Category Archives: Economics

Business, Economics, History, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Space, Technology and Society, War Commentary

Go Out And Vote For The Crook

November 3, 2026 Rand Simberg 16 Comments

It’s important.

[Wednesday-morning update]

Well, I guess they voted for the wrong crooks.

And J.D. Vance’s post mortem is politically convenient to him, but nonsensical.

[Thursday-morning update]

What J.D. Vance got wrong.

[Update a few minutes later]

I decided to sleep on JD Vance’s post from yesterday before commenting on it substantively. I have done so, and given it substantial thought. My verdict? Here is what I believe that post actually was saying: “Yeah we lost the election big time. But it’s not my fault, it’s the fault of the guy who made me who I am, and to whom I owe my entire political career. If only everybody had listened to me everything would have been OK. Oh yeah, I’m specifically throwing my boss under the bus, but I am also impliedly throwing Rubio and Hegseth under the bus too because I want to be President. No, I’m not going to talk about the way my lunatic belief that the Iranian mullahs could be reasoned with is really what brought us to this point. I’m also not going to talk about how my hatred of Israel and alliance with fellow Israel-haters and groyper-adjacent loons like Tucker chases away far more voters than it attracts. In other words, I’m not taking responsibility for anything and blaming everybody else. And I’m dropping this literally hours after the election is over so I can set the narrative now before anybody else has a chance to talk that says I’m the good guy, that MAGA is dead, and that I’m the leader of what comes next. No, I did not coordinate this with Trump, I just told him I’m going to do it. And he will say it’s OK because if he does not he’ll get savaged with reports that he has lost control of the Presidency, which was kind of what I wanted. It’s DC. Loyalty does not matter. Vote for me for President.” Does loyalty matter? I believe it does, because if someone is disloyal to the man who made them, they will also be disloyal to the voters who put them into office. My 2c. (And yes, if Vance is the nominee I’ll still vote for him over communist jihadists, but now is the time to debate these kinds of issues inside our own movement.)
— Cynical Publius (@CynicalPublius) November 5, 2026

[Late-morning update]

“Vance wants an ‘honest conversation’; fine, here’s one.“

Business, Economics, Philosophy, Space, Technology and Society

The SpaceX Earnings Call

October 23, 2026 Rand Simberg 9 Comments

The unthinkable is about to happen to SpaceX https://t.co/c8MNQXqvYy
— David Carbutt (@DavidCarbutt_) October 22, 2026

What he’s doing goes far beyond technology development. He’s fighting the Marxists:

I don’t think people realize what Elon Musk is actually doing. He’s not playing the game better than everyone else. He’s rewriting the rules of the game. Every billionaire before him was offered the same deal: money for aura, silence for respectability. They all took it. He walked out. I made a 4-minute video on the machine he’s fighting. Watch it before it gets buried. https://t.co/MSsAswVb2B
— Brivael Le Pogam (@brivael) October 22, 2026

Business, Economics, Technology and Society

Terraform Industries

October 22, 2026 Rand Simberg 3 Comments

What they’ve accomplished this year.

It’s pretty impressive.

Business, Economics, Law, Media Criticism, Political Commentary, Social Commentary

Elon’s Tit For Tat

October 22, 2026 Rand Simberg 8 Comments

I believe Elon Musk is planning on using the Retaliator strategy to deal with aggression from the Democrats. The Retaliator strategy is a behavior in evolutionary game theory that begins peacefully but fiercely defends itself if attacked. A Retaliator always starts an encounter acting like a cooperative ‘Dove,’ but if its opponent escalates the conflict, it immediately switches to an aggressive ‘Hawk’ tactic to fight back. If the opponent backs down and becomes peaceful again, the Retaliator matches that shift and reverts to a Dove. This conditional flexibility allows Retaliators to cooperate efficiently with peaceful neighbors while successfully punishing bullies and predators without being exploited. It combines a preference for peace with a credible willingness to retaliate, and in competitive terms outperforms both indiscriminate aggression and unconditional submission. When a Retaliator meets a Bully (e.g., the Democrat Party), the interaction quickly exposes the Bully’s empty bluff. The Bully begins the encounter aggressively by playing like a Hawk, which instantly triggers the Retaliator to abandon its peaceful default and fight back fiercely. Because a Bully usually retreats when faced with real aggression, it panics and flees when the Retaliator pushes back with sufficient force. As a result, the Retaliator wins the entire resource with a low risk of injury, dominating the Bully and driving it toward evolutionary extinction. The Doves benefit by from being around a Retaliator as well, gaining friendly interactions with it, and protection against bullies. The Retaliator’s strength lies not in seeking conflict, but in making exploitation unprofitable and unfounded agression costly. It cooperates whenever cooperation is possible, fights decisively when fighting becomes necessary, and stops fighting as soon as the threat has passed. In evolutionary terms, its success comes from aligning peaceful intentions with effective deterrence, and a willingness to use extreme measures when necessary. It’s the right choice.
— Owen Lewis (@is_OwenLewis) October 21, 2026

Business, Economics, Space, Technology and Society