Paean to FSD, Tesla Automatic Driving

I drive a Tesla Model 3 that has "FSD," full self driving. It is a safer driver than me or anyone else I know. I never touch the accelerator or brake pedals, and I never use the steering wheel. It has avoided two accident accidents in the last week. One of those near-misses was dramatic. I had merged onto w/b Clayton Road in Ballwin. I was in the right lane. All of a sudden, my car lurked to the right (toward the shoulder) and I was thinking "what's going on?" The car reacted like a cat before I even knew what was happening. Just then, a car driven by a crazed maniac came within 2 inches of smashing the left side of my car. My car immediately moved 2 to 3 feet to the right upon seeing that car approaching with its left side and rear cameras.

The car's reaction time is instant, whereas human reaction time would be one and a half seconds. It is is able to see things that I cannot see, and this is also often critically important. In this case, I was looking ahead. If you review postings on X you will see dozens of these cases of near accidents that were recorded by the dash cam of the Tesla owner involved. In some of them, lives were saved without doubt. My passenger was amazed when this happened (as was I) and we both concluded that in five years, all new cars will be self driving.

This was two days after the car drove my co-counsel and I all the way to Jefferson City for a court hearing and back (about 250 miles) without any human intervention except where a traffic light was burned out. I nudged it through the intersection although it actually would have eventually figured that out too if I had just given it a chance (based on prior situations). It drives through construction zones without any hesitation, ignoring the road, signs and road markings and, instead, follows the construction zone signs. This technology is truly something to behold and the FSD software is continually being updated, just like with an iPhone.

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About Tesla Self-Driving (FSD)

Four months ago I bought a Tesla Model 3. Prices have fallen over the years. The base model (already loaded with features) is now $38K with a range > 300 miles. For those who haven't yet experienced self-driving, you are in for a treat. The software (now vers 14.2) is incredibly smooth, intuitive and safe. Stats show it's 7 times less likely to get into a major or minor collision than when you drive a car yourself. This technology has already saved many lives. The self-driving completely handles the car, but at this point you still need to supervise-you sit in the driver's seat and watch this miracle unfold, trip after trip. The plan is that eventually all Teslas (including those currently on the road) will be completely self-driven and won't need any human supervision. If you are not on a public road (e.g., a store parking lot), you can already use your phone app to summon your car from its parking spot to pick you up at the door.

The self-driving relies on 8 cameras and AI, which it shares with hundreds of thousands of Teslas already on the road. It emulates human vision, which requires an immense amount of data compression. As Elon Musk explains: "The single biggest technical challenge of Tesla self-driving AI is context compression of 1.5GB/s of video to ~2kB/s of control outputs using a puny inference computer without making any mistakes. Super hard to avoid overly lossy compression at any given step."

Even if you are not in the market for a car, if you're curious about the technology, go take a self-drive at a dealer. Every time I've introduced a friend to self-driving, it has been a jaw-dropping experience. And that's in additional to all the other safety and performance features on this amazing computer on wheels. And the base price includes an 8-year battery guaranty and 4-year bumper to bumper warranty.

BTW, I'm not getting paid to write this. This is an amazing car and many people aren't aware of this technology because Tesla does very little paid advertising. Its happy customers spread the word for Tesla.

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Elon Musk’s Role at Tesla

I keep seeing this meme on FB. I suspect it's an attempt to argue that Elon Musk hasn't done anything significant at Tesla. I hear this all the time from people who don't like Musk. But facts first: Courtesy of Grok, here's a summary of what Musk does at Tesla:

Elon Musk holds the position of CEO at Tesla, where he is also referred to as the "Technoking of Tesla," a title he adopted in 2021. His responsibilities at Tesla include:

Product Design and Engineering: Musk leads all product design, engineering, and global manufacturing of Tesla's electric vehicles, battery products, and solar energy products. This involves overseeing the development from concept to production.

Strategic Direction: As CEO, he sets the strategic direction for the company, focusing on Tesla's mission to accelerate the world's transition to sustainable energy.

Innovation and Technology Leadership: Musk is deeply involved in the innovation process, often directly contributing to technological advancements, especially in areas critical to Tesla like autonomy (Full Self-Driving or FSD), battery technology, and robotics (like the Optimus project).

Corporate Governance: Although he stepped down as chairman of Tesla's board in 2018 due to an SEC settlement, he remains a significant influence in corporate governance decisions due to his role as CEO and his ownership stake.

Public Representation: Musk represents Tesla publicly, including at investor meetings, product launches, and on social media platforms like X, where he communicates with customers, fans, and critics alike, influencing public perception and company culture.

Operational Oversight: Recent reports indicate that Musk now oversees Tesla's sales operations in several key regions including North America, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa, highlighting his hands-on approach in operational aspects of the business.

His role has been described as integral to Tesla's identity and success, with some suggesting that his influence is so significant that Tesla thrives largely due to his direct involvement in innovation and management.

What happened to Tarpenning ad Eberhard. Grok's explanation is much more nuanced than the meme: "Did musk push out Mark Tarpenning and martin Eberhard from tesla?

Grok's Answer

The narrative around Elon Musk's relationship with Tesla's co-founders, Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, involves several perspectives:

Foundation of Tesla: Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning founded Tesla in 2003. Musk joined the company as an investor in 2004, bringing in significant capital and becoming chairman of the board.

Musk's Involvement: Musk's role quickly grew beyond that of an investor. He was instrumental in shaping the vision and direction of Tesla, not just with his financial investment but also through his involvement in product design and strategic decisions.

Eberhard's Departure: Eberhard was removed as CEO in 2007. According to various accounts:

Musk's Perspective: Musk has stated that Eberhard was removed due to operational issues, particularly related to the production delays of the Tesla Roadster. He has described Eberhard as difficult to work with, labeling him as "the worst person I've ever worked with" in some interviews.

Eberhard's Perspective: Eberhard has claimed that Musk tried to rewrite history by claiming to be a founder of Tesla. After his departure, Eberhard sued Musk for libel, slander, and breach of contract in 2009, alleging that Musk pushed him out and attempted to diminish his contributions to Tesla. The lawsuit was settled, with part of the agreement recognizing Musk and others as co-founders alongside Eberhard and Tarpenning.

Tarpenning's Departure: Marc Tarpenning left Tesla in 2008, not under the same contentious circumstances as Eberhard. Reports suggest that Tarpenning's departure was more amicable; he stepped down around the time when the first Roadsters were being finalized for production. He has expressed no regrets about his time at Tesla and continues to be involved in the tech and startup ecosystem.

Public and Internal Perception: There's a split in perception. Some view Musk's actions as aggressive takeover tactics, while others see his involvement as crucial for Tesla's survival and growth. Musk himself has noted that his involvement was essential beyond just his financial investment, claiming that without his input, the company might not have succeeded.

Given this background, while Musk didn't "push out" Tarpenning in the same manner as Eberhard (Tarpenning's exit was less dramatic), Musk's growing influence and direct involvement in key decisions did lead to significant changes in leadership at Tesla. Eberhard's departure was indeed contentious, involving legal action, whereas Tarpenning's was more about transitioning from his role at a pivotal time in Tesla's development.

The situation reflects a complex interplay of ambition, vision, and business strategy, where Musk's assertive leadership style and vision for Tesla played a critical role in these transitions.

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