zlacker

On a related story. Tesla was saved by a $500 million bailout loan from the DEO loan office. Part of the agreement was that the US government would take a stake in Tesla UNLESS they pay back the loan ahead of schedule. That's why Tesla paid it back ahead of schedule, Elon didn't want the government to take a stake. But he spun it as a victory for the US tax payer.

EDIT: Before downvoting, tell me where I'm wrong.

>>mempko+(OP)
You're wrong because it wasn't some bailout it was a normal government loan available to to a wide range of companies. I'm not Tesla stan but it's massively misrepresenting the loan to call it a bailout. It's the kind of market investing the government should be doing, underwriting somewhat riskier loans to push the envelope on technology.

https://www.energy.gov/lpo/advanced-technology-vehicles-manu...

>>vel0ci+ze
What would have happened to Tesla without the loan? You don't think the DOE loan department had no idea of their finances? A bailout by another name is called?

>>mempko+Svb
If a bakery goes to a bank and gets a loan to fix their ovens is that a bailout?

Things like TARP bailouts and the auto industry bailout were weird one-off programs with very narrow beneficiaries that nobody else really had access to. This loan program in question is a normal, long standing program that anyone can apply for and has funded a lot of different things. Do you not see a difference between these?