I think anyone with their head screwed on straight can admire Elon Musk for his achievements.

I admire my friends. I admire, to some degree, all sorts of achievers.

I'm just tired of reading critiques of Musk for not fitting some Objectivist or free-market perfection list. I guess I would ask the Elon-haters to name any businessperson of significant achievement who meets their perfect standards.

It's not a matter of preaching Objectivism, it's walking the walk. And Elon Musk has walked the walk as well as anyone. Consider his many business achievements. Consider that his two main companies are both succeeding with quality and price of product in industries where no new entrants of such scale had succeeded in quite a while. Consider his very rational attitude and manner. Consider his goals of creating an inspiring and technologically advanced future.

I'm just asking for justice here. We should judge people by clear standards, but also realize that our overall judgment has to recognize that not being perfect doesn't make one evil.

Mark Zuckerberg is not John Galt either. LOL

Yep, he wants to save human beings from ourselves. To me, that is a major red flag.

I knew this statement would shuffle allegiances.

Disappointment? At what? With whom?

"If you don't admire Elon, go revolutionize a few industries with huge entrenched players yourself."
I admire Musk's intelligence, but not his motivation. Also, this comment is illogical. It proposes that if I don't "revolutionize a few industries", then I had better "admire Elon". By what standard?

What, in your definition, is "the space program" and who does it belong to?

His most successful business is mostly dependent on government contracts.

While I subscribe to much of the Objectivist philosophy I find a tendency to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Full blown objectivists are inclined to be perfectionists and reject any deviation from inspired wisdom. Musk has his big government leanings as does Bezos and both have taken advantage of the system to become multi billionaires. While I am not sympathetic with all of Musk's politics he is doing more for the space program than NASA has since the Apollo Moon missions. I am working with a company that plans lunar and asteroid mining and much of their goals will be enabled by SpaceX. We don't live in a perfect world and those that are unsatisfied with anything less than perfection will spend their lives in a constant state of disappointment.

Elon Musk is more Hank Rearden than John Galt.

Seriously, anyone who thinks his businesses are simply subsidy-dependent is smoking weed.

If you don't admire Elon, go revolutionize a few industries with huge entrenched players yourself.

Don't be too obsessed with classical liberalism when assessing entrepreneurs.

3 cheers for bill hulets observation!!!

Being smart does not make you a John Galt. With Musk, there isn't a government subsidy he didn't like. He is obsessed with false premises. followers of Musk are seeing him as a Garu but I see them as a cult. As for his stock, Caveat emptor.

^^ See response above. ^^

Here's one:
https://www.ff.org/george-soros-the-f...

Speculative, but I am not in disagreement. See also: False Messiah of American Business

More like PT Barnum.