Jonathan Thompstone

[John Bolton @AmbJohnBolton]

I wrote that when I became Trump’s national security adviser, I assumed the gravity of his role would discipline even him. I was wrong. His erratic approach to governance and his dangerous ideas gravely threaten American security. GOP primary voters should take note. More in the @WSJ. https://t.co/P7kCM4CyFA

[Andrew Ross Sorkin @andrewrsorkin]

I remember this morning very well. I had spoken to @elonmusk by phone earlier and written a column in @nytimes for that morning and then went on the air with the news. The truth is I thought the comp plan was the most “skin in the game” in history. I still do. I have criticized CEO comp a lot — but not this package. Without the incentives, he could have easily stepped down as CEO and then where would have @Tesla been? Admittedly, I was skeptical he’d hit the most ambitious targets of the package. But he did — having put his entire comp at risk. Isn’t that what we want when we say “pay for performance?”

[7Cricket @7Cricket]

One of the best acceptance interviews and thank you speeches you'll see 🙌

Enjoy Mitch Marsh's immediate reaction to winning the Allan Border Medal #AusCricketAwards

[Ryan Buikema @prolificinvent]

@elonmusk Reminded me of this excellent immigration presentation, visualized with gumballs.

[Rita Panahi @RitaPanahi]

Hey @Delta this staff member deserves an extra Christmas bonus. Don’t even think of punishing or counselling them unless you want to be Bud Lighted.

[Mike Ridyard @RidyardMike]

New tax bracket announced for Scottish tax payers. Tax year 2024/25.

[Piers Morgan @piersmorgan]

Judging by the spleen-splitting reaction of Labour supporters to David Cameron’s appointment as Foreign Secretary, I’d conclude it’s a smart move by @RishiSunak .

[Jonathan Thompstone @Jgt00]

@ArchRose90 😂

[Sawyer Merritt @SawyerMerritt]

Joe Biden said while speaking to UAW members today that "80% of EVs on the road today were made in America."

He failed to mention the VAST majority of that 80% comes from @Tesla (which is non-union).

Biden added: "Union are more popular today than in decades" but UAW membership is -70% since 1970🤦‍♂️

[Stephen Knight 🎙️ @GSpellchecker]

Piers Morgan tries a bit of "not all protestors are pro-Hamas" with @DouglasKMurray. It does not go well...

[John Redwood @johnredwood]

Why are we closing blast furnaces? It will mean importing more steel from countries that increase their CO 2 to make it and send it to us.

[Amy @Amy787]

And what did Tesla get right? If one is evaluating Tesla, surely accomplishments matter? Not even a complete list! 🔥👇

🔺Model Y became the World’s Best Selling Vehicle. (Some failure that one, huh? Other Auto manufacturers DREAM to “FAIL” by having the world’s est selling vehicle).

🔺New updated Model 3 launched in Asia & Europe.

🔺Cools features like RMB lighting added to the Shanghai produced Model Y.

🔺Tesla reaffirmed target of 1.8 Million EVs produced this year. Keeping to the ~50% CAGR every year year since the goal was announced.

🔺Tesla Energy: A record 4.0 GWh deployed in Q223. 90% growth YOY. Lathrop will reach full utilization in 2024z. MegaShanghai is planned. Energy will enjoy high profit margins.

🔺Tesla FSD. Tesla’s FSD V12.0 (currently being trained) is end to end neural nets. A reduction of 300,000 plus lines of code to ~3,000. This will be when FSD is no longer a “Beta”. But even as a “Beta” FSD is a monetized AI product.

🔺Tesla AI: Tesla successfully doubled compute by bringing Dojo and the Nvidia GPU cluster online. Tesla is moving to a new method of training AI that handles video better.

🔺Tesla Bot: Tesla continues the DFM process, Design to Manufacture, by hiring production line supervisors and actuator design supervisors to work hand in hand with the design team. Tesla’s Bot will be designed for end to end neural nets, be able to learn from watching a human, and be able to be produced and monetized, profitably and at scale.

🔺Tesla is self-funding all new projects, expansion and R&D out of free cash flow. Simultaneously Tesla increased cash to 26 Billion and retired more corporate debt.

🔺Factory expansions. Tesla is expanding Berlin, Nevada, Shanghai and Austin. Tesla also retooled production lines at all factories.

[John Redwood @johnredwood]

Poland has a Corporation tax rate of 19% and a top rate of income tax of 32%. It also has a low state debt and has been growing faster than higher taxed EU countries. The UK Treasury could learn from their success.

[Rt Hon Nadine Dorries @NadineDorries]

🫤

[Jonathan Thompstone @Jgt00]

https://t.co/Bx3pGLRvZx Impressive lady. Very negative line of questioning by the BBC!

[Margaret Thatcher @MrsMThatcher]

Private schools are a necessary and beneficial component of a free and competitive society.

Firstly, the principle of choice is paramount. Parents should have the right to choose the best educational environment for their children. If they believe that a private school offers superior facilities, teaching, or opportunities, then they should be free to invest their money as they see fit.

Secondly, the competition that private schools introduce is good for the educational system as a whole. The pressure to maintain high standards forces both private and state schools to constantly re-evaluate and improve their offerings. This competitive spirit is essential in driving progress and elevating the quality of education across the board.

Lastly, private schools often act as centres of educational innovation. Free from some of the bureaucratic constraints that state schools may face, they can experiment with new teaching methods, curricula, and technologies. This innovation often trickles down to benefit the wider educational ecosystem.

Private schools aren’t about conferring ‘unfair privilege’; they’re about enhancing choice, driving competition, and fostering innovation. The aim should not be to abolish these institutions but to elevate state schools to the same level of excellence.

[ALX 🇺🇸 @alx]

Elon Musk on the request from the Ukrainian Government to turn on Starlink in Crimea: “We figured out that this was kind of like a Pearl Harbor like attack...So they really asked us to proactively take part in a major act of war”

[Luke Coffey @LukeDCoffey]

For the anti-Ukraine gang this is how it works:

The US gives Ukraine 42 HIMARS so it can fight an invader. They perform so well that Poland orders 486 in a deal worth billions of dollars and more American jobs.

I can only explain it to you. I cannot understand it for you.

[Michael Liebreich - @MLiebreich.bsky.social @MLiebreich]

This accords with my observation as a member of the UK Board of Trade, travelling the country and visiting manufacturers and exporters: reality is very different from what the Westminster Bubble of Gloom would have you believe.

[Jefferson @Jefferson_MFG]

🚨 BREAKING: The UK has leapfrogged France to become the 8th largest manufacturer in the world.

With an annual output of £224 billion, the buoyant sector now supports 2.6 million jobs according to new data released this morning by trade association @MakeUK_ .

The figures are contained in the latest annual ‘Manufacturing – The Facts’ which contains a wide variety of data about the contribution of manufacturing to the economy including exports, sectoral breakdown, how the UK compares to other nations and salary levels.

Make UK estimates that if the Government commits to its call for a manufacturing target of 15% of GDP, this will add an additional £142 billion to the UK economy. #UKmfg