Summary

Parallels between Henry Ford and Elon Musk illustrate their transformative roles in automaking alongside troubling political affiliations.

Ford’s antisemitism and support for Nazi Germany mirror Musk’s current opposition to unions and endorsement of Germany’s far-right AfD party, which is linked to neo-Nazism.

Musk’s intervention in Germany’s election and promotion of far-right figures on X echoes Ford’s use of media to propagate hate.

Both industrialists are criticized for their social and political impact beyond their industries, with Musk’s actions raising alarm about democracy and labor rights.

  • @[email protected]
    link
    fedilink
    142 days ago

    Ford was selling cars in the 1920s, trying to use absolute values is absurd. Take a look at things like market share. How many cars did Tesla produce this year compared to the rest of the auto industry? It’s a clear minority, not even close to the combined might of the rest of the industry. That is how I can say 7 million is not alot; because it isn’t. 15 million cars were sold in the United States in 2024. That’s one country, one year, buying twice as many cars as the lifetime production of Tesla. That is the scale we are playing in, one where Tesla sales are responsible for just about 11% of the total cars sold in the U.S. last year.

    • @NotMyOldRedditName
      link
      -14
      edit-2
      2 days ago

      The difference, however, is that Ford actually sold a lot of cars.

      Looks like OP is trying to compare the two me.

      7 Million of the 2nd most expensive thing people typically ever buy is a lot, whether you want to try and convince yourself it’s not.