Wesley Bergquist

Tesla Infrastructure / R&D / Engineering

[Zack @BLKMDL3]

Tesla Oasis is a great road trip stop.

164 stalls, mainly off grid solar powered with super clean pet area, vending machines, restrooms, trailer pull trough areas, tire inflation station and seating areas.

Well done @TeslaCharging!

[Brandi Kruse @BrandiKruse]

DAMN. Former Washington Gov. Christine Gregoire, a Democrat, goes scorched earth on the current Democrats leading the state. Says they have no clue how bad their policies are for the economy.

[Washington State GOP @WAGOP]

"@MayorofSeattle Katie Wilson has chosen to cast business as a foil rather than a partner," writes @HowardSchultz. "Her socialist rhetoric vilifies employers, even while she continues to rely on them for revenue. She has encouraged residents who disagree with her policies to leave."
https://t.co/0lfdfNKn6B via @WSJopinion

Article Text:
"Washington state has been my home for more than four decades. I arrived in Seattle with dreams and ambition and ended up building Starbucks into a company known around the world. Many Pacific Northwesterners joined me in shaping the culture, benefits and brand of Starbucks—contributing not only to a business, but also the civic and entrepreneurial life of the area.

"I am no longer a resident of Washington. My decision to leave had much to do with family choices and my stage of life. Still, I feel a responsibility to speak up about the business and job climate in a city and state that gave me so many opportunities.

"Washington’s economic story over the past half century is extraordinary. Microsoft, Amazon, Costco and a host of other new companies transformed the state into a global center of technology, innovation and logistics. Entrepreneurs exported ideas worldwide. Capital flowed. Wages rose. Imported and homegrown talent flourished.

"That ecosystem worked because risk‑taking was rewarded, growth was possible, and civic leadership—while imperfect—understood that private enterprise wasn’t the adversary of the public good. It was one engine for improving the public sphere.

"That ecosystem is fractured today. Seattle and much of Washington face serious problems: chronic homelessness, disorder in core business districts, persistent budget deficits, declining public-school outcomes and a slowing technology hiring cycle. These challenges aren’t unique to the state—but Washington’s response to them is.

"Seattle’s mayor, Katie Wilson, has chosen to cast business as a foil rather than a partner. Her socialist rhetoric vilifies employers, even while she continues to rely on them for revenue. She has encouraged residents who disagree with her policies to leave.

"In the state capital, the Legislature and governor have confronted difficult fiscal trade-offs by emphasizing taxation rather than reform or performance management. The theory appears to be that prosperity can be mandated through redistribution rather than generated through growth.

"Washington has a broken tax system. The reliance on sales taxes—10.55% in Seattle—is deeply regressive. The state needs to rewrite its tax code across the board in a way that ensures people and businesses alike pay their share.

"But instead of reform, those in power have opted to increase the burden on businesses and successful entrepreneurs in ways that discourage them from growing within the state—at a moment when Washington’s economic situation is growing more fragile.

"Microsoft and Amazon—once hiring engines—have slowed recruitment and reduced head counts as they race to build data-center capacity and compete globally. Starbucks recently announced it will shift hundreds of corporate roles to Tennessee.

"These companies imported global talent at scale for decades, anchoring an interconnected system of suppliers and startups. As those businesses reduce their local role, Seattle has no clear answer to the question of what will provide the next set of jobs and revenue growth.

"Cities and states don’t decline overnight. They drift when public safety, fiscal stability and economic vitality deteriorate together. Downtown vacancies reduce foot traffic. Declining foot traffic weakens small businesses. Employment falls. Revenue shrinks. Services erode. Confidence—something that’s hard to build and easy to lose—begins to evaporate.

"Entrepreneurs are accustomed to accountability: If we fail to deliver value, we lose customers. If we misallocate capital, we absorb the loss. Government, too, should be judged by results, not intentions. In Washington, steadily increasing government spending hasn’t delivered commensurate results on a range of issues, from addressing homelessness and drug addiction to poor prospects for new high-school graduates.

"Entrepreneurs take risks others won’t. We build before certainty exists. We hire before revenue is guaranteed. We invest locally, pay taxes and support civic institutions. When our companies succeed, entire regions benefit. America can’t afford to forget that.

"Leaving doesn’t mean abandoning. My family foundation remains invested in Washington’s future, seeking to help the next generation achieve economic mobility and prosperity. But that future is linked to economic growth and job creation. Across the country, other states are competing for capital and talent by simplifying regulation, reforming tax systems and investing in workforce development. One important initiative comes from the bipartisan National Governors Association, helping states craft pro-entrepreneurship policies.

"I hope Washington’s leaders will embrace these policies and forge a new compact—one grounded in job creation, sensible taxation and accountable public spending. Washington once embodied the future of the U.S. economy, and it can again. But the current government needs to learn that future entrepreneurs won’t be attracted by ineffective public systems, especially when joined with policy and political rhetoric that demonize businesses."

Mr. Schultz is a former CEO and chairman emeritus of Starbucks.

[Zack @BLKMDL3]

WE SET THE NEW YORK CITY TO LA FSD CANNONBALL RUN RECORD!

Zero disengagements or human intervention on FSD v14.3.2 for 2,833 miles! 49:55:57, beating previous record by ~8.5 hours!

Huge shoutout to copilots @DBurkland @AaronS5_ for joining along. Videos coming soon. @Tesla_AI

[Elon Musk @elonmusk]

Congrats to the @Starlink engineering & production teams on excellent work!

It was great to see everyone when I walked the production line in Redmond on Wednesday 🖤✨

[Sawyer Merritt @SawyerMerritt]

The Tesla Semi is eligible for a $175,000 discount in Washington with a new rebate program, significantly cutting the price of the truck for buyers by about 60%. https://t.co/hFmWackmit

[Jason Rantz on Seattle Red @jasonrantz]

Seattle’s office vacancy rate is the worst in the nation at 33%, Q1 2026 report confirms https://t.co/TgEYiI2jD2

[Wesley Bergquist @wesleybergquist]

Goes without saying but this is a bold statement by the company who changed Seattle for the past 30 years.

[Ari Hoffman @thehoffather]

Microsoft President Brad Smith told KOMO News, "I'm probably more worried right now about the business climate in Washington than at any point over the last 30 years... If other people are paying for jobs to leave and we're taxing them to stay, that will make everything harder."

[Wesley Bergquist @wesleybergquist]

@DearS_o_n Soda water with a lime when I go out. At home, drink a lot more high quality juice and a ton more water.

Iced tea unsweetened has definitely grown on me too.

Zero sugar sodas.

[Wesley Bergquist @wesleybergquist]

@inbetwinkle777 @JimWalshLD19 Not disagreeing but do you have examples of this corrupt Renton? It’s politically lopsided for way too many decades which causes morally superior thoughts from leaders as coverage for fraud that is for sure.

[Wesley Bergquist @wesleybergquist]

@KSilas228861 @TheCaptainEli @elonmusk Jump on our careers page and check them out.

[Wesley Bergquist @wesleybergquist]

@jsin215 @JoeTegtmeyer @Tesla I doing think that market is going anywhere. Only higher TBH. My favorite is the 2005 Ford GT. You?

[Wesley Bergquist @wesleybergquist]

@jsin215 @JoeTegtmeyer @Tesla Will be interesting to watch this space. I’m hopeful it will become a collector item for the youth that fell in love with this car in the same way we all want our poster cars from the 2000s.

[Chamath Palihapitiya @chamath]

When your working life rewards you, it’s easy to ratchet up the complexity: homes, cars, travel, possessions etc.

I have found that all that complexity comes at the sake of your most fleeting asset: your time. Instead of building things, all of a sudden you’re dealing with minutiae and logistics. Instead of talking mostly to engineers, you’re talking mostly to non-engineers. The building stops…the business of managing self inflicted complexity begins.

It’s worth noting that the best players in the game (Buffett, Elon) have kept their life extremely basic, almost monastic/nomadic, as success ratcheted them ever higher.

I think it’s the biggest secret hiding in plain sight:

When the world upgrades your status, downgrade your complexity.

[Wesley Bergquist @wesleybergquist]

@BeardyBrandon Are you posting on furnished finder or what other source are you using to find MTR tenants?

[Wesley Bergquist @wesleybergquist]

Looking good @Ellensburg_WA Such an underrated town.

[Tesla Charging @TeslaCharging]

New Tesla Supercharger: Ellensburg, WA - South Water Street (16 stalls)
https://t.co/B8YtlqUln6

[AleXandra Merz 🇺🇲 @TeslaBoomerMama]

Summing up my position on a potential Space X - Tesla merger, which I discussed in more detail on @CuriousPejjy's podcast.

Looking forward to your comments.

[Max @MdeZegher]

.@TeslaCharging teams will be helping to get Digital Optimus units energized.

Especially at long-distance Superchargers, we have large interconnections built for dependable travel on peak days, but sit mostly idle outside of holidays.

We’re going to need a lot of compute and make efficient use of the grid through distributed compute.

[Anthony Mixer @AnthonyMixerWA]

JUST NOW:

The House has concurred to Senate amendments and voted out HB 2034 that steals money from LEOFF plan 1 pensions.

Former Congressman Dave Reichert is planning to challenge this in court soon.

#waleg