The John Johnston Lounge

John Johnston (JJ) reacts to a video from Jennifer Welch of the I’ve Had It Podcast, in which Jennifer is highly critical of the anti-democractic, pro-authoritarian ideology of the co-founders of company Palantir, and some other aligned U.S. tech billionaires.   Related episodes: Why It’s Time To Ditch Elon Musk’s Companies https://open.spotify.com/episode/2rQLR35sUfWAtZeufcSx9J AI Bubble BIG SHOR...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how the boycott of Tesla products, that started about a year ago, seems to be having an impact, with Tesla car sales continuing to go down. The question is: could it also happen with products and services from other Elon-led companies and brands as well, such as X, Grok, and Starlink? Increasingly, more people do not want to buy what Elon is selling, because of his p...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down the investing world drama unfolding because famous “Big Short” investor Michael Burry is currently shorting the stock of AI sector darling Palantir (PLTR). We look at exactly what Burry is saying about Palantir, and why he’s shorting it. More generally, Burry thinks we in the midst of an AI bubble that’s similar to the Dot Com Bubble of the lates 1990s.  Peter Thiel...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how there is growing criticism that Tesla CEO Elon Musk’s divisive public opinions are seriously harming Tesla’s brand, and sales.  Related episodes: Tesla UK Sales Plummet Year-Over-Year!  https://open.spotify.com/episode/3vuIsulcmlf03k4LJSIoZN Tesla Robotaxi Slow Progress: $1.5T Red Flag For Investors? https://open.spotify.com/episode/2UCcnaYSVadNFiOFdF5U0n Tick-To...

John Johnston (JJ) provides an update of Tesla’s autonomous or Unsupervised Robotaxi roll-out, a few weeks after the first one was spotted in Austin Texas. So far, it seems to be progressing slowly. A lot of Tesla stock market cap is riding on the success of Robotaxis, and then Tesla’s Optimus Robot later. How long will the stock market wait to see significant progress in Tesla’s autonomy program,...

Join John Johnston (JJ) for the Weekly Lounge, a compilation of the week's daily episodes of The John Johnston Lounge. Below are the individual episode titles and links: Elon Musk Finally Admits Massive Delay to SpaceX Mars Missions https://open.spotify.com/episode/5zM3AQHttOqxTApCdTnFRO Elon Musk’s ‘Self-Growing Moon City’: Anyone Still Believe Him? https://open.spotify.com/episode/7GqExGR4JY2mVI...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down the news that Tesla sales in China have crashed 45% year-over-year in January, to the lowest in three years. In further bad news for Tesla sales, Elon Musk, and US EV sales in general, the Trump administration has repealed the Obama era endangerment finding: the ruling that served as the basis for limits on vehicle tailpipe emissions and power plant rules.  Related e...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down the news that Elon Musk’s xAI, now owned by SpaceX, has lost a second cofounder in 2 days, as well as other staff. Tesla has also lost a second head of North American sales in less than a year. We look at why staff at Elon’s companies seem to be leaving in droves.  Related episodes: Elon Musk’s ‘Self-Growing Moon City’: Anyone Still Believe Him? https://open.spotify....

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how Elon Musk’s brother, and fellow Tesla Board of Directors member, Kimbal Musk is attempting to counter a Guardian article that asserts that emails from The Epstein Files show that Jeffrey Epstein engineered an intimate relationship for Kimbal, and that Kimbal and the woman were involved for about six months between 2012 and 2013. Could Kimbal Musk be kicked off th...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down the news and reactions about Elon Musk saying SpaceX will attempt to build a “self-growing” city on the Moon within the next 10 years, pivoting away from getting to Mars. Given all Elon’s false “predictions” over the years, it seems fewer people are believing Elon these days, apart from his most ardent fans. We look at some of the reactions to the news, from Elon’s o...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down the Elon Musk and SpaceX news that Elon has announced SpaceX is delaying Mars missions plans by years, to shift focus to Moon missions, and “building a self-growing city on the Moon”. Elon’s most ardent supporters and Tesla influencers are saying it makes a lot of sense, and critics are pointing out that delaying going to Mars is yet another one of Elon’s false “pred...

Join John Johnston (JJ) for the Weekly Lounge, a compilation of the week's episodes of The John Johnston Lounge. Below are the individual episode titles and links: Elon Musk Sought Epstein Island’s “Wildest Party” https://open.spotify.com/episode/2C4q3zIgSCDCTwAMl1QmlC SpaceX Bailed Out xAI: Elon's AI Bubble Exit Strategy https://open.spotify.com/episode/6tTAP6maxDY7qyRzSX8V0n Why Cyber-Cr...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how CEO Elon Musk is continuing to inflict more brand damage on Tesla, and SpaceX, as more comes to light about his questionable past dealings, and as he continues to post divisive opinions on his social media platform X daily.  The Elon illustration in the thumbnail is by Rob Israel https://www.instagram.com/robisraelartwork Related episodes: Tesla: “The Biggest Bub...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down the news that Tesla sales in the UK have plunged in January, which makes for a dismal year-over-year number, as rival BYD pulls well ahead. There is increasing intense electric vehicle completion, but it also could have a lot to do with the public’s view of Tesla CEO Elon Musk. Tesla Earnings: Falling Revenue, ’Invests’ in Elon Musk's xAI Money Furnace https://op...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down the news that the X offices in Paris have been raided by the prosecutor’s cyber-crime unit, as part of an investigation into suspected offences. Elon Musk and former X CEO Linda Yaccarino have been summoned to hearings. The UK has also announced at probe into Elon Musk’s Grok AI, over its potentially harmful image and video content creation. Spanish Prime Minister Pe...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down the news that Elon Musk has merged SpaceX with xAI, which includes social media platform X within it. Is this mega-deal a bailout of xAI, and what does it mean for Tesla and Tesla shareholders? After the acquisition, xAI plans to launch a massive AI satellite constellation, with as many as one million satellites, aiming to be an AI data center in space. Is this merge...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down the news that Elon Musk is trying to defend and deflect from newly released emails within the Epstein Files, which appear to show that Elon was actively wanting to visit Epstein’s island, and asking which day there would be the “Wildest Party”.  Previously, Elon has said that he refused Epstein’s invitations, but the emails seem to clearly contradict that. JJ also lo...

Join John Johnston (JJ) for the Weekly Lounge, a compilation of the week's episodes of The John Johnston Lounge. Below are the individual episode titles and links: Did Elon Lie About Unsupervised Robotaxis Starting in Austin? https://open.spotify.com/episode/7mmzCXDv7S7KfRm9GrqqAc AI Bubble: Is OpenAI Going Broke? https://open.spotify.com/episode/4xPM7mmWrmDHcRmdytpEoq Tesla: “The Biggest Bubb...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down reports that Elon Musk’s SpaceX is in merger talks with his artificial intelligence company xAI, and Elon is also considering merging Tesla with SpaceX, ahead of a planned IPO of SpaceX. This news comes on the heels of the latest Tesla Earnings, in which it was revealed that 2025 saw a profit fall of 46%, and Tesla is ditching its Tesla Model S and Model X lines, sup...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down the latest news about the Tesla Q4 and Full Year Earnings Update, including that Tesla is investing $2 Billion in Elon Musk’s OpenAI competitor xAI. Tesla is also discontinuing its Model X and Model X vehicles lines as it pivots to robotics and autonomous robotaxis. However, Tesla’s “unsupervised” robotaxis seem to have vanished from Austin streets, after the pre-ear...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down why a veteran fund manager is saying that Tesla is the biggest single stock bubble of all time. Another high profile investor involved in “The Big Short” is saying that Tesla is the ”poster child” for overvalued stocks. At the same time, Tesla car sales have been declining for about two years, as EV competition has become increasingly intense, and Elon Must has conti...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how Sam Altman’s OpenAI is burning billions per month, and has around $1.4 trillion in commitments, but with only 5% of users actually paying. Is the “last resort” business model of inserting advertising becoming the only way it can survive, and would that be enough? Is this a sign that large cracks in AI company finances are appearing, and also in the AI technology...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down the latest Tesla and Elon Musk news, including that Tesla may have moved the “safety monitor” to a chase car for it’s first “unsupervised” robotaxis in Austin, as Elon Musk touts the new development. However, a Tesla influencer spent most of the weekend trying to find one of the new unsupervised Tesla robotaxis and couldn’t find one in operation. Tesla has also cut s...

Join John Johnston (JJ) for the Weekly Lounge, a compilation of the week's episodes of The John Johnston Lounge. Below are the individual episode titles and links, and recent Weekly Lounge links too, if you want to catch up on them: Tesla Optimus in Shambles as Boston Dynamics Hires Fleeing Lead https://open.spotify.com/episode/0JPjILEYPqo5hz3odX7Gc3 The Tech Billionaires’ Plan To Replace You...

John Johnston (JJ) breaks down how the world's wealthiest man, Elon Musk, has been attacking Jennifer Welch from the popular podcast I’ve Had It, and Jennifer has been clapping back, hard. JJ reacts to a video Welch made about Elon’s toxic behavior and attitude towards her and others. Related episodes: BUSTED: Trump Admin Concedes Elon's DOGE May Have Stolen Data https://open.spotify.com/e...