News 50 Miners Control 50% of Bitcoin Mining Worldwide

[TJ Hooker]

Gov't contracts are by far the most inefficient of all programs because there is little to no accountability. For example the Heads up helmet for the JSF is MASSIVELY over budget. Each helmet cost a fortune with massive delays and cost overruns. That is an uncontested gov't contract. If you work for the Federal gov't you have to MASSIVELY f up to get fired. Thus there is no accountability. My best friend's ex wife took years of unacceptable performance at her gov't job as a secretary before they could get rid of her.

SpaceX created a space delivery system that is far far cheaper than anything else Lockheed/ULA/Boeing have managed to create with gov't incentives. That is why NASA opened up the process to free competition without gov't contracts. The most efficient program won funding, thus putting the onus on businesses to be efficient. The same for Virgin Galatic.

The contracts awarded to SpaceX, etc. are still "government contracts" though. And most government contracts are competitive AFAIK, including the F35/JSF (not to say there aren't issues with the defense bidding/procurement process).

 

[JamesJones44]

Elon didn't invent much if any of that, the thousands of scientists and engineers along with supporting staff to actually build the things hired by department managers at his companies did most of the real innovation work. Elon's main contribution is setting aspirational goals and spinning countless failures as successfully discovering ways that don't work.

Not to mention Telsa, for which everyone gives Elon credit for wasn't even started by him. He was just an investor who basically stole the company from the original founders. Elon deserves credit, but people give him way too much credit for the things that have been done under his name. He's really a modern day Edison, who also deserved credit, but got way more credit that he deserved.

 

[digitalgriffin]

The contracts awarded to SpaceX, etc. are still "government contracts" though. And most government contracts are competitive AFAIK, including the F35/JSF (not to say there aren't issues with the defense bidding/procurement process).

Yes and no. They all submit proposals and get awarded seed money to research said proposals. Once they procure that it is gauranteed even if they go over budget.

Elon was competing against the likes of ula and they needed a finished viable product before the contract was awarded.