal?

Several issues I have with this approach.

1) The assumption that AI will ever get this right. I have serious doubts. Was just listening to a co-worker today who was stressed out about having to be ready to override the autopilot because it was flaky. And he has a late-model Tesla. I think people are assuming that AI will at some point approach the intelligence of a human being. I think that we ought not to count on this.

2) Asimov. There are no moral controls on these AI's. None. Morals are for human beings and as we've seen with the FBI/CIA and big tech, these are way too easy to corrupt. We've also seen how ChatGPT has a distinctly progressive bent because of how it was trained. And the big tech companies lean progressive...

3) The "mandate" that vehicles have SWARM technology. The networking involved there is absolutely insane AND would necessitate a system that tracks you everywhere you go. That part alone should make ANY liberty-minded individual very uncomfortable.

I'm seeing a LOT of red flags here. Queue Terminator theme song and cut to Skynet...

Using your rationale, Elon is a hero while Galt, Readen, and D'Anconia are fools for going on strike.
That is false reasoning.
Elon has freedom of choice and has chosen to conspire with evil for short term profit that will result in destruction long term.
The evil is as obvious to Elon as it is to me.
He is not a symptom; his actions make him a cause.
Such actions are as good in the long run as unlimited fiat currency is for the value of the USD.

Playing devils advocate, Musk took advantage of the rules he was offered. That said, no other car company retains as much control over your car (after you bought it) as Tesla does. Down to whether he allows you to charge your own car.

So getting government's sanction to loot the public is morally permissible? That how one makes his/her fortune is less important than whether it gets made at all? Ummmmm.....

Agreed! Yet it would be impossible to argue that he isn't working in HIS best interest. He is using the system. It is the SYSTEM that we need to be change, Elon is a symptom of the problem not the cause.

Yes, the evil was allowed to spread (using the banking cartel's power.)

Short term profit is foolish if you become a slave in the longer term.
Tesla is not the embodiment of Rearden metal or Galt's engine.
Elon is not the embodiment of Galt, Rearden, or D'anconia.
They didn't accept the government bribes.
Did they place the good of mankind over their own?
They could have profited in the short term from collusion with government.
Galt was offered control of virtually all government policy; he refused the bribe.

Not so, the bank employee is employed by the bank and has a duty to his employer. Whereas, Elon not being employed by the Government has a duty to himself.

When the number of cars has been reduced to 1% of current by eliminating all but the wealthy the software can be much simpler.
The control of dissidents will be much simpler, too. Progress will be all but eliminated since the market for improvements will be relatively tiny
and the creation of ideas will be sovietized. Financial incentives will be non-existent and production will revert to the feudal dark ages.
That is what awaits future generations of serfs if we do nothing.

You have a point; however, it seems that Prescott Bush was well rewarded for his actions in that he made a large sum of money and got multiple of his descendants into high offices.

Yes, there are actions that are wrong (Evil) and we should all stand for what is right (Good) but are we to place the good of ourselves/ family over the good of mankind in general?

Well, there is ANOTHER Angle. I have a friend from University whose son works at Tesla...

the real value is the software, mapping, and the AI.
Musk has MILLIONS of hours of drivable roads, intersections, accidents, emergencies, etc.

That AI needs this to train with is obvious. That there will be an industry standard on this stuff. That there will be companies willing to license this data.
That having an AI Driven vehicle that MUST BE insured by the provider of the AI (and these people will self-insure, and use re-insurance).

Then, they will use government to MANDATE a certain level of training/certification for ANY AI...

And then they will mandate SWARM mode communications between ALL cars, of all makes/models, so that they can avoid accidents, and when one car has a blowout, it can be given the path it needs to get to the side of the road without an accident.

Elon is playing a VERY LONG Game using SHORT Incentives. Many of his financial incentives are now being stripped away... Since he made it work.

Also, along the way, we become VERY educated. The new engine designs, the new braking systems. I wonder what would happen if Musk was working on UAPs or Planes...

Imagine a modular plan where (like those roller skates that strap OVER your shoes), the fuselage loaded with people and cargo and food, were what you waited in. Fully fueled up, and ready to go.

The plane lands, a crane moves the fuselage out. Bolts the new one in. And taxi's away.

Passengers and bags from the old plane (fuselage) disembark from all exits. It's cleaned an reloaded just in time for the next plane.

Things like that WONT happen until someone gets deeply involved with what's wrong with the current state of the art and starts changing things.

Should the government "Pick" the winners and losers... No... But I don't mind some incentives to move things forward... UNFORTUNATELY such things ALWAYS get corrupted!

By that logic a bank employee should be praised for selling vault codes in a bank robbery.

So did Orren Boyle.

I appreciate your position; yet, I cannot imagine anyone who found themselves in a similar position as he was in not taking said advantage. I do not blame him I blame those that created the situation.

By that rationale Prescott Bush should be praised for helping Nazi Germany's war efforts for profit.
Some profitable actions are wrong on principle.
Being a sympathizer with evil was once punished and those who do
so today are assisting in the WEF plan to enslave mankind.
All that is necessary for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing (or worse, to conspire with evil for profit.)

He is wrong for taking advantage of it in order to make money on a product that is not viable. He continues and reinforces the program making resisting tyranny more difficult and increasing poverty. I have no respect for him.

The entire situation that Elon took advantage of should have NEVER existed; yet, the fact that he took advantage of the opportunity is EXACTLY what makes America great. When there is an opportunity to exploit and advantage and make oneself incredibly rich. One would be wrong to not take the opportunity when it is offered. It is just wrong that the Government made this opportunity available.

Musk didn't set up the corrupt government, but he figured out how to use it.

and let us not forget the little "feature" that when the servers are down, you cannot drive his POS cars.....

+1,000,000