Opinion: Now would be the time for Apple to buy Tesla, and kick Musk out of the driver's seat
Elon Musk has put an end to his idea to take Tesla private, but still has a tough road ahead to meet profitability and production projections, especially as Tesla handles expected investigations and lawsuits stemming from Musk's ridiculous "funding secured" misadventure. Apple, meanwhile, has billions in cash to burn, manufacturing prowess, obvious interests in entering the car market and finding new form factors beyond the smartphone — and the pull to tell Musk his services are no longer needed.
[...] Apple does have a lot more money than Tesla, which is running out of cash fast. It also has a chief executive in Tim Cook who knows about dealing with supply chains, mass manufacturing and all the other processes that sound easy when Musk describes them but are nearly impossible when Tesla attempts to perform them.
[...] On Monday, Loup Ventures analyst Gene Munster played down the theories that Apple might attempt some sort of deal, saying that if Tesla becomes profitable, the notion is just a fairy tale. "If we're wrong, and Tesla fails to reach profitability in the next year, Apple gains the upper hand and becomes the most likely investor or buyer," Munster wrote in a blog post.
[...] Apple knows a little something about building a strong profit margin with a premium product sold through its own retail outlets, and could handle many of the other issues that will continue to beset Musk and Tesla. In his now legendary tearful interview with the New York Times, Musk admitted that Tesla has sought another executive to handle operations, and even said that "anyone who can do a better job" could have the CEO role.
(Score: 5, Informative) by Absolutely.Geek on Tuesday August 28 2018, @11:57PM
The fundamental differences between the companies mean that it would never work.
Tesla: anyone can use our patents for free and we wont sue you.
Apple: we spent years stealing other peoples ideas; but if you dare copy our rounded rectangle we we do everything in our power to destroy you and you rcompany.
Tesla: we are trying to transition the world away from damaging fossil fuels; we make our cars better over time by updating the software in them for as long as possible
Apple: we have a planned time frame to obsolete the hardware we sell; we optimize this to the buying cycles of the consumers we sell to
Tesla: we treat our US workers like shit; but they can just quit.
Apple: we treat our Chinese workers like slaves and put up suicide netting to prevent even the sweet escape of death.
Tesla: we fucked up and made some batteries that don't work correctly; we replace them under warranty with no questions asked.
Apple: we fucked up and designed a (antenna, bendy phone, keyboard that is killed by a single grain of sand) your warranty means nothing to us as we deny there is an issue for as long as possible. You will just buy our next shiny trinket anyway.
Don't trust the police or the government - Shihad: My mind's sedate.