Back

It's the year 2000.

X and PayPal are fighting over the pay-by-email market. Both are burning cash through user signup offers so fast that a merger becomes inevitable (I'll cover all this in tomorrow's thread).

Musk (X) is REALLY not happy about this merger. He wants to WIN the war between the companies.

Thiel (PayPal) is happy. He HAS won from his perspective. He wants a merger into a super-company as that's where he sees the profit. /2

Indeed Thiel had seen the writing on the wall, as did Bill Harris (formerly of Intuit) who had become X's CEO after Elon (its biggest investor) stepped back to the CTO role.

This merger is Thiel and Harris' baby and they have created to save both companies and make lots of money, and ensure a final good funding round before the Dot Com bubble bursts.

Elon HATES it. But he has no choice. Harris has bullied Elon into it by threatening to quit otherwise. No Harris and investors panic. /3

Anyway. Elon (a lover of cars) has a BEAUTIFUL McLaren F1. One of only 7 legal to drive in the US at the time. He regularly drives it to work.

And today, Musk and Thiel are to meet Mike Moritz of Sequoia and sell him on the merger, alongside Harris.

So Musk offers to pick Thiel up. Thiel agrees as X and Paypal have offices close together.

Elon turns up in the McLaren F1. /4

Musk and Thiel have a growing dislike of each other, even at this point. But Thiel knows they need to prep for the meeting and have got t work together.

So fine. Let's do this in the supercar we're apparently going to this meeting in. Whatever.

Except as they drive, all the can do is talk awkwardly about the car /5

And, as they're driving up Sand Hill Road in Menlo Park awkwardly talking about the damn car, Thiel ends up half-heartedly saying:

"So what can this thing do?"

"Watch this." Says Elon and does the WORST THING you can do in an McLaren F1.

He slams down the accelerator and tries to changes lane. /6

McLaren F1's are not normal cars. They are lethal works of art. They are racing cars DISGUISED as barely-legal street cars.

They lack all of the regular things - such as driving aids and traction control - designed to stop average people from fucking themselves up while driving them.

McLaren F1s are built on the presumption that you understand risk and driving, and that they assume you will not be an idiot. /7

Anyway. Musk IMMEDIATELY realises his mistake but it is too late.

The McLaren lurches forward like the predator it is, WHILE ALSO moving sideways, almost slamming Musk and Thiel into the back of another car.

Musk desperately yanks the wheel back, oversteers, hits an embankment and sends the car flying through the air, before crashing violently back to earth. /8

SOMEHOW despite the fact neither Musk nor Thiel are wearing seatbelts, they exit the car uninjured.

Thiel silently walks back to the road, flags down a lift and heads off to the merger meeting.

Elon turns up a bit later.

Neither man tells Moritz or Harris why they are late. /9

And that is how Musk wrecked his (uninsured - did I mention that?) McLaren F1.

The car sat in his garage as a wreck for a few years then he sold it on to another car lover who sent it back to McLaren for restoration.

And if you've ever wondered why the inability of a billionaire villain to safely drive a supercar is a key plot point in Glass Onion...

...well, now you know. /END

ADDENDUM ON SOURCING:

Both Musk and Thiel have spoken on the record about this incident a number of times, although they obviously put a positive spin on it.

You can hear Elon telling his version here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mOI8GWoMF4M

@garius wow. Shocker.

@eduqate @garius nope. In many states, you can pay an uninsured motorist fee and drive without insurance.

There are even loopholes to drive without tags, if you have enough money, like the one Steve Jobs exploited

@chrisisgr8 @garius reminds me of Rep Scalise who was the literal target of a shooter. Injured and allegedly, subsequently required to use a colostomy bag for the rest of his life, did he change one bit re sane gun laws?

Maybe if he was laid to rest, his family would be the loud voices for factual understanding of 2A and just what a well-regulated militia really means. Article 1, Section 8, Clauses 15&16 for those who are curious.

@tslumley @garius Theory: Elon is an Egomaniac, he thinks he deserves to drive like he pleases and all the other folks are incompetent. Therefore he wants all other folks to use self driving, while he maintains the ability to drive himself .
Also it's likely, that he sees the car as faulty and thinks, that he (his company) can build better cars (Tesla Roadster).

@gom @tslumley @garius
Mostly agree, though the Roadster was pre-Elon.

@pdcawley @garius
That's around when the bad TL started

@garius

The Wikipedia article says the "Ameritech" federalized F1s had the side seats removed. Which would be even worse.

Don't get me wrong, I'm shedding no tears for Thiel.

@guigsy just writing up the full story of that now...

@JetForMe @garius @deeje There can only be one Bond villain at a time, it's just jockeying for position.