Latest / Core Memory / He Bought The First Tesla Roadster 2 In 2013 - EP 42 Konstantin Othmer

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He Bought The First Tesla Roadster 2 In 2013 - EP 42 Konstantin Othmer · Core Memory

0:00
SPEAKER_01: Are you actively considering making an electric flying car?
0:02
SPEAKER_01: Is this...
0:05
SPEAKER_02: Well,
0:05
SPEAKER_02: we'll have to see in the...
0:06
SPEAKER_02: So when you do this,
0:08
SPEAKER_01: like,
0:08
SPEAKER_01: are you going to have a retractable wing?
0:12
SPEAKER_02: We should do this live, right?
0:13
SPEAKER_02: Let's do it, let's do it.
0:14
SPEAKER_02: It's just too...
0:15
SPEAKER_02: Here,
0:16
SPEAKER_02: I'll do a little intro,
0:17
SPEAKER_02: and then we'll do it,
0:18
SPEAKER_02: and I'll just edit everything.
0:19
SPEAKER_02: Edit it down to nothing, yeah.
0:21
SPEAKER_02: All right, this is an emergency podcast.
0:40
SPEAKER_02: I ran in to an old friend, acquaintance, Constantine Othmer.
0:45
SPEAKER_02: Othmer, yeah.
0:46
SPEAKER_02: Othmer.
0:47
SPEAKER_02: Constantine, thank you for being in the hallways.
0:51
SPEAKER_02: Thank you for recognizing me.
0:52
SPEAKER_02: I think it's been 12 years.
0:54
SPEAKER_02: It has.
0:55
SPEAKER_02: About 12 years since I saw you.
0:56
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, so I interviewed you when I was doing my biography on Elon.
0:59
SPEAKER_02: Wait, and did you do the wired...
1:02
SPEAKER_02: No.
1:03
SPEAKER_02: Article about driving the Model S as a sidecar?
1:06
SPEAKER_02: No, no.
1:06
SPEAKER_02: That was not me.
1:07
SPEAKER_02: That was not me.
1:07
SPEAKER_02: But we met somewhere before that.
1:09
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
1:09
Well,
1:09
and I covered one of your startups as well when you guys were
1:14
doing the cloud car,
1:15
right?
1:16
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
1:16
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
1:16
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
1:17
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
1:17
SPEAKER_02: But you were a huge help.
1:18
SPEAKER_02: I remember I was doing the book.
1:19
SPEAKER_02: And so...
1:21
SPEAKER_02: This is terrible,
1:22
SPEAKER_02: because I wrote an entire book about this,
1:23
SPEAKER_02: so I want to get the history right,
1:25
SPEAKER_02: but it was you,
1:28
SPEAKER_02: Bruce Leek,
1:29
SPEAKER_02: and Peter Barrett.
1:31
You guys were all together when we hired...
1:33
Well,
1:34
before that,
1:34
for the book...
1:36
SPEAKER_02: Didn't Elon work as an intern for all three?
1:39
SPEAKER_02: You're going way back.
1:40
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
1:40
SPEAKER_02: So there's actually some pretty crazy stories about some of this.
1:44
So yes,
1:45
Bruce Leak and Peter were at a company called Rocket Science
1:47
Games.
1:48
SPEAKER_02: Which had an incredible roster of people.
1:51
SPEAKER_02: Tony Fidel, I think?
1:53
SPEAKER_02: Tony was not involved.
1:54
SPEAKER_02: Steve Blank.
1:55
SPEAKER_02: Okay, right, right, right.
1:56
SPEAKER_02: It was like the rock stars of Silicon Valley that started this,
2:00
SPEAKER_02: you know,
2:00
SPEAKER_02: it was a Sega gaming on CD-ROM.
2:03
SPEAKER_02: And they were making basically cinema quality,
2:08
SPEAKER_02: like video movies as a game on Sega,
2:12
SPEAKER_02: which seemed like almost impossible,
2:13
SPEAKER_02: right?
2:14
SPEAKER_02: And they got the best guys.
2:15
SPEAKER_02: Bruce, as you know, created QuickTime at Apple.
2:18
Peter created the first codec for the first video compressor
2:23
for QuickTime at Apple.
2:25
SPEAKER_02: And they started this company,
2:26
SPEAKER_02: Rocket Science Game,
2:27
SPEAKER_02: that was making these video game kind of things.
2:30
SPEAKER_02: If you remember, it goes back.
2:31
SPEAKER_02: It shows how old I am, Dragon's Lair.
2:33
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
2:33
SPEAKER_02: You remember that game?
2:34
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
2:35
SPEAKER_02: But it wasn't really a video game, but it looked great.
2:39
SPEAKER_02: So they were coming out with that for Sega's.
2:41
SPEAKER_02: And the company had just rocks.
2:43
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's a good Silicon Valley lesson here.
2:45
SPEAKER_02: Like rock stars on every aspect of it.
2:47
SPEAKER_02: But when the games came out, it was tough.
2:50
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
2:51
SPEAKER_02: They weren't fun to play.
2:53
SPEAKER_02: But those guys were phenomenal.
2:55
SPEAKER_02: And you guys were friends or you were an investor?
2:57
SPEAKER_02: I knew Bruce from Apple from well before that.
3:02
SPEAKER_02: And Peter Barrett was at SuperMac, which was producing stuff for Apple.
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SPEAKER_02: I was in charge of the graphic system at Apple.
3:08
I took it over from Bruce,
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Quick Draw,
3:10
when Bruce went on to do QuickTime.
3:12
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
3:13
SPEAKER_02: But as I remember, so I got to know all three of you.
3:16
SPEAKER_02: As a result of, well, so Elon was an intern at Rocky Games.
3:20
SPEAKER_02: This was a long time ago.
3:21
SPEAKER_02: So that's 1993, 1994.
3:22
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
3:23
SPEAKER_02: So they were kind of his first boss, really.
3:26
SPEAKER_02: And then,
3:26
SPEAKER_02: so when I was doing the book,
3:27
I got to know all three of you because you guys are friends and
3:29
you were helping me
3:30
SPEAKER_02: with stories from back in the day when Elon was a pup and all that.
3:35
SPEAKER_02: And then this is why this is an emergency.
3:37
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
3:38
SPEAKER_02: As I was getting into... So my book came out in 2015.
3:42
SPEAKER_02: I was probably talking to you in like 13, 14.
3:44
SPEAKER_02: 2013 is when we had that conversation.
3:47
SPEAKER_02: Okay, so... When you came by Cloud Car.
3:49
SPEAKER_02: Right.
3:50
SPEAKER_02: And so Elon...
3:52
SPEAKER_02: So in the book,
3:53
SPEAKER_02: I write that you had the first order on the Tesla Roadster Model 2.
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SPEAKER_02: So this is how far back this goes.
4:02
SPEAKER_02: So Tesla was already...
4:04
SPEAKER_02: Tell me the story.
4:05
SPEAKER_02: How far back do you want to go?
4:07
SPEAKER_02: I've got a little bit of a logic.
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SPEAKER_02: You were an early Tesla roadster buyer to begin with.
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SPEAKER_02: And investor.
4:12
SPEAKER_02: And investor.
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SPEAKER_02: Okay, so yeah.
4:14
SPEAKER_02: Okay, I'm going to set everybody up for one second.
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SPEAKER_02: So what we're going to get into now...
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SPEAKER_02: Is the very first order of the Roadster 2 and the origins behind that.
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SPEAKER_02: And this story, as we've laid out, goes back more than a decade.
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SPEAKER_02: So yeah, set me up.
4:29
SPEAKER_02: Set me up.
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When did you first start hearing about Tesla and put yourself
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even in a position
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SPEAKER_02: to...
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SPEAKER_02: I can tie together a couple of wacky things.
4:37
SPEAKER_02: In fact, last night we had dinner with Will Harvey.
4:40
SPEAKER_02: All right, what do we do at Core Memory?
4:42
SPEAKER_02: We cover innovative,
4:43
SPEAKER_02: fast-moving,
4:45
SPEAKER_02: forward-thinking companies,
4:46
SPEAKER_02: which is why Core Memory is sponsored by Brex,
4:50
because Brex is the intelligent finance platform for many of
4:55
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4:56
SPEAKER_02: 30,000 companies from startups to the world's largest corporations.
5:01
rely on brex's technology for their finances they've got smart
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5:23
SPEAKER_02: have to waste your time on it yourself
5:26
Go to brex.com slash core memory to learn more and just,
5:31
you know,
5:31
get with the program.
5:32
SPEAKER_02: Let's get going.
5:33
Let's get out of this archaic finance software and move toward
5:37
the future core memory and Brex.
5:41
SPEAKER_02: Will Harvey ended up taking over rocket science games.
5:45
SPEAKER_02: I was flying little electric airplanes with Will Harvey.
5:49
SPEAKER_02: And they flew like 25 minutes.
5:52
SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, this is unbelievable.
5:53
SPEAKER_02: On a tiny little battery, this plane flying for 25 minutes.
5:56
SPEAKER_02: And I asked Will, I said, someone's got to put this thing into cars.
6:00
SPEAKER_02: And I didn't really know anything about cars, right?
6:01
SPEAKER_02: But I kind of go from hobby to hobby.
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And Will said,
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oh,
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a matter of fact,
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a good friend of mine's neighbor is doing that.
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SPEAKER_02: He's putting them in this Lotus.
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I'm like...
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SPEAKER_02: You got to introduce me.
6:11
SPEAKER_02: You got to introduce me.
6:12
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
6:12
SPEAKER_02: Introduce me to this guy.
6:13
SPEAKER_02: I got to get one of these cars.
6:15
SPEAKER_02: Um, this is ever harder.
6:17
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
6:18
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
6:18
SPEAKER_02: It was Martin.
6:19
Um,
6:19
it was,
6:20
it was a neighbor of a friend of Will's,
6:21
but I'm asking everybody about this.
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SPEAKER_02: And, uh, so I asked Bruce and like, Hey, you know, do you know this guy?
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SPEAKER_02: Do you know this guy?
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Um,
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I asked,
6:27
uh,
6:27
Andy Rubin,
6:28
who was at,
6:29
uh,
6:29
doing Android at Google at the time.
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SPEAKER_02: And Andy said, oh, you don't want that thing.
6:32
You know,
6:33
and he had some reason for,
6:35
for why he didn't think it was going to be very good.
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SPEAKER_02: Um, so I dropped it.
6:39
SPEAKER_02: Like, okay, whatever.
6:40
SPEAKER_02: And then Bruce and I were working together actually on another company.
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SPEAKER_02: This was in 2005 or so.
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SPEAKER_02: Okay.
6:48
SPEAKER_02: I was doing a company called Core Mobility, doing mobile phone stuff.
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SPEAKER_02: And Bruce calls me up and says,
6:52
SPEAKER_02: hey,
6:53
SPEAKER_02: that car you've been talking about,
6:55
SPEAKER_02: it's on the cover of the Wall Street Journal.
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SPEAKER_02: I'm like, okay, yeah.
6:59
SPEAKER_02: So he goes, let's go check it out.
7:02
SPEAKER_02: I'm like, what?
7:03
SPEAKER_02: What do you mean?
7:03
SPEAKER_02: Let's go check it out.
7:04
SPEAKER_02: I guess, let's just go over there.
7:06
Like,
7:07
SPEAKER_02: Like for lunch or what?
7:08
SPEAKER_02: He goes, yeah, let's go there for lunch.
7:09
SPEAKER_02: So- He's probably saying Carlos then?
7:12
SPEAKER_02: That's what they're- Like on Bing Street?
7:14
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
7:16
SPEAKER_02: So this is like their first warehouse shop.
7:18
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, that warehouse, right?
7:19
SPEAKER_02: And we just look it up, get the address.
7:23
SPEAKER_02: We don't call anything.
7:24
SPEAKER_02: And we find the place, you know, it says Tesla.
7:26
SPEAKER_02: It's not like a big deal.
7:28
SPEAKER_02: Knock on the door.
7:29
SPEAKER_02: It's locked.
7:30
SPEAKER_02: First of all, it's locked.
7:30
SPEAKER_02: You can see there's a desk there, but there's no one at the desk.
7:33
SPEAKER_02: We knock on the door.
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SPEAKER_02: Eventually someone comes out and they're like, who are you guys?
7:39
SPEAKER_02: And we're like, well, we want to see the car.
7:41
SPEAKER_02: And they're like, yeah, well, who are you?
7:43
SPEAKER_02: And I didn't know this at the time, but Elon had worked for Bruce.
7:46
So there must've been something in that Wall Street Journal
7:47
that said something
7:48
SPEAKER_02: about Elon investing or whatever.
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SPEAKER_02: And Bruce is like, yeah, you know, Elon, I know Elon, da, da, da, da.
7:53
SPEAKER_02: And the guy's like, okay.
7:54
Yeah.
7:55
SPEAKER_02: He went back in.
7:56
SPEAKER_02: Some other guy comes out.
7:57
SPEAKER_02: Same story.
7:58
SPEAKER_02: Repeat the same story, right?
7:59
SPEAKER_02: And then Elon and Martin come out.
8:01
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
8:01
SPEAKER_02: And Elon and Bruce are like, oh, hey, how's it going?
8:03
SPEAKER_02: Amazing, man.
8:04
SPEAKER_02: They're actually there.
8:04
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
8:05
SPEAKER_02: They're having a board meeting.
8:06
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, okay.
8:07
SPEAKER_02: And they were super cool.
8:08
SPEAKER_02: I mean, these two random guys were not completely random.
8:10
SPEAKER_02: I was completely random.
8:11
SPEAKER_02: I show up at their door and they're like,
8:13
SPEAKER_02: hey,
8:13
SPEAKER_02: we'll finish the board meeting and we'll show you the stuff.
8:15
SPEAKER_02: So we spent the afternoon with them,
8:17
SPEAKER_02: you know,
8:17
SPEAKER_02: driving the,
8:18
SPEAKER_02: you know,
8:18
SPEAKER_02: what are those development prototype?
8:21
SPEAKER_02: The Elise or- Yeah.
8:22
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
8:23
SPEAKER_02: Or the mule, the mule.
8:24
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, the mule.
8:25
SPEAKER_02: We were not allowed to drive them, but Martin was driving us around.
8:29
SPEAKER_02: Super cool.
8:31
SPEAKER_02: And at the time,
8:32
SPEAKER_02: this is probably in the book too,
8:34
SPEAKER_02: but you would know,
8:34
SPEAKER_02: but they were not allowed to sell cars.
8:37
SPEAKER_02: Right.
8:37
Well,
8:37
and those ones you were driving were probably close to catching
8:40
on fire at all.
8:41
SPEAKER_02: I've got another story.
8:42
SPEAKER_02: If you want another story, I've got another story about that one.
8:46
Um,
8:46
so they,
8:47
they said,
8:47
uh,
8:47
um,
8:48
you know,
8:49
well,
8:49
we both said,
8:50
we'll take one.
8:50
SPEAKER_02: Like, really?
8:51
SPEAKER_02: You know, yeah, we'll both take one.
8:52
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
8:53
And so you joined a club and one of the privileges of joining
8:56
the club is you get a free car.
8:58
SPEAKER_02: So we both joined the club.
8:59
SPEAKER_02: So you joined the Tesla club.
9:00
SPEAKER_02: We joined the, so that's how you bought the car.
9:03
SPEAKER_02: They were not allowed to, you know, you had to have some license.
9:05
SPEAKER_02: Oh, I see what you mean.
9:06
SPEAKER_02: Something to sell them.
9:07
SPEAKER_02: Uh, so we joined the Tesla club.
9:09
SPEAKER_02: We both, uh, got a car.
9:11
SPEAKER_02: Um, yeah, here's another stupid thing.
9:13
SPEAKER_02: I wanted one that ended in zero.
9:15
SPEAKER_02: Um,
9:15
SPEAKER_02: and I figured,
9:16
SPEAKER_02: you know,
9:16
SPEAKER_02: Bruce knew Elon,
9:17
SPEAKER_02: so he was going to get like,
9:18
SPEAKER_02: you know,
9:18
SPEAKER_02: if we got one and two,
9:20
SPEAKER_02: he would get the first one.
9:20
SPEAKER_02: I said, well, if it ends in zero, I really want zero.
9:23
Uh,
9:23
so I said,
9:23
okay,
9:24
this gives me a chance at getting the one,
9:26
one ahead of Bruce.
9:27
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
9:27
SPEAKER_02: Like, how can I, I just want the one in zero.
9:29
SPEAKER_02: Well, he got, he got, uh, 41.
9:32
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
9:33
SPEAKER_02: Is it 41 or 42?
9:34
I would have had,
9:35
what's the meaning of the universe in Hitchhiker's Guide?
9:38
SPEAKER_02: Is it 42 or 47?
9:38
SPEAKER_02: It's 42 or 43.
9:38
SPEAKER_02: It's 42.
9:39
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
9:39
SPEAKER_02: It's 40.
9:39
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
9:42
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
9:43
SPEAKER_02: It's 42.
9:43
SPEAKER_02: I would have had that one.
9:45
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
9:45
SPEAKER_02: Instead I got 50.
9:46
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
9:47
SPEAKER_02: With zero.
9:48
SPEAKER_02: All right.
9:49
SPEAKER_02: So you're,
9:49
SPEAKER_02: so you,
9:50
SPEAKER_02: you join the club and as part of being in this club,
9:52
SPEAKER_02: you get to,
9:52
SPEAKER_02: you put a down payment on to,
9:54
SPEAKER_02: to get in line.
9:55
SPEAKER_02: A hundred thousand to join the club.
9:57
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
9:58
And then you,
9:59
so,
9:59
and then,
10:00
and you've,
10:00
now you've kind of got this relationship going.
10:02
Well,
10:03
I asked him,
10:03
I said,
10:03
Hey,
10:03
are you guys raising money or what's the deal with the company?
10:06
Uh,
10:06
and they said,
10:07
yeah,
10:07
we're,
10:07
we're raising money and I'll let you know.
10:09
SPEAKER_02: Right.
10:09
SPEAKER_02: And then,
10:09
SPEAKER_02: uh,
10:10
SPEAKER_02: I don't know,
10:10
SPEAKER_02: two,
10:10
SPEAKER_02: three weeks later,
10:11
SPEAKER_02: uh,
10:12
SPEAKER_02: Martin calls me and says,
10:13
SPEAKER_02: you serious about investing?
10:14
SPEAKER_02: I said, well, yeah, what's the minimum?
10:15
SPEAKER_02: You know,
10:16
SPEAKER_02: I'm,
10:16
SPEAKER_02: I'm not like,
10:17
SPEAKER_02: I'm just a,
10:18
SPEAKER_02: you know,
10:19
SPEAKER_02: Silicon Valley entrepreneur trying to make it running another company,
10:21
SPEAKER_02: you know?
10:22
SPEAKER_02: Um, and, uh, yeah, he let me invest in that next round.
10:26
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
10:26
SPEAKER_02: Um, and, uh, yeah, that actually.
10:28
SPEAKER_02: That probably worked out okay.
10:29
SPEAKER_02: It worked out okay.
10:30
SPEAKER_02: You know, I think kind of anything that.
10:32
SPEAKER_02: Some ups and downs along the way, but, uh, but, but not, not pretty good.
10:36
SPEAKER_02: And then, okay, so you, you've got this relationship going.
10:39
SPEAKER_02: When do you actually end up getting your Roadster 1?
10:42
SPEAKER_02: I think that came 2008, I think three years later or so.
10:45
SPEAKER_02: That was probably 2005.
10:47
SPEAKER_02: And you ended up with number 50.
10:48
SPEAKER_02: Number 50.
10:48
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
10:49
SPEAKER_02: And do you still have it?
10:51
SPEAKER_02: I do.
10:51
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
10:52
The mouse kind of got in there and did a little number on it,
10:55
but it's beautiful.
10:56
SPEAKER_02: It's in great shape.
10:57
SPEAKER_02: What color?
10:58
SPEAKER_02: Signature.
10:58
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
10:58
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
10:59
signature green okay i think there's 30 of those yeah bruce has
11:02
one that he still
11:03
but he got and i was really surprised he got the british racing
11:05
green okay yeah
11:06
okay that's bruce you know i'm like this limited edition or
11:09
signature green i gotta
11:10
have that so and does it bruce's drives well you have you have
11:14
mouse issues but you
11:15
drive it drives okay he doesn't have mouse issues okay yeah uh
11:18
mine was driving
11:19
great okay oh the battery's fine everything is great on that
11:21
thing okay um love
11:22
SPEAKER_02: that car
11:23
SPEAKER_02: All right.
11:23
SPEAKER_02: So you're in it.
11:24
SPEAKER_02: I remember back then in those days,
11:26
SPEAKER_02: I think Tesla was really struggling to get that first roadster out.
11:29
SPEAKER_02: Obviously, Martin doesn't end up lasting.
11:33
SPEAKER_02: Martin has actually helped me with that mouse issue.
11:37
SPEAKER_02: He was great.
11:37
SPEAKER_02: He came up.
11:38
SPEAKER_02: We're going through the car.
11:40
SPEAKER_02: That guy is just amazing.
11:43
SPEAKER_02: He and Elon get along great.
11:45
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
11:47
SPEAKER_02: And then I remember back then people like Larry,
11:51
SPEAKER_02: like Tesla was struggling to make ends meet sometimes.
11:54
And I remember like Larry and Sergey put in orders early and
11:57
they invested.
11:57
SPEAKER_02: I went into a board meeting.
11:58
Actually,
11:58
this was a company,
11:59
another company that Bruce was involved with called Carrier IQ.
12:02
SPEAKER_02: And I go into a board meeting and one of the board members says,
12:04
SPEAKER_02: hey,
12:05
SPEAKER_02: Con,
12:05
SPEAKER_02: I hear you bought one of those Tesla Roadsters.
12:08
SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, yeah.
12:09
And he says,
12:10
you know,
12:11
they are now spending customer deposits to keep the company
12:14
alive.
12:14
SPEAKER_02: You should ask for your money back.
12:16
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
12:16
SPEAKER_02: And I said, oh, there's no way I would do that.
12:18
SPEAKER_02: And in fact, I invested in the company as well.
12:24
SPEAKER_02: And this guy was like, you gotta be kidding me.
12:25
SPEAKER_02: Are you just sending money on fire?
12:27
SPEAKER_02: You know,
12:28
SPEAKER_02: and I didn't have a lot of money,
12:29
SPEAKER_02: but you know,
12:30
SPEAKER_02: and you know,
12:30
SPEAKER_02: the other thing is I'd never bought a new car.
12:32
I was always like first generation immigrant,
12:34
just buy the old used car,
12:36
whatever,
12:37
driving.
12:37
SPEAKER_02: That's your first new car?
12:38
SPEAKER_02: That's my first new car.
12:39
SPEAKER_02: Unbelievable, man.
12:41
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
12:41
SPEAKER_02: So time's going on.
12:42
SPEAKER_02: And then do you put an order on a Model S?
12:46
SPEAKER_02: It's funny you should ask that.
12:48
So I don't do a good job paying attention to email or any of
12:51
that kind of stuff.
12:51
SPEAKER_02: And Bruce, we tend to be a little bit competitive with each other.
12:54
SPEAKER_02: He says, hey, so have you bought a Model S?
12:58
SPEAKER_02: I'm like,
12:59
SPEAKER_02: No, like, what's that?
13:00
SPEAKER_02: What are you talking about?
13:00
SPEAKER_02: He goes, oh, well, you got to get your deposit in, you know?
13:03
SPEAKER_02: So he put one of the very first deposits in.
13:05
SPEAKER_02: He goes, yeah, I've got number three.
13:07
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
13:08
SPEAKER_02: I'm like, oh God, okay.
13:09
SPEAKER_02: So I call up Tesla.
13:10
SPEAKER_02: I go, hey, I'll buy a Model S, but I need number zero.
13:13
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
13:16
SPEAKER_02: Like, what do you mean?
13:16
SPEAKER_02: That's taken, sir.
13:18
SPEAKER_02: Well, they said, they said the VINs start at one.
13:20
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
13:21
SPEAKER_02: I said, no, they don't.
13:22
SPEAKER_02: It should just start at zero.
13:23
SPEAKER_02: Like that's a number.
13:23
SPEAKER_02: There's not like zero, zero, zero.
13:25
SPEAKER_02: I want zero, zero, zero.
13:26
SPEAKER_02: And they're like, well, that doesn't work that way.
13:29
SPEAKER_02: You know, you can get in line.
13:30
SPEAKER_02: I said, I told you I will buy it if you give me number zero.
13:33
SPEAKER_02: Otherwise I'm not buying it.
13:34
SPEAKER_03: Yeah.
13:34
SPEAKER_02: And Tesla was a small company.
13:35
SPEAKER_02: So, you know, they want to sell cars.
13:36
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
13:38
SPEAKER_02: They said, well, sorry.
13:38
SPEAKER_02: I said, okay.
13:39
SPEAKER_02: I'm not going to buy it.
13:41
SPEAKER_02: They called me like two weeks later.
13:43
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
13:43
SPEAKER_02: Maybe it wasn't that long.
13:44
SPEAKER_02: And they said, we have a solution for you.
13:46
SPEAKER_02: I'm like, what's that?
13:47
SPEAKER_02: We're going to do even better.
13:49
SPEAKER_02: We're going to give you a founder's edition.
13:50
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
13:50
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
13:50
SPEAKER_02: Because they had the founders.
13:52
SPEAKER_02: The founders.
13:52
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
13:53
SPEAKER_02: And you had to be an investor to get a founder's edition.
13:55
SPEAKER_02: Right.
13:55
SPEAKER_02: Right.
13:55
SPEAKER_02: I don't know when they added that.
13:56
SPEAKER_02: So I ended up with founders 10.
13:58
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
13:59
SPEAKER_02: And I don't know if you remember when they did the unveil.
14:02
SPEAKER_02: I was there at the factory.
14:03
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
14:03
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
14:04
SPEAKER_02: You mean that day?
14:04
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
14:04
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
14:05
SPEAKER_02: They were rolling off the line.
14:06
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
14:06
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
14:06
SPEAKER_02: So I got number 10.
14:07
SPEAKER_02: And, you know, there's all these kind of.
14:09
SPEAKER_02: big investors and whatever.
14:10
SPEAKER_02: And then the 10th one goes to, you know, this, this guy.
14:13
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
14:14
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
14:14
SPEAKER_02: So you were,
14:15
SPEAKER_02: if I remember,
14:15
SPEAKER_02: you know,
14:16
SPEAKER_02: God,
14:16
SPEAKER_02: I'm getting old,
14:17
SPEAKER_02: but I remember being at the factory,
14:18
SPEAKER_02: you guys all got to get up right there on the line.
14:21
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
14:21
SPEAKER_02: Those people applied.
14:22
SPEAKER_02: They handed the key and then we drove it out of the factory.
14:25
SPEAKER_02: And Bill Lee must've been, I think he was maybe eight.
14:28
SPEAKER_02: He was somewhere around there.
14:29
SPEAKER_02: I remember him being on stage and then Jurvetson had a real early number.
14:34
SPEAKER_02: So that afterwards, Tim and I were just racing it around the parking lot.
14:38
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
14:38
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
14:41
SPEAKER_02: So you always wanted a zero though.
14:42
SPEAKER_02: You couldn't have zero, so you took 10, 50, and then 10.
14:45
SPEAKER_02: Here's another little piece of trivia.
14:47
SPEAKER_02: So when they put the license plates on,
14:48
SPEAKER_02: so they're dealer plates,
14:49
SPEAKER_02: they're the original plates from the factory.
14:51
I don't know exactly how it works,
14:52
but apparently they stacked them upside down.
14:54
SPEAKER_02: So 10 got zero, zero, zero.
14:56
SPEAKER_02: Oh.
14:57
SPEAKER_02: And nine got one.
14:59
SPEAKER_02: If you didn't have a custom plate, which I didn't.
15:01
SPEAKER_02: So my license plate is zero, zero, zero.
15:03
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
15:03
SPEAKER_02: And do you still have that one?
15:05
SPEAKER_02: It's actually parked out in the parking lot.
15:06
SPEAKER_02: It's parked out?
15:07
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
15:07
SPEAKER_02: All right.
15:08
SPEAKER_02: And it runs great.
15:09
SPEAKER_02: You're still going.
15:10
SPEAKER_02: All right.
15:10
And then...
15:12
So around this time,
15:13
I mean,
15:13
Elon announces that there's going to be a Roadster 2.
15:16
I mean,
15:17
I don't think we knew anything about...
15:19
I remember when I was doing the book.
15:20
SPEAKER_02: I mean, he was...
15:21
SPEAKER_02: He was flirting with the idea.
15:23
SPEAKER_02: Obviously, he was always flirting with the idea of this $30,000-ish car.
15:27
SPEAKER_02: That was on the roadmap.
15:29
SPEAKER_02: I don't think the why was like,
15:31
SPEAKER_02: you know,
15:31
SPEAKER_02: I'm sure it was in somebody's head,
15:32
SPEAKER_02: but I don't think that really was on the being talked about.
15:35
SPEAKER_02: But the Roadster 2 was being talked about way, way, way back then.
15:40
SPEAKER_02: Well,
15:40
SPEAKER_02: so an argument,
15:41
SPEAKER_02: I don't know if it was an argument,
15:42
SPEAKER_02: a discussion,
15:43
SPEAKER_02: and I should find these emails I had with Martin quite a bit,
15:47
SPEAKER_02: was why is the car not faster?
15:49
SPEAKER_02: So everyone was saying how fast it was,
15:51
SPEAKER_02: zero to 60 and three,
15:53
SPEAKER_02: whatever it was,
15:53
SPEAKER_02: seven or something.
15:55
But there's a friction of the tires on the road and motorcycles
15:59
can go much faster.
16:00
And you think you could propel that thing optimally to go a lot
16:03
faster than zero to
16:04
SPEAKER_02: 60 and three point whatever it was.
16:07
SPEAKER_02: And so we were having this discussion about it.
16:08
SPEAKER_02: Martin said,
16:09
SPEAKER_02: well,
16:09
we would drive the back wheels two miles an hour faster than
16:11
the front wheels.
16:12
SPEAKER_02: And that was optimal.
16:13
SPEAKER_02: Like none of that made sense to me.
16:14
SPEAKER_02: And so I'm like, wait a second, why?
16:16
SPEAKER_02: So when the Model S unveiling happened,
16:19
SPEAKER_02: when we picked it up at the factory,
16:20
SPEAKER_02: I asked one of the engineers like,
16:22
SPEAKER_02: why is this thing not going way faster?
16:24
SPEAKER_02: And he said, oh man, yeah, we've got sleds now that just fly.
16:28
SPEAKER_02: They are super fast.
16:29
And then the other kind of problem I would say with the Model S
16:33
is it's just so big.
16:35
SPEAKER_02: You know, I usually drive two-seaters.
16:36
Now,
16:37
the Roadster is kind of small because it just replaced the
16:39
engine with the battery.
16:39
SPEAKER_02: So you're still very cramped.
16:41
SPEAKER_02: But the Model S is massive.
16:43
SPEAKER_02: There's a frunk and a trunk and seats tons of people.
16:46
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's ridiculous how big that thing is.
16:48
SPEAKER_02: And the difference is you don't have an engine.
16:50
SPEAKER_02: taking up a bunch of space, right?
16:52
SPEAKER_02: So you put the batteries underneath.
16:54
SPEAKER_02: And so I thought,
16:55
SPEAKER_02: wow,
16:56
the ultimate electric car will be the next roadster because
17:00
it's going to be small
17:00
SPEAKER_02: by definition because it's a sports car.
17:03
SPEAKER_02: I want to get that.
17:03
And then the engineers say,
17:05
yeah,
17:05
we've got the sled,
17:06
I think he called it.
17:07
We've got that thing going zero to 60 in whatever,
17:10
two point something seconds.
17:11
SPEAKER_02: This is while you're at the S unveiling.
17:14
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
17:14
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
17:15
SPEAKER_02: At the pickup.
17:15
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
17:16
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
17:16
SPEAKER_02: We're just chatting with various people.
17:17
You know,
17:18
they took us in the back and,
17:19
you know,
17:19
they did a lot of really smart things too.
17:21
SPEAKER_02: One of the things they said is, look, we're a small company.
17:26
SPEAKER_02: This is a, you know, the car has issues.
17:30
SPEAKER_02: Um, you can choose to go to the press.
17:31
We can't stop you,
17:32
but please,
17:33
you know,
17:33
contact us first if there's a something.
17:35
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
17:36
SPEAKER_02: Which was really smart.
17:36
SPEAKER_02: I mean, really nice way to handle that.
17:38
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
17:39
SPEAKER_02: Um, but yeah, it was, it was, you know.
17:41
SPEAKER_02: And in the,
17:42
SPEAKER_02: I mean,
17:42
SPEAKER_02: those early days of the roadster in particular,
17:44
SPEAKER_02: it was,
17:44
it was like the true believers is that people who were very
17:47
willing to give this
17:47
SPEAKER_02: company a chance and,
17:49
SPEAKER_02: and,
17:49
SPEAKER_02: um,
17:50
SPEAKER_02: yeah.
17:51
SPEAKER_02: Just to see what happens.
17:52
You know,
17:52
it was like,
17:53
let's try and see if this electric car thing could happen.
17:55
SPEAKER_02: You know what I mean?
17:56
When I tell people I bought an electric car,
17:57
they say,
17:58
oh,
17:58
that's really slow.
17:59
SPEAKER_02: They were thinking golf cart.
18:00
SPEAKER_02: Right.
18:00
SPEAKER_02: I said, no, it's supposed to be really, really fast.
18:03
SPEAKER_02: They're like, no, come on.
18:05
I think most of those first customers knew they were buying
18:07
sort of like a prototype in action.
18:10
SPEAKER_02: And then the Model S,
18:11
SPEAKER_02: I think,
18:11
SPEAKER_02: still a bit of that,
18:13
SPEAKER_02: but obviously Tesla's maturing and is at the big plant.
18:16
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
18:17
um and trying to take the step forward uh okay so and then okay
18:20
so you're having
18:21
these chats they're taunting you with with speed that's coming
18:25
and then so when
18:26
when does somebody first mention that the roadster 2 is even
18:29
available you know i i
18:32
just it was like in the conversation yeah that there was going
18:35
to be another
18:36
SPEAKER_02: roadster like it was just kind of
18:39
SPEAKER_02: I don't know, among investors or whatever, somehow it was known.
18:42
SPEAKER_02: You know, they're going to do a cost-reduced.
18:43
SPEAKER_02: There were a couple of things on the roadmap that were clear.
18:45
SPEAKER_02: A cost-reduced car and another Roadster.
18:48
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, this is what I was trying to get out and I did a poor job of it.
18:51
SPEAKER_02: But like back then,
18:53
SPEAKER_02: as I remember things,
18:54
SPEAKER_02: it was like,
18:54
SPEAKER_02: okay,
18:54
SPEAKER_02: we've got the S,
18:55
SPEAKER_02: we've got our sedan,
18:56
SPEAKER_02: it's our luxury sedan.
18:57
SPEAKER_02: We're clearly heading toward the mass-produced, cheaper vehicle.
19:01
SPEAKER_02: And then the Roadster 2 was clearly like,
19:04
SPEAKER_02: it felt like the next thing because it was like,
19:06
SPEAKER_02: this Roadster has been this big hit.
19:09
SPEAKER_02: High end.
19:09
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
19:10
SPEAKER_02: And, and then we'll just keep it going.
19:12
SPEAKER_02: And now we fit,
19:12
SPEAKER_02: you know,
19:13
SPEAKER_02: when they made the first resume,
19:13
SPEAKER_02: they didn't know what they were doing.
19:15
It was,
19:15
you know,
19:15
and now it's like,
19:16
oh,
19:16
now we have this big giant factory.
19:17
SPEAKER_02: And, and so the next one will be awesome.
19:20
SPEAKER_02: And this'll be, we'll have this whole line from, from cheap to expensive.
19:24
SPEAKER_02: And, and it was, it was all very clean.
19:26
SPEAKER_02: And, and I remember
19:28
SPEAKER_02: Like the idea that we're in 2025 and there's no Rosa 2,
19:31
SPEAKER_02: I would have thought that was next in line kind of after the cheap car,
19:36
SPEAKER_02: yeah.
19:36
SPEAKER_02: There's another crazy story.
19:38
SPEAKER_02: And this just, I mean, Elon is an amazing guy.
19:41
SPEAKER_02: He at one point brought all the investors together.
19:43
SPEAKER_02: And I mean, I'm just this little individual investor, right?
19:46
SPEAKER_02: And it's all these people.
19:46
I don't know who they are,
19:47
but I know they've put quite a bit of money in.
19:49
SPEAKER_02: And he was trying to decide whether to make the S,
19:54
SPEAKER_02: I think it was the S at the time,
19:55
SPEAKER_02: a hybrid car or an electric car.
19:58
And like,
19:58
he's like,
19:59
you know,
20:00
here are the trade-offs and we're really considering this.
20:02
SPEAKER_02: We want to get everybody's input, you know, and stupid me.
20:05
SPEAKER_02: I'm glad I didn't say anything.
20:06
SPEAKER_02: But I'm thinking, of course you go hybrid.
20:08
SPEAKER_02: I mean, no range anxiety, just put gas in.
20:09
SPEAKER_02: It solves every question, right?
20:12
SPEAKER_02: I didn't say anything, thankfully.
20:13
SPEAKER_02: I've been quite stupid revealing my ignorance now.
20:16
SPEAKER_02: But anyway, it was this discussion and there was no real conclusion.
20:19
SPEAKER_02: And then as I remembered, I should find this email.
20:21
Elon sends an email and says,
20:22
hey,
20:22
I don't know if it's the right thing or not.
20:24
SPEAKER_02: but we are gonna be the best electric car company.
20:27
SPEAKER_02: I don't wanna be a frog.
20:28
SPEAKER_02: It's not good on land, it's not good on sea.
20:31
SPEAKER_02: We're gonna be the best electric car company there is.
20:33
SPEAKER_02: And there was another argument,
20:34
SPEAKER_02: which is very interesting,
20:35
SPEAKER_02: which is a battery has basically two core characteristics,
20:39
SPEAKER_02: how much power it holds and how much energy it can output.
20:43
SPEAKER_02: And it turns out those are inverse.
20:45
SPEAKER_02: So the more power it has, the less energy it can output.
20:49
And so to get a lot of energy out of the battery,
20:52
you have to make it very,
20:53
very large.
20:54
SPEAKER_02: So if you go with a small battery and have a hybrid motor in there,
20:57
SPEAKER_02: you're not going to get very many miles.
20:58
SPEAKER_02: These trade-offs.
20:59
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
20:59
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
21:00
SPEAKER_02: And so if you remember like the other car companies,
21:01
SPEAKER_02: many,
21:02
SPEAKER_02: many years later,
21:03
I think there was a BMW that had like 30 miles of battery range
21:06
because it was a
21:06
SPEAKER_02: hybrid.
21:07
Well,
21:07
the Roadster had almost 300,
21:09
I think 250 or something when it came out.
21:11
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
21:11
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
21:12
So Eli made this physics argument as part of why it's important
21:15
to be a pure electric car.
21:17
The physics are actually really argued for that because then
21:19
you can put a huge
21:20
SPEAKER_02: battery in there,
21:21
SPEAKER_02: which then can generate enough energy to make the car faster.
21:23
No,
21:23
and super smart just for being clear on the product and the
21:27
message and going all in.
21:30
SPEAKER_02: Super smart.
21:31
SPEAKER_02: Okay, okay, wait.
21:32
SPEAKER_02: It kind of tells you, though, like these little decisions.
21:34
SPEAKER_02: Along the way, yeah.
21:35
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
21:36
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
21:37
SPEAKER_02: No, absolutely.
21:38
SPEAKER_02: Okay, so you're having these chats and then...
21:42
Because what I'm getting to here a little bit for our listeners
21:45
is that there's
21:47
SPEAKER_02: going to be some debate,
21:48
SPEAKER_02: I think,
21:49
SPEAKER_02: as the Roadster 2 heads toward market as to who has the first order in.
21:53
SPEAKER_02: This car's been around for so long.
21:55
SPEAKER_02: I'm sure some of this is not even intentional.
21:58
SPEAKER_02: I'm sure people have just, through the passage of time, lost track of...
22:03
um the the paperwork on on some of these things but i mean what
22:07
what we're gonna
22:08
you're going to you feel like you put the first order in for
22:12
the first i don't want
22:14
to create a con you're starting the controversy maybe maybe
22:17
that's what sells your
22:18
podcast no no no but i guess i know what will happen because
22:20
people take these
22:21
things so seriously you know and and and it's like it's well if
22:25
you remember um the
22:27
SPEAKER_02: way tesla allocates cars
22:29
SPEAKER_02: is the first person to put their money down gets the first car.
22:33
And the way that typically happens is they will announce it at
22:37
the board meeting
22:38
SPEAKER_02: and Jurvetson says,
22:39
SPEAKER_02: yeah,
22:39
SPEAKER_02: I'll take it.
22:40
Or Elon already said,
22:41
okay,
22:41
and I got it and you can have whichever one you want.
22:44
SPEAKER_02: So I sent Elon an email and I said, hey, that's unfair.
22:46
SPEAKER_02: He goes, what's unfair about it?
22:49
SPEAKER_02: It's like the first guy that gets it.
22:50
I said,
22:50
well,
22:51
I don't hear about it until later,
22:52
but I want the first one of Roadster 2.
22:55
SPEAKER_02: And he says, well, you know, we haven't announced it yet.
22:58
SPEAKER_02: You know, what do you mean?
23:00
SPEAKER_02: And I find this Wired Magazine article that just says,
23:03
SPEAKER_02: you know,
23:03
SPEAKER_02: we're doing this,
23:04
SPEAKER_02: we're doing this,
23:04
SPEAKER_02: we're doing that.
23:05
SPEAKER_02: I just, you know, copy and pasted that little thing.
23:07
SPEAKER_02: I go, what do you mean you haven't announced it?
23:09
SPEAKER_02: It's right here.
23:10
SPEAKER_02: And he says, okay, fair enough.
23:13
SPEAKER_02: And this is just Elon,
23:14
SPEAKER_02: you know,
23:14
SPEAKER_02: it's not like,
23:15
SPEAKER_02: I don't think he wanted to sell it to me,
23:16
SPEAKER_02: but he goes,
23:16
SPEAKER_02: okay,
23:17
SPEAKER_02: give me 200,000 bucks and you can have it.
23:19
SPEAKER_02: So you put down 200,000 in 20... February of 2013.
23:24
SPEAKER_02: February of 2013.
23:26
SPEAKER_02: And I don't want to interrogate you.
23:29
SPEAKER_02: Do we have this email from... We've got some evidence.
23:32
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
23:34
SPEAKER_02: Well,
23:35
SPEAKER_02: if you remember that they also,
23:36
SPEAKER_02: when we got the Model S,
23:38
Bruce and I made a kind of experience with the Model S video
23:41
where we were just
23:42
SPEAKER_02: driving around.
23:43
SPEAKER_02: There were only 10 of them on the road.
23:45
SPEAKER_02: So people were like, oh, there's the Model S, right?
23:47
SPEAKER_02: And we made a video, we posted it.
23:49
SPEAKER_02: Then Tesla came to me, hey, can we use your video for our orientation?
23:55
SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, well, yeah, sure.
23:56
SPEAKER_02: And they go, well, we need a little edit.
23:58
SPEAKER_02: And I guess at one point we accelerated pretty fast.
24:00
SPEAKER_02: Bruce ended up in the back seat in the video.
24:02
SPEAKER_02: And, you know, there was some foul language.
24:04
SPEAKER_02: I go, hey, can you beep that out?
24:05
So there's two versions of that posted,
24:08
one with and without the foul language.
24:09
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
24:10
SPEAKER_02: And then people knew who I was all of a sudden.
24:11
SPEAKER_02: Tesla employees knew who I was.
24:13
SPEAKER_02: Oh, because in orientation, they show up.
24:17
SPEAKER_02: Random people were coming up to me going, hey, you're Constantine.
24:19
SPEAKER_02: I'm like, okay.
24:21
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
24:22
SPEAKER_02: And then, okay.
24:22
So there's a,
24:23
there's,
24:23
there's an email and then there's a,
24:25
there's a check.
24:26
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
24:27
SPEAKER_02: So, um, you know, uh, well, let's look this up real quick too.
24:31
SPEAKER_02: So $200,000.
24:31
SPEAKER_02: Oh, Ashley, come on.
24:32
SPEAKER_02: $200,000 in 20, sorry, we said 20.
24:33
SPEAKER_02: It was 2013, February of 2013. $200,000.
24:44
SPEAKER_02: I think the Tesla stock was like 35 or 37 at the time, but it split.
24:47
SPEAKER_02: It did a large split at one point.
24:56
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
24:56
SPEAKER_02: Don't remind me.
24:56
SPEAKER_02: That's right.
24:58
I mean,
25:00
we're going to use chat GPT math,
25:02
so this may or may not be right.
25:05
SPEAKER_02: I have not looked this up.
25:07
SPEAKER_02: You're an evil man.
25:08
SPEAKER_02: I have a rough number in mind.
25:09
SPEAKER_02: What is your- My rough number is 50.
25:12
SPEAKER_02: 50 million.
25:12
SPEAKER_02: 50 million.
25:13
SPEAKER_02: And we'll see-
25:20
SPEAKER_02: I have not.
25:21
SPEAKER_02: You're right.
25:22
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
25:22
SPEAKER_02: According to chat,
25:23
SPEAKER_02: I don't remember all this,
25:24
but there was a five for one split in August of 2020 and a
25:28
three for one split in
25:30
SPEAKER_02: August of 2022.
25:30
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
25:31
SPEAKER_02: Well,
25:37
SPEAKER_02: I can't tell if this is good news or bad news.
25:42
And this is terrible because ChatGPT is giving us a pretty
25:46
broad estimate,
25:47
but it is...
25:47
Really?
25:48
SPEAKER_02: ChatGPT thinks in the...
25:50
SPEAKER_02: Okay,
25:50
so if you just left that money in Tesla stock instead of buying
25:55
a Roadster,
25:56
SPEAKER_02: which you still don't have...
25:59
It's saying 20 to 40 million,
26:01
depending on the exact date and purchase price.
26:05
SPEAKER_02: All right.
26:07
SPEAKER_02: You can live with that.
26:09
SPEAKER_02: Hey, when FTX went down, that was not good.
26:14
SPEAKER_02: That was not good.
26:15
SPEAKER_02: He's going to make you whole.
26:16
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
26:18
SPEAKER_02: You know, it's easy come, easy go.
26:21
SPEAKER_02: So, you know, okay, so you put that down.
26:24
SPEAKER_02: You could have tens of millions of dollars today.
26:27
I mean,
26:28
I see people,
26:28
well,
26:29
so just we're recording this days after Sam Altman
26:34
SPEAKER_02: And Elon were getting in a fight over Sam's deposit on a Roadster 2,
26:39
SPEAKER_02: which he made far after you.
26:40
SPEAKER_02: Because I think he only had to put down like $5,000.
26:42
SPEAKER_02: You paid the whole price of a car, right?
26:45
SPEAKER_02: And I don't even know exactly how they did it.
26:49
SPEAKER_02: And I kind of forget about it here and there.
26:50
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I didn't forget.
26:51
SPEAKER_02: But, you know, like when is this thing coming out?
26:53
SPEAKER_02: And the thing that re-triggered it is Elon was just on Rogan.
26:58
SPEAKER_02: Right.
26:59
SPEAKER_02: This is right around when Sam's tweet.
27:01
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, this has been a Roadster 2 Newsweek.
27:04
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
27:05
SPEAKER_02: And he talks.
27:08
SPEAKER_02: You know,
27:09
SPEAKER_02: once reflected that the future was supposed to have flying cars,
27:13
SPEAKER_02: but we don't have flying cars.
27:16
SPEAKER_02: So you're going to be able to fly?
27:19
Well,
27:19
I mean,
27:23
I think if Peter wants a flying car,
27:24
we should be able to buy one.
27:25
SPEAKER_01: Bro.
27:27
You're gonna fly so you are you actively considering making an
27:30
electric flying car?
27:31
SPEAKER_02: Yeah Well,
27:34
we have to see in the and the demo so when you do this like Are
27:39
you gonna have a
27:40
SPEAKER_01: retractable wing like what is the idea behind this?
27:46
SPEAKER_01: Don't be sly it's come on stop.
27:48
SPEAKER_01: I can't I can't do the unveil before the unveil but
27:54
SPEAKER_01: Tell me off air then.
27:57
Look,
27:57
I think it has a shot at being the most memorable product
28:05
unveil ever.
28:08
SPEAKER_01: It has a shot.
28:11
SPEAKER_02: This is coming from Elon.
28:12
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
28:12
SPEAKER_02: I mean, so you're saying... There's some credibility there.
28:15
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
28:15
SPEAKER_02: Oh, okay.
28:17
SPEAKER_02: Like, this is some crazy, crazy technology we got in this car.
28:20
SPEAKER_02: Crazy technology.
28:23
SPEAKER_02: This is the guy who made Starship.
28:25
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
28:25
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah, yeah.
28:26
SPEAKER_02: So, I mean, you're probably getting, like, some kind of rocket engine.
28:29
SPEAKER_02: Hasn't he talked about there being, like, a rocket engine on this?
28:32
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
28:33
SPEAKER_02: Some kind of...
28:35
SPEAKER_02: Turbo, uh, yeah.
28:36
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
28:37
Rocket engine lifter thing that I think also helps you on your
28:39
zero to 60,
28:40
SPEAKER_02: which was the original objective anyway.
28:42
SPEAKER_02: So you're saying you,
28:44
SPEAKER_02: like you,
28:45
SPEAKER_02: I mean,
28:45
SPEAKER_02: I,
28:45
SPEAKER_02: I,
28:46
SPEAKER_02: I believe,
28:47
SPEAKER_02: you know,
28:47
SPEAKER_02: when he's talking about products,
28:48
SPEAKER_02: obviously on timelines,
28:49
SPEAKER_02: sometimes things go skew,
28:51
SPEAKER_02: but,
28:51
SPEAKER_02: uh,
28:52
SPEAKER_02: so when he says there's going to be some flying element to this,
28:56
SPEAKER_02: what are you picturing in your head?
28:59
SPEAKER_02: Um, yeah.
29:01
SPEAKER_02: Okay,
29:01
SPEAKER_02: since day one,
29:02
the Core Memory podcast has been supported by the fine people
29:06
at E1 Ventures.
29:07
SPEAKER_02: They are a young and ambitious VC firm in Silicon Valley,
29:11
SPEAKER_02: investing in young and ambitious companies and people.
29:15
SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much to E1 Ventures for all your support.
29:19
SPEAKER_02: I mean, come on.
29:20
SPEAKER_02: Flying, you need a different license.
29:22
SPEAKER_02: You get into all kinds of stuff very, very quickly.
29:25
I'm sure it's not a flying car,
29:26
but so he must mean...
29:28
I'd heard hovering.
29:29
SPEAKER_02: Oh, okay.
29:30
SPEAKER_02: But what's the purpose?
29:31
SPEAKER_02: Like maybe parking, it hovers into parking spots.
29:35
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
29:35
SPEAKER_02: Dude, are you kidding me?
29:37
SPEAKER_03: God.
29:37
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
29:38
SPEAKER_02: But it would make... I mean, it's got to be...
29:40
SPEAKER_02: I mean,
29:40
SPEAKER_02: if it's air power,
29:41
SPEAKER_02: you know,
29:41
SPEAKER_02: if it's compressed air power,
29:43
SPEAKER_02: how much compressed air can you have in there?
29:45
So what I heard a rumor a long time ago is some kind of
29:47
compressed air tank that
29:49
SPEAKER_02: either you get that in the backseat or not.
29:51
SPEAKER_03: Okay.
29:51
SPEAKER_02: And that's like the SpaceX package.
29:54
And I heard it could like hover for a couple of seconds or you
29:57
can change the
29:59
SPEAKER_02: booster so that you can,
29:59
SPEAKER_02: you know...
30:02
SPEAKER_02: really get to wherever you're going very quickly.
30:04
SPEAKER_02: But this is all just, you know.
30:06
SPEAKER_02: So Sam, you put down 200,000 in 2014.
30:08
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
30:08
SPEAKER_02: 2013.
30:08
SPEAKER_02: 2013.
30:09
And then Sam was tweeting in July of 2018,
30:10
he put down a reservation of 45,000.
30:11
SPEAKER_02: Is that kind of, I don't know what people have been putting down.
30:15
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
30:23
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
30:24
SPEAKER_02: So, but you paid, you paid what you thought.
30:26
SPEAKER_02: Why, why did you do 200?
30:27
SPEAKER_02: Elon said it was going to cost 200,000.
30:29
SPEAKER_02: I didn't really have a lot of choice.
30:31
SPEAKER_02: That's what he told you.
30:32
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
30:32
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
30:33
SPEAKER_02: So he just said, if you want it.
30:34
SPEAKER_02: You buy it.
30:35
SPEAKER_02: You put 200 down now.
30:36
SPEAKER_02: Oh, okay.
30:37
SPEAKER_02: And then later it's now 250.
30:39
SPEAKER_02: And they said, Hey, if you want it, you got to give us another 50.
30:42
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
30:42
SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, come on, come on guys.
30:44
SPEAKER_02: Like you've had my money for, I don't know, however many years that is.
30:50
SPEAKER_02: 12 years, can you waive the 50?
30:51
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
30:52
SPEAKER_02: No.
30:53
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
30:55
Was there a video tied to the- Well,
30:58
so I went to give the check to Deepak.
31:03
SPEAKER_02: He said, who was the CFO at the time.
31:04
SPEAKER_02: Right.
31:05
SPEAKER_02: So Elon's like, hey, you know, you got to pay if you want this thing.
31:08
SPEAKER_02: And I'm kind of like, uh, yeah, that's, that's a lot of money for me.
31:12
SPEAKER_02: Um, yeah, that's a lot of money for me.
31:16
SPEAKER_02: And I'd never bought a new car other than the other Roadster before.
31:19
And then the Model S,
31:20
all my other cars are like,
31:21
you know,
31:21
I drove a 2001 Subaru Forester.
31:23
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
31:24
SPEAKER_02: I just gave that away.
31:25
SPEAKER_02: I donated that.
31:26
SPEAKER_02: less than a year.
31:27
SPEAKER_02: Oh man.
31:27
SPEAKER_02: That was my car, you know?
31:29
SPEAKER_02: And it was,
31:29
SPEAKER_02: it's,
31:31
SPEAKER_02: it's,
31:31
SPEAKER_02: it's seen some use,
31:32
SPEAKER_02: especially when,
31:32
SPEAKER_02: when I moved out of Cal,
31:33
SPEAKER_02: I moved to Vegas.
31:35
SPEAKER_02: I took the Subaru, the, my, the roadster is still in my house over here.
31:39
SPEAKER_02: Um,
31:43
SPEAKER_02: So you go see Deepak and you have to bring a check.
31:45
SPEAKER_02: So yeah, I got to bring a check to Deepak.
31:47
SPEAKER_02: And I made videos of that.
31:50
So Bruce says,
31:51
dude,
31:53
other people are going to say that they've got the first one.
31:56
SPEAKER_02: I've lost the paperwork.
31:57
SPEAKER_02: In fairness, I'm not trying to stir up a controversy.
32:00
SPEAKER_02: I just know there's going to- It's just Bruce ribbing me.
32:03
SPEAKER_02: All right.
32:03
And I was at a party and I ran into another guy who just was an
32:06
early Tesla investor.
32:07
SPEAKER_02: I'm like, oh, cool, cool.
32:08
SPEAKER_02: And he goes, yeah.
32:09
SPEAKER_02: And you know about the Roadster too?
32:10
SPEAKER_02: And I'm kind of like, yeah, I know something about that.
32:12
SPEAKER_02: He goes, well, I bought the first two.
32:15
SPEAKER_02: I'm like, uh, I don't think so.
32:17
SPEAKER_02: And what are these?
32:19
SPEAKER_02: We kind of, you know, what am I going to say?
32:21
SPEAKER_02: I said, well, no, I've got paperwork that says I, so I don't know.
32:25
SPEAKER_02: Was this recently?
32:26
SPEAKER_02: Uh, that's probably seven years ago.
32:28
SPEAKER_02: Seven years ago.
32:29
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
32:29
SPEAKER_02: Cause my book came out 10.
32:31
SPEAKER_02: You got, you have a, it's in the book.
32:33
SPEAKER_02: It's in the book.
32:33
SPEAKER_02: It's in the book.
32:34
SPEAKER_02: Well, and you've got, you've got.
32:35
SPEAKER_02: Well, so, okay.
32:36
SPEAKER_02: I mean, if we can settle the controversy.
32:38
SPEAKER_02: So did the guy back down or you just didn't, you didn't press it?
32:42
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, we didn't.
32:42
SPEAKER_02: I mean, you know, we were drinking and whatever.
32:45
SPEAKER_02: All right.
32:47
SPEAKER_02: When is this?
32:48
SPEAKER_02: This is, um, this is Deepak.
32:50
SPEAKER_02: It's Tesla headquarters back in.
32:52
SPEAKER_02: Deepak's at Zipline these days.
32:53
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
32:55
SPEAKER_02: Uh, route via Verily.
32:56
SPEAKER_02: And, um, it's right at the beginning.
32:58
SPEAKER_02: I was filming a bunch of, he was having me turn on and off the camera.
33:01
SPEAKER_02: Cause he would talk about the features of the roadster too,
33:03
SPEAKER_02: which were like,
33:04
SPEAKER_02: he did not want us,
33:05
SPEAKER_02: but there was no flying or anything.
33:07
SPEAKER_02: It was like, like really basic stuff at the time.
33:09
I mean,
33:10
kind of like all this stuff,
33:10
the automotive industry was talking about,
33:12
but hadn't done.
33:13
SPEAKER_02: Well, cars couldn't fly then, but yeah, they didn't really fly.
33:15
SPEAKER_02: They didn't self drive.
33:16
SPEAKER_02: Um,
33:18
SPEAKER_02: This is amazing.
33:19
SPEAKER_02: Okay, I'm so excited.
33:20
SPEAKER_00: The next-gen Roadster goes to Konstantin Altmaier.
33:24
SPEAKER_02: Bro, that's pretty definitive.
33:26
SPEAKER_02: You saw the email chain with Elon?
33:30
SPEAKER_02: There is no Roadster, and then I saw it in a Wired magazine.
33:34
SPEAKER_02: where he talks about the next-gen roadster.
33:35
SPEAKER_00: Look at you.
33:36
SPEAKER_00: You haven't aged.
33:37
SPEAKER_02: Hey, what are you talking about?
33:38
SPEAKER_00: And I almost had a feeling he suggested that price,
33:41
SPEAKER_00: thinking you may say no,
33:42
SPEAKER_00: but you stuck to your guns,
33:43
SPEAKER_00: and you're saying you want to go for it.
33:44
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, you know.
33:47
SPEAKER_02: You guys are just doing fabulous stuff, so.
33:50
SPEAKER_02: There you go.
33:52
SPEAKER_00: Okay.
33:53
SPEAKER_02: Where's my car?
33:55
Hit the baseball games when someone catches a home run,
33:57
and it's,
33:58
you know.
34:00
SPEAKER_02: Somebody else grabs the ball and is like, who has it?
34:02
SPEAKER_02: I feel like your case is pretty strong here, man.
34:08
SPEAKER_02: That's amazing.
34:10
SPEAKER_02: Where was that?
34:10
SPEAKER_02: Was that at NUMI?
34:12
SPEAKER_02: Where was, oh no, was that in Palo Alto?
34:13
SPEAKER_02: That was Palo Alto.
34:15
SPEAKER_02: He gave me that contract.
34:15
SPEAKER_02: I don't know where it is.
34:17
SPEAKER_02: I've got an idea where it might be, but.
34:19
SPEAKER_02: Have you emailed Elon about this?
34:23
SPEAKER_02: Um, not recently.
34:24
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
34:25
Uh,
34:25
it was a little different talking to Elon back then to talking
34:27
to him now,
34:28
but I haven't.
34:29
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
34:30
SPEAKER_02: Well, so I, I mean, I'm convinced.
34:32
SPEAKER_02: Um, how, how are you actually going to get the first, first one now?
34:37
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
34:37
SPEAKER_02: This, you just got a lot.
34:39
SPEAKER_02: You know, my contacts at Tesla have kind of faded over the years.
34:42
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
34:42
SPEAKER_02: Um,
34:43
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, there's one guy I still know.
34:44
SPEAKER_02: That's it.
34:47
SPEAKER_02: And he's at the top.
34:47
SPEAKER_02: He's the big dog.
34:50
SPEAKER_02: So I need to write to them and say, hey, you know, where's the unveiling?
34:54
SPEAKER_02: Let's go.
34:55
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
34:55
SPEAKER_02: Let's see.
34:56
SPEAKER_02: They've always just, I mean, Tesla's just been amazing.
34:59
SPEAKER_02: Two months.
35:00
SPEAKER_02: That's what he said on Rogan, didn't he?
35:01
SPEAKER_02: Two months.
35:02
SPEAKER_02: To unveil it.
35:03
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
35:03
SPEAKER_02: And then, so that could slip.
35:07
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, and it's kind of weird.
35:08
SPEAKER_02: Like,
35:08
SPEAKER_02: is it going to be New Year's or like...
35:09
SPEAKER_02: That's what...
35:10
SPEAKER_02: You know,
35:12
SPEAKER_02: always puts his events when,
35:13
SPEAKER_02: you know...
35:14
SPEAKER_02: Does he?
35:14
SPEAKER_02: It's like on Christmas Day and... Okay.
35:17
SPEAKER_02: Well, that gets a little more complicated.
35:18
SPEAKER_02: I don't know.
35:19
SPEAKER_02: Hopefully not.
35:20
SPEAKER_02: I suspect this will push into the new year, but I know nothing.
35:24
SPEAKER_02: So, and then...
35:27
SPEAKER_02: Has he said what he thinks it will cost?
35:31
SPEAKER_02: Like if you go on the website now, does it tell you?
35:33
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, can you keep raising the price?
35:36
SPEAKER_02: Maybe you need to find that contract and figure out what's...
35:38
SPEAKER_02: This is what I'm wondering,
35:39
SPEAKER_02: what you're actually going to have to pay.
35:41
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, was this a deposit or was this... Right.
35:43
SPEAKER_02: I thought I was buying the car.
35:45
SPEAKER_02: The car, yeah.
35:45
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, I might have just been buying the front wheels or something.
35:48
SPEAKER_02: So how are people... Oh, you can't reserve...
35:53
SPEAKER_02: Is it in your app if you reserve a car?
35:54
SPEAKER_02: Does it tell you that?
35:55
SPEAKER_02: Because I saw somewhere.
35:57
Was it saying Roadster reservations require 5,000 credit card
36:01
payment plus 45,000 wire transfer?
36:04
SPEAKER_02: But I'm not saying where it tells you like what the price.
36:07
SPEAKER_02: No, I don't think we know the price.
36:10
SPEAKER_02: So what happens?
36:11
SPEAKER_02: Does the app show you like somewhere I saw that I have the reservation.
36:16
SPEAKER_02: Maybe it's on the website.
36:17
SPEAKER_02: Oh, no way.
36:18
SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah.
36:19
SPEAKER_02: But I don't think it has a number.
36:20
SPEAKER_02: Oh.
36:20
SPEAKER_02: Right.
36:20
SPEAKER_02: They always say, whatever, reservation number.
36:23
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
36:24
SPEAKER_02: But they, they know, cause they asked for another 50.
36:25
SPEAKER_02: Oh, right.
36:27
SPEAKER_02: And that was how long ago?
36:31
SPEAKER_02: Oh, they know, but yeah.
36:32
SPEAKER_02: But they asked for 50,
36:33
like probably three years ago when they announced it for real
36:36
and start taking
36:37
SPEAKER_02: deposits.
36:38
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
36:38
SPEAKER_02: And I think you could do two different levels of deposit.
36:40
SPEAKER_02: Like you said, the $5,000 one, and that just reserves one.
36:44
SPEAKER_02: But then if you want to be in a queue and get a number or something,
36:47
SPEAKER_02: I think you had to put up 250.
36:49
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
36:49
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
36:50
Yeah,
36:50
so what's going to happen,
36:51
man,
36:51
to this other investor and then Elon might want...
36:56
SPEAKER_02: You know?
36:56
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
36:57
SPEAKER_02: Are you getting zero or are you getting one?
36:59
SPEAKER_02: You want zero.
37:00
SPEAKER_02: I think it says I want zero if there's such a thing.
37:03
SPEAKER_02: So he could out zero me, but I have it on good authority.
37:06
SPEAKER_02: Actually,
37:06
SPEAKER_02: it's interesting you bring that up,
37:07
SPEAKER_02: that there is no zero with the Model S,
37:09
SPEAKER_02: but I guess they could change the rules.
37:10
SPEAKER_02: Right.
37:10
SPEAKER_02: They could create a series before this series.
37:12
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
37:13
SPEAKER_02: But I had founders.
37:14
SPEAKER_02: You know, there's a lot of games that could be played.
37:16
SPEAKER_02: All right.
37:16
SPEAKER_02: And for all you guys,
37:18
SPEAKER_02: I feel like there's a group of about,
37:19
SPEAKER_02: I don't know,
37:20
five to 10 of you who have been here through these different
37:23
generations and have
37:24
SPEAKER_02: been early.
37:26
I mean,
37:26
obviously everyone wants,
37:27
you know,
37:27
it's a collector's kind of thing.
37:29
SPEAKER_02: Like, why does it, why does it matter to you?
37:33
SPEAKER_02: You know,
37:33
SPEAKER_02: it was pretty funny when he,
37:34
SPEAKER_02: you know,
37:35
SPEAKER_02: when Elon said 200,
37:36
SPEAKER_02: that was a lot of money for me.
37:38
SPEAKER_02: I mean, that was a lot of money.
37:40
SPEAKER_02: And I went to Bruce and I'm like,
37:42
SPEAKER_02: Guy wants to do 100, you know?
37:44
SPEAKER_02: And of course you're going to do that.
37:46
SPEAKER_02: Are you kidding?
37:47
SPEAKER_02: You've got to do that.
37:48
SPEAKER_02: And, you know, it's kind of a 2013 is like the year of YOLO or whatever.
37:51
SPEAKER_02: And I'm like, you know, all right, let's do it.
37:57
SPEAKER_02: Why did I buy it?
37:59
SPEAKER_02: You know, I don't know.
38:00
It seemed funny,
38:00
actually,
38:00
to me on the Model S.
38:01
In fact,
38:01
I wrote this to Elon.
38:02
SPEAKER_02: You know, they had the news there and there's all this press.
38:05
SPEAKER_02: Well, you were at this.
38:06
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it was like a huge event.
38:07
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
38:08
SPEAKER_02: And, you know, and you get up on stage and he hands you the key.
38:11
SPEAKER_02: I was kind of embarrassed.
38:12
SPEAKER_02: Like, what did I do here?
38:13
SPEAKER_02: I bought a car.
38:14
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
38:14
SPEAKER_02: Like, I'm on stage because I bought a car.
38:16
SPEAKER_02: I mean, for me, it was another tech gadget.
38:18
SPEAKER_02: Like, I have so many different.
38:19
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
38:20
SPEAKER_02: It's like another cool gadget.
38:21
SPEAKER_02: It's the best one or whatever.
38:23
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
38:24
SPEAKER_02: Um,
38:24
SPEAKER_02: and so I wrote him,
38:25
SPEAKER_02: I said,
38:26
SPEAKER_02: man,
38:26
SPEAKER_02: you know,
38:26
SPEAKER_02: this,
38:26
SPEAKER_02: it felt a little disingenuous to be on stage with,
38:29
SPEAKER_02: you know,
38:29
SPEAKER_02: just for me buying a car,
38:31
SPEAKER_02: like whatever.
38:32
SPEAKER_02: Um,
38:32
SPEAKER_02: but I should have got on my hands and knees and just like,
38:34
SPEAKER_02: dude,
38:35
SPEAKER_02: you are so what the car is so great.
38:37
SPEAKER_02: What you've done here is just remarkable.
38:40
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
38:40
SPEAKER_02: I mean, I don't want to go to a nationalist or anything on this.
38:47
SPEAKER_02: I remember that event a little differently.
38:50
SPEAKER_02: I didn't have a stake in the game.
38:52
SPEAKER_02: I wasn't getting a car, but I was covering it for my...
38:56
book and and for business week at the time and i just
38:58
distinctly remember it being
39:00
you know it's this old new me factory that had been left for
39:02
dead um along with
39:05
like the american car industry and obviously in hindsight such
39:09
a funny thing but
39:11
tesla was still very much in like life and death mode and the
39:15
roadster for as cool
39:16
as it was it was not like a it wouldn't be considered like a
39:19
success like enough to
39:21
SPEAKER_02: sustain a company
39:22
SPEAKER_02: as a product.
39:23
SPEAKER_02: And so,
39:24
SPEAKER_02: so much was riding on the Model S.
39:25
SPEAKER_02: And I just remember,
39:27
SPEAKER_02: you know,
39:27
SPEAKER_02: all the workers being there,
39:29
SPEAKER_02: this factory coming back to life,
39:30
SPEAKER_02: the Model S actually being...
39:33
SPEAKER_02: Even back then,
39:34
I think the orders were so much higher than even Elon and Tesla
39:38
would have
39:38
SPEAKER_02: expected.
39:38
SPEAKER_02: Like,
39:38
SPEAKER_02: you had this palpable feeling that,
39:41
SPEAKER_02: my God,
39:42
SPEAKER_02: this car company might actually make it and we might.
39:45
SPEAKER_02: You know, it was a very...
39:46
SPEAKER_02: refreshing story.
39:47
SPEAKER_02: It was in California.
39:48
And so I remember being filled with like all this excitement
39:51
and then hindsight is
39:52
SPEAKER_02: funny,
39:53
SPEAKER_02: man,
39:53
SPEAKER_02: because,
39:54
SPEAKER_02: you know,
39:54
SPEAKER_02: 20 years later,
39:55
SPEAKER_02: I wrote about this a month or so ago.
39:57
SPEAKER_02: It's,
39:57
SPEAKER_02: it's like,
39:58
SPEAKER_02: um,
39:59
SPEAKER_02: you know,
39:59
SPEAKER_02: I think that this is not meant to be some like Elon,
40:02
SPEAKER_02: you know,
40:03
SPEAKER_02: fan boy thing.
40:04
SPEAKER_02: I think this is a fact.
40:06
The two biggest manufacturing success stories of the last 20
40:10
years have to be Tesla
40:12
SPEAKER_02: and SpaceX and,
40:13
SPEAKER_02: um,
40:14
Um,
40:14
it's like,
40:15
is off the top of my head,
40:17
it's very hard to find something that's even close.
40:20
SPEAKER_02: I mean,
40:20
SPEAKER_02: maybe if you want to,
40:22
SPEAKER_02: I'm talking in the U S I mean,
40:24
SPEAKER_02: maybe like TSMC or something,
40:26
SPEAKER_02: but you know,
40:26
SPEAKER_02: it was anyway,
40:27
SPEAKER_02: uh,
40:28
SPEAKER_02: I think for the U S it's just so clear.
40:30
SPEAKER_02: And that really,
40:30
to me marked that kind of marked the moment is I think that was
40:35
2012 and SpaceX had
40:37
SPEAKER_02: just gotten to the ISS with dragon.
40:40
And then you had this car factory coming to life and like,
40:42
you know,
40:42
that to me,
40:44
SPEAKER_02: That all represented the beginning of what has transpired since.
40:49
SPEAKER_02: Sorry to ramble.
40:50
SPEAKER_02: No, it's funny because Silicon Valley wisdom is don't do hardware.
40:54
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
40:55
SPEAKER_02: I mean, it's like, but some of our biggest companies, you know, Apple.
40:58
At one point I was,
40:59
I'd invest in hardware as,
41:00
you know,
41:01
I invested in Tesla.
41:02
SPEAKER_02: But yeah, I'm just a cowboy kind of frontier investor.
41:05
SPEAKER_02: I was going to do this, you know, the ABCs of investing in hardware.
41:09
SPEAKER_02: Like A is Apple, you know, T is Tesla.
41:11
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
41:11
SPEAKER_02: Like there's a lot of very big hardware companies,
41:14
SPEAKER_02: but when you get into it,
41:16
SPEAKER_02: you also realize how difficult it is because there's returns,
41:19
SPEAKER_02: there's warranties,
41:20
SPEAKER_02: you know,
41:20
SPEAKER_02: 10 years later,
41:21
SPEAKER_02: the thing fails and people are complaining where do the,
41:24
SPEAKER_02: where are the parts?
41:25
SPEAKER_02: Um, yeah, by the way, I do need a part for my roadster.
41:28
SPEAKER_02: If anyone's got a switch pack.
41:30
SPEAKER_02: I think we can take care of a lot of stuff on this podcast.
41:32
SPEAKER_02: We're going to, we'll certify.
41:34
SPEAKER_02: You got the first one else, man.
41:36
SPEAKER_02: The mice got in the roadsters and we got to fix.
41:39
SPEAKER_02: We can find a switch pack.
41:40
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
41:40
SPEAKER_02: When you put it in reverse,
41:42
SPEAKER_02: um,
41:42
SPEAKER_02: it,
41:43
SPEAKER_02: the,
41:43
SPEAKER_02: the gear doesn't work and that,
41:45
SPEAKER_02: that switch is tied into what's called a switch pack that
41:48
SPEAKER_02: all the switches go into.
41:50
SPEAKER_02: And not the right things are getting set coming out of that.
41:53
SPEAKER_02: So we've taken it apart.
41:55
That part was actually built by some small company in South
41:58
Africa that no longer makes it.
42:01
So if there's a crashed roadster or something somewhere,
42:04
we think that's the problem.
42:06
SPEAKER_02: But it's quite an electrical engineering challenge to go back through.
42:10
SPEAKER_02: And I got to catch up with Martin.
42:11
SPEAKER_02: He may have a better idea, but
42:14
If you keep talking about Martin,
42:15
Elon's not going to let you have this car.
42:18
I wish those guys got along,
42:19
but you know,
42:20
I was not,
42:21
I don't know what happened there.
42:22
SPEAKER_02: They're both, I mean, they're both amazing.
42:24
SPEAKER_02: They're just both amazing.
42:26
Uh,
42:27
but gosh,
42:27
well,
42:28
I feel like Deepak has to be pretty happy because you have a
42:31
video.
42:31
SPEAKER_02: He doesn't have to like physically get in the middle of this.
42:35
SPEAKER_02: He doesn't have to be like, well, you're creating the controversy.
42:38
SPEAKER_02: It's clear.
42:38
SPEAKER_02: Come on.
42:40
SPEAKER_02: No, no, no.
42:40
SPEAKER_02: You wrote about it.
42:41
SPEAKER_02: You're the first to write about it.
42:42
SPEAKER_02: I did.
42:42
SPEAKER_02: No, I think it is clear.
42:43
SPEAKER_02: I think this is...
42:44
I'm happy you have all this stuff because I remember writing
42:47
about it in the book.
42:47
It's been so funny to me because I'll hear people talk about
42:50
the Roadster 2 come up
42:51
SPEAKER_02: and I always think of you and then I was just...
42:53
SPEAKER_02: We're in Playground Global's offices.
42:55
SPEAKER_02: You were here having lunch and I saw you and then,
42:57
SPEAKER_02: like you said,
42:58
SPEAKER_02: the Rogan thing and the Altman thing had just come up.
43:00
SPEAKER_02: I was like, dude, we got to do this.
43:03
SPEAKER_02: This is a great story and I remember it fondly.
43:06
SPEAKER_02: No, I don't think there's a controversy.
43:08
SPEAKER_02: I think...
43:09
i i know enough about all the the kind of maneuvering that
43:14
happens as the the car
43:15
gets close and so so i'm happy but elon has always been amazing
43:19
amazing to me i
43:20
mean there's some other things that uh yeah i mean they've just
43:23
been incredible
43:24
yeah the company is amazing um well constantine thank you so
43:27
much for doing this um
43:29
SPEAKER_02: i cannot well okay do i get to like
43:34
SPEAKER_02: I'm going to.
43:34
SPEAKER_02: It was not a new controversy.
43:35
SPEAKER_02: No.
43:35
SPEAKER_02: I was the first to take a ride in it.
43:37
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
43:37
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
43:38
SPEAKER_02: I have a better idea.
43:39
Like if you get the first one,
43:41
I don't mean to put you on the spot,
43:42
but I'm going to do it.
43:43
SPEAKER_02: I like it.
43:44
SPEAKER_02: Can we, can we bring our cameras and come to like the first ride?
43:47
SPEAKER_02: Let's do that for sure.
43:48
SPEAKER_02: Let's do that.
43:49
SPEAKER_02: And take the first ride.
43:49
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
43:50
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
43:50
SPEAKER_02: Let's do that.
43:50
SPEAKER_02: Can we do it?
43:51
SPEAKER_02: First ride.
43:51
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
43:52
SPEAKER_02: And we'll, then we'll add.
43:53
SPEAKER_02: I haven't promised.
43:53
SPEAKER_02: A lot of people have asked for that first ride.
43:55
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
43:56
SPEAKER_02: There's nothing's been signed.
43:57
SPEAKER_02: Okay.
43:58
SPEAKER_02: All right.
43:59
SPEAKER_02: Here we go.
44:00
SPEAKER_02: We've done it.
44:01
SPEAKER_02: We've done it.
44:02
SPEAKER_02: We've done it.
44:02
SPEAKER_02: I'll bring very good cameras.
44:04
SPEAKER_02: We'll, we'll drone it.
44:05
SPEAKER_02: We'll do it right, man.
44:06
SPEAKER_02: We'll, we'll, we'll hatch this moment in history.
44:09
SPEAKER_02: We may fly.
44:11
SPEAKER_02: Here we go.
44:12
SPEAKER_02: I don't know if we hover.
44:14
SPEAKER_02: Well, didn't the first roadster of the first roadster end up in space?
44:21
SPEAKER_02: It was one of the first.
44:22
SPEAKER_02: Oh, yeah.
44:23
SPEAKER_02: Was it?
44:23
SPEAKER_02: Oh, God.
44:24
SPEAKER_02: You're challenging all my knowledge now.
44:26
Yeah,
44:26
because did Elon end up with the...
44:29
It was either the first or one of the first.
44:31
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, yeah.
44:31
SPEAKER_02: It was his personal first one.
44:33
SPEAKER_02: Right.
44:34
SPEAKER_02: He didn't just take some mule.
44:35
SPEAKER_02: No.
44:35
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
44:36
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
44:36
SPEAKER_02: Correct.
44:37
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
44:39
SPEAKER_02: This thing's got rocket boosters.
44:40
SPEAKER_02: Who knows what its destiny is.
44:43
SPEAKER_02: Elon, I don't know if that counts as a product launch.
44:46
SPEAKER_02: I think that was the most memorable product launch in history,
44:50
SPEAKER_02: I think,
44:50
SPEAKER_02: because I remember just,
44:54
SPEAKER_02: it was a bit after my book had come out,
44:56
SPEAKER_02: but I,
44:57
SPEAKER_02: like,
44:58
SPEAKER_02: my book had done really well.
44:59
SPEAKER_02: And then all of a sudden it was just enormous.
45:02
SPEAKER_02: I mean, the whole world, you know, where is that thing now?
45:05
SPEAKER_02: It's not orbiting, right?
45:07
SPEAKER_02: There's a website where you could go.
45:09
SPEAKER_02: Is it orbiting or is it, is it?
45:11
SPEAKER_02: Isn't it orbiting Mars?
45:13
SPEAKER_02: Or am I making this up?
45:14
No,
45:14
no,
45:15
I think it's supposed to be in an orbit around Mars or it's
45:17
like disintegrated.
45:18
SPEAKER_02: I, I, uh, it's not chasing that thing we put up there in 72.
45:21
SPEAKER_02: No, you can look here.
45:24
SPEAKER_02: I'm going to, I'm going to look for one second.
45:26
SPEAKER_02: Um,
45:27
SPEAKER_02: The, but so he would have to kind of top that.
45:32
SPEAKER_02: Um, I guess, I don't know.
45:33
I,
45:36
Elon's got a high bar for product launches,
45:38
you know,
45:39
where is star man?
45:44
SPEAKER_02: Where is star man?
45:47
SPEAKER_02: Oh, I'm getting a lot of ads.
45:50
SPEAKER_02: It looks like it's in some kind of orbit.
45:54
SPEAKER_02: There's the roads there.
45:58
SPEAKER_02: Which color is the Roadster?
45:59
SPEAKER_02: Green?
46:00
SPEAKER_02: Yeah, it's green.
46:01
SPEAKER_02: So it's in... Oh, Earth is blue.
46:05
SPEAKER_02: Oh.
46:05
SPEAKER_02: It's going around... It's orbiting.
46:07
SPEAKER_02: Venus?
46:08
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
46:08
SPEAKER_02: It's a weird orbit.
46:09
SPEAKER_02: It is.
46:10
SPEAKER_02: Wow.
46:10
SPEAKER_02: A little bit of an elliptical orbit there.
46:12
SPEAKER_02: Huh.
46:13
SPEAKER_02: So you can go to Where's Starman.
46:15
SPEAKER_02: Where's Starman?
46:17
SPEAKER_02: I think it's Where's Starman... Whereisroadster.com.
46:21
SPEAKER_02: And that will...
46:23
SPEAKER_02: if accurate, show you where it is.
46:26
It is 179 million miles from Earth,
46:31
moving at a speed of 9,350...
46:33
Is this miles per hour?
46:36
SPEAKER_02: I think it is miles per hour.
46:38
SPEAKER_02: Wow, that's all relative to what?
46:40
SPEAKER_02: I mean, that gets pretty tricky.
46:43
So it's 137 million miles from Mars,
46:43
moving toward the planet at 29,000 miles per hour.
46:52
So I think,
46:53
I think it is,
46:54
isn't this,
46:55
wasn't it supposed to like crash into Mars?
46:57
SPEAKER_02: No, he wouldn't do that.
46:58
SPEAKER_02: I don't know if he can do that.
46:59
Oh,
46:59
I mean,
46:59
he's going to recapture that thing,
47:01
land it on Mars,
47:01
get up there and drive it.
47:04
SPEAKER_02: As long as, you know, it's a safe storage up there.
47:06
SPEAKER_02: There's no rats.
47:07
SPEAKER_02: Yeah.
47:08
SPEAKER_02: So he's not going to have that problem.
47:10
SPEAKER_02: That's right.
47:10
SPEAKER_02: You know, I could use the switch pack out of that thing.
47:14
This is your,
47:15
I think your,
47:16
your mushroom,
47:17
you're going to get,
47:17
you're on a mission now.
47:19
SPEAKER_02: Yes.
47:20
SPEAKER_02: I like that idea.
47:21
SPEAKER_02: Well, the rocket boosters live up to the promise.
47:24
SPEAKER_02: I'll go get that myself.
47:26
SPEAKER_02: 15 years from now, you're going to be digging it out in a spacesuit.
47:30
SPEAKER_02: I'm very excited about this.
47:33
SPEAKER_02: If I do actually get the first ride, we will film it.
47:36
SPEAKER_02: I won't
47:37
SPEAKER_02: fully hold you if you've,
47:38
SPEAKER_02: if you've promised someone special,
47:40
SPEAKER_02: but if we could get one of the first rides,
47:42
SPEAKER_02: um,
47:42
SPEAKER_02: that would be incredible.
47:44
SPEAKER_02: And thank you.
47:44
SPEAKER_02: Thank you so much for your time.
47:45
SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
47:45
SPEAKER_02: I know we've done a whim here.
47:46
SPEAKER_02: This is hilarious.
47:47
SPEAKER_02: Super fun.
47:48
SPEAKER_02: It's so nice to just run into you.
47:49
SPEAKER_02: Thank you.
47:56
SPEAKER_02: The Core Memory Podcast is hosted by me, Ashley Vance.
48:00
SPEAKER_02: It is produced by David Nicholson and me.
48:04
SPEAKER_02: Our theme song is by James Mercer and John Sortland.
48:09
SPEAKER_02: And the show is edited by the John Sortland.
48:14
SPEAKER_02: Thanks as always to Brex.
48:18
SPEAKER_02: Anyone Ventures for making this possible,
48:21
SPEAKER_02: please visit our Substack,
48:23
SPEAKER_02: YouTube,
48:25
SPEAKER_02: and podcast channels to get more of what Core Memory makes.
48:28
SPEAKER_02: Thanks, y'all.