Fluke

One could argue that the fine is merely the cost of doing business given the way it's structured and what it actually costs the company.

ie. That fine should arguably be significantly higher to have any substantial effect on the company's behaviour.

Paid over ten years.

Merely the cost of doing business.

Jesus H, I bet it costs a fucking fortune to heat that up for the sake of a couple of pizzas.

Except it's being sold as the second coming of Jesus Christ that will suck your genitals while doing the jobs of ten of your subordinates at a fraction of the cost.

Given that the spending phase of the bubble is still in full swing, the only possible outcome of this absolute shitshower is a serious economic crash that will eventually flatline entire countries because of just how wide and how deep the pool of "investors" (read: over-leveraged, entitled gamblers playing with other people's money) ultimately is.

Not enough to escape those kind of charges. I suspect an example may be made of these two.

Money and power always escape the laws that bind the rest of us plebs. Have you learned nothing? 💛

They're being extradited to the UK for a long string of charges up to and including possession of kiddie porn if the latest news is accurate.

We don't look kindly on that shit here in the UK. They go to special prisons, as regular inmates of all stripe shiv kiddie fiddlers as a matter of pride. Not a great thing really, I know, but I admit a pang of satisfaction nonetheless.

So yeah, their reception here will be an enthusiastic one, I'm sure.

Because making it work well costs more than making it work barely, and those costs are ultimately profits not being paid to shareholders now.

Those making the decisions get paid their bonuses based on the now, not the maybe, in the future.

It's really that simple.

I suspect Musk is trying to ensure his satellites are up before anyone else's, so when the inevitable legislation is enacted to control who launches what, he already "owns" the lion's share of "orbital real estate".

With a Super El Niño brewing right now, I wouldn't bank on next year being cooler... 🫤

People don't buy what they want to buy, they buy what the constant barrage of advertising tells them to buy. Starting with those most susceptible, then peer pressure gets added to the adverts, add in government lobbying and a list of other underhanded tricks, and bosh, job done.

E-cigs, wank tanks, social media, "designer products", the list goes on.

Biased how?