Tesla's flying Roadster is a weapon in the talent wars

Tesla's Roadster is back. Now, it kinda flies, and I'm not fair being hyperbolic concerning its speed.

(Although, I guess, that would be a fair read, too.)

On Thursday, CEO Elon Musk unveiled the second-generation Roadster. It's capable of doing "crazy gymnastics," Musk said, akin hopping off the dirt and spinning in the air. The prototype additionally sprints from position to 60 mph in 0.8 seconds, Tesla claims — and the automaker stated the manufacturing example volition be equal quicker.

Will the two-door electric sports car be street legal? Who knows.

Instead, the car is accomplishing item additional tangible — and additional evidently Musk-like: create Tesla appearance akin the benevolent of business that can build things another companies cannot. That's a helpful communication for Wall Street and for the engineers Tesla wants to hire.

Tesla is already appreciated far additional akin a tech business than a traditional automaker.

For years, investors have bet heavily on its ambitions in autonomy, synthetic intelligence, robotics, and robotaxis. A flying (or, at least, hopping) Roadster does not demonstrate those businesses volition work, but it makes Tesla's scientific ambitions additional legible.

Musk additionally has lengthy treated merchandise spectacles as recruiting events, too.

At a 2019 Neuralink presentation, anywhere he announced that the business had successfully implanted sensors in rats' brains, he said the "main logic for doing this display is recruiting." Ahead of Tesla's 2021 AI Day, Musk posted on X that "convincing the finest AI endowment to associate Tesla is the sole goal."

The Roadster disclose follows a extremely akin playbook. What improved way to excite additional techies than a flying car?

Gene Munster, managing partner at Deepwater Asset Management, additionally agrees that Thursday's Roadster disclose was an breathtaking specialized feat for up-and-coming tech talent:

Who knows if Tesla volition equal be capable to bring this car to American roads. Musk stated he doesn't equal know.

"I'm not certain it's necessarily lawful in all jurisdictions," he stated during the Thursday launch. When asked if the car was street legal, Musk responded: "Yeah, depends on your street."

Either way, this car may not need to be a volume revenue winner to be a hit for Tesla. It power fair need to be the tech belle of the ball.