Even if you believe that humanity would have been better if a some global dictator could have stopped the Internet and the Internal combustion system, that's simply not how society works.
If you want another analogy, it's like Feudal Knights complaining about the introduction of the crossbow. Not only were their efforts doomed to fail even the question became irrelevant with the unstoppable march of technological innovation.
How will the people who continuously rationalize cars justify that they are destroying a profession - horse carriage driver - that was fun and profitable ?
How will the people who continuously rationalize the Internet justify that they are destroying a profession - travel agents - that was fun and profitable?
If we blocked every possible innovation because it lowered the fun of something existing we'd never have progressed past the Stone Age.
It makes driving a lot more relaxing in a way that you don't appreciate until you get used to it. My feet are off the pedals and can stretch, I don't have to steer so my attention is only partly on the road ( the interior camera monitors to see if you're looking ahead and not on your phone for example ) If I have to change the music I don't have to worry about the car in front of me suddenly braking etc.
I've been using FSD for years now at day and night and I think it's been ready for Level 3 going straight on Interstates/highways for a while now. The latest update significantly improves taking turns along a route.
I commented on this thread elsewhere that I wish there was a standard suite of requirements for all automakers to certify the self-driving levels on their cars. Otherwise, I feel too much of the discussion is being polluted by people who agree or disagree with Elons politics.
I'd love to see all cars (including Waymo) compete on a standard set of tests with clear gates as to what conditions they'd be allowed to go to Levels 3, 4 or 5.
Don't know which utopia you live in, but are you really happy with the other drivers texting, sleepy, high or just completely incompetent at the wheel?
If anything, FSDs are over-cautious and slow down to well below speed limits if they can't make out conditions. So, yes I'd say other drivers shouldn't complain about a system that still requires a human to constantly pay attention and keep their hands on the wheel.
I, and apparently a lot of other people on the Internet find the latest Tesla FSD update pretty incredible. There's a reason why Tesla gave it as a free trial to everyone. I drove it downtown and back without any interventions this weekend.
Is it 100% perfect? Of course not. But this article is the ultimate in low effort. A person who felt that the car might hit another one but probably not. Yes, real value there.
OK, we'll have to agree to disagree. The context here is Tech and why the US is 'special' for people who want to get ahead. You asked how it's different from Germany. My answer is that the US encourages creative destruction, and generates far more opportunities for trying new things.
I would never make the claim that the US is excellent in all. :)
Whether the same holds true for China is an interesting question. I've never worked with or visited China but I think there are differences. China certainly seems more 'innovative' when it comes to hardware, both physical infrastructure as well as manufacturing in general. Not so sure about software.
I'm an American who works quite a bit with companies in Germany.
The number of opportunities in tech and the speed with which new ones arise can't be compared.
Look at the latest trend - AI. Not only did the initial boost come from openAI (US) its adoption by the biggest tech companies like Google, Microsoft, Nvidia, Apple etc - all American and all investing Billions.
But that's not even the most 'special' aspect of the US ( I'm sure SAP will jump in big into AI ) It's the hundreds of startups that are either starting or pivoting into the trend.
Now, this doesn't mean that this latest iteration of AI will be world-changing, it could turn out to be a complete bust. But it's this constant churn, the striving to be on the cutting edge, the rise and fall of dreams that makes the US 'special'.
How is this any different from farm machinery 200 years ago or industrial automation 50 years ago? More production with far less people.
The same concerns that tithes would lead to massive unemployment. Instead, the economy and global living standards shot up and completely new fields opened up.
Global living standards have been rising sharply for the last 50 years, first in China, then South East Asia, recently India and there are signs it's going to start happening in Africa.
The idea that the newly middle-class in Asia ( including software developers working for international companies ) are increasing desperate and precarious is simply not true.
If you want another analogy, it's like Feudal Knights complaining about the introduction of the crossbow. Not only were their efforts doomed to fail even the question became irrelevant with the unstoppable march of technological innovation.