Asklemmy

He sells a personal brand as much as whatever he technical feats his companies accomplish. A consequence of that continuous self serving sales pitch is that facts waver into fantasy. When it does and people point out incongruencies there's a knee jerk reaction from the more cult like believers. For an crowd that's so focused on factual scientific rigor, people start acting very religious when it comes to their hero.

That's what he is. He's the archetype 21st century tech geek hero. Made millions from a startup and then became a crass billionaire playboy. That's the brand he sells.

I suppose he doesn't do as much hands on dirty work as he did in the dotcom startup days. He knows how to surround himself with smart people. I remember watching some stream where he had a panel of experts. He was trying to talk himself up but clearly some panel members were frustrated with his attempts to look smarter than he is. So awkward watching that. It felt like a school presentation where the kid who did nothing for the project tries to act like he did.

In Canada we've got some initiatives to get remote communities hooked up to the new satellite internet tech. Around social media the Musk evangelists are quick to praise him as the tech Jesus right on cue. There have been other programs working on the same LEO internet services too. It goes back a few years along side whatever Starlink was doing too. It's not like he invented this or is the first and only player on the field. But people perceive it to be because he's a showman and that's his pitch.