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The Birth of an Automotive Giant: General Motors in 1908
Discover the dramatic founding of General Motors in 1908. Learn about William C. Durant's bold vision, the emotional landscape of the era, and key lessons in responsible decision-making that shaped the automotive giant.
Explore the audacious vision, emotional landscape, and lasting lessons from the pivotal moment General Motors was founded in Flint, Michigan.
The Moment Itself
On September 16, 1908, in Flint, Michigan, the automotive landscape was irrevocably altered with the founding of the General Motors Corporation. This was not merely the establishment of another car company in an already crowded field; it was the audacious vision of William C. Durant, a former buggy whip salesman and co-founder of Buick Motor Company, to consolidate the disparate, fiercely independent auto manufacturers into a single, formidable entity. At the turn of the 20th century, the automobile was still a novelty, a luxury for the wealthy, produced by hundreds of small workshops across America. Durant, however, saw beyond the fragmented present to a future of mass production and widespread adoption. He began by acquiring Buick, then swiftly moved to incorporate Oldsmobile, Cadillac, and Oakland (later Pontiac) into his nascent empire. What was at stake was nothing less than the future structure of American industry. Would the automotive sector remain a collection of niche players, or would it be dominated by a few colossal corporations capable of leveraging economies of scale? Durant's gamble was a bet on consolidation, standardization, and the sheer power of a unified brand, a radical concept in an era defined by individual enterprise.
The Emotional Landscape
The emotional texture of this period was a complex tapestry woven with ambition, apprehension, and a burgeoning sense of possibility. For Durant himself, the founding of GM was fueled by an almost boundless optimism and an unyielding drive. He embodied the quintessential American entrepreneur: a risk-taker with an uncanny ability to see market trends before they fully materialized. His decisions were likely met with a mix of awe and skepticism from contemporaries, and perhaps a degree of fear from the owners of smaller companies who suddenly faced an existential threat or a tempting buyout offer. For those who sold their companies to Durant, there would have been a blend of relief at securing their financial future, pride in their original creations, and perhaps a quiet sense of loss as their independent identities were subsumed into a larger whole. For the burgeoning workforce in Flint and Detroit, the establishment of such a massive corporation would have sparked hope for stable employment and a share in the prosperity of this exciting new industry, even as the scale of the enterprise might have felt daunting.
A Lesson in Social Emotional Learning
The founding of General Motors provides a compelling illustration of Responsible Decision-Making and Self-Management. Durant's vision was not a whimsical fancy but a calculated, albeit high-stakes, series of responsible decisions. He identified a critical problem within the nascent auto industry – its fragmentation and lack of scale – and then systematically acquired companies, analyzing their strengths and weaknesses to build a cohesive portfolio. This required immense strategic foresight and the ability to make constructive choices under pressure. Furthermore, Durant's relentless pursuit of this grand consolidation exemplifies strong Self-Management. He demonstrated remarkable initiative and persistence in navigating complex negotiations, overcoming resistance, and maintaining focus on his long-term objective amidst the chaos of rapid growth. His capacity to control impulses and channel his energy into building a colossal enterprise, despite numerous setbacks and the sheer magnitude of the undertaking, speaks volumes about his self-management capabilities. The moment still speaks to us today, highlighting that transformative change often hinges on individuals or groups making bold, well-considered decisions and possessing the discipline and resilience to see those decisions through to fruition.
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Elon Musk vs. The World
The list of people opposed to Elon Musk, his acquisition of Twitter and the direction he has planned to take the social media platform in is virtually endless. Or so it seems. It is unclear whether or not Elon will be successful with his ultimate vision for Twitter, however, if there is one thing we are willing to bet on, it is that he will not be backing down any time soon.
“Twitter usage is at an all time high lol”
On October 28, 2022, Elon Musk, the richest person in the whole wide world, purchased Twitter at a price of $44 billion. Since then, there has been nonstop news and noise about the acquisition of the company and the overall direction of the social media platform. Let’s take a look at some notable exchanges that have taken place since the deal was made complete:
Elon Musk vs. The New York Times
Elon Musk is no stranger to calling people and corporations out and sharing his opinion of them without remorse, especially when they begin to pick and point fingers in his direction. On October 26th, the publication tweeted out an article about Elon with harshly critical overtones.
“Elon Musk has emerged as a new, chaotic actor in global politics. The billionaire’s interventions in some of the world’s most combustible conflicts have sometimes been a boon, but his messages have also caused problems.” – @nytimes
Later that same day, Elon published a hot take on the publication, remixing what they had to say about him, sparing no comedic effect in the process.
““The New York Times has emerged as a new, chaotic actor in global politics. The paper’s interventions in some of the world’s most combustible conflicts have sometimes been a boon, but their messaging has also caused problems.”” – @elonmusk
Adding, ““According to unnamed sources close to the matter who wish to remain anonymous” 🤣🤣” — @elonmusk
Fanning the flames, The New York Times went on to publish an article titled “Smash” a few days later on October 30th. Elon responded with another comedic jab.
“This is fake – I did *not* tweet out a link to The New York Times!”
— @elonmusk
Context was later provided by Birdwatch for readers to confirm that Elon had in fact tweeted a link to a site known to publish false information, but that he later deleted it and chose to conflate the site with The New York Times in response to the article they published about him.
Elon Musk vs. AOC
Alexandria Ocasio Cortez, a United States Representative better known as AOC, is no stranger to controversy or sharing her own hot take on critical issues and situations. In a recent tweet, she came directly for Mr. Musk, suggesting that his intentions were impure and potentially harmful to free speech.
“Lmao at a billionaire earnestly trying to sell people on the idea that “free speech” is actually a $8/mo subscription plan,” said AOC.
In response to this tweet, Elon Musk simply said “Your feedback is appreciated, now pay $8.”
Elon would go on the next day to continue tweeting in response to more general feedback regarding the announcement of the new premium version of Twitter, sharing this tweet that elaborates a bit more on the structure of it all through a highly engaging meme.
The top left part of the image features a character saying, “$8/month for Twitter verification? So much for “free” speech.” A second character, featured in the top right section of the image responds, saying “You can still use Twitter for free, just without the benefits.”
Later still, Elon Musk returned to Twitter to share this image, very clearly questioning the message previously spread by AOC.
This image features a screenshot of a sweatshirt on AOC’s website that retails for $58, and Elon Musk’s commentary is the “hmm” face that suggests everything here might not make sense as it should.
Elon Musk vs. Kathy Griffin
On the evening of November 06, 2022, Elon Musk shared that “any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying “parody” will be permanently suspended.” This policy was put into effect immediately, and many pages were impacted.
“Going forward, any Twitter handles engaging in impersonation without clearly specifying “parody” will be permanently suspended
Previously, we issued a warning before suspension, but now there will be no warning.
This will be clearly identified as a condition for signing up to Twitter Blue.
Any name change at all will cause temporary loss of verified checkmark”
— @elonmusk
In effect with this move, the account for Kathy Griffin, which apparently had been used to impersonate Elon without a clear indication of parody or satire, was suspended.
You can see very clearly in this screenshot, reshared by newscaster Benny Johnson, Kathy had been using Elon Musk’s name for impersonation without the context of parody in her profile.
Certain users picked this up rather quickly, with Benny Johnson among others sharing this information and calling it “breaking news.”
“BREAKING: @KathyGriffin has been permanently suspended from Twitter for impersonating @ElonMusk”
— @bennyjohnson
To the amusement of more than half a million Twitter users, Elon responded.
“Actually, she was suspended for impersonating a comedian”
— @elonmusk
The response from Elon, albeit comedic in nature, was very sharp and unrelenting. He did, however, clarify that she would be able to return to the platform with a verified checkmark if she subscribes to the $8 premium.
“But if she really wants her account back, she can have it… For $8”
— @elonmusk
Elon Musk vs. Advertisers
Since the keys to the bird cage were handed over to Elon Musk, several companies have allegedly discontinued their ad spend on the platform. General Electric was among the first companies reported to have done so, and has made it clear that the reason behind the move was their pointed concern about the direction of the company. Several other companies have taken the same course of action, especially after the publishing of this open letter to traditionally high spending advertisers on the platform.
Mike Davis tweeted to a tweet Mr. Musk had published concerning the loss of revenue due to advertisers exiting the platform, saying:
“You have nearly 114,000,000 Twitter followers.
Name and shame the advertisers who are succumbing to the advertiser boycotts.
So we can counter-boycott them.
And get your $8 monthly subscription going asap.
So we can start to makeup for lost revenue now.”
— @mrddmia
In response to this, Elon was very straightforward in saying:
“Thank you.
A thermonuclear name & shame is exactly what will happen if this continues.”
— @elonmusk
The original tweet sent out by Elon read as follows:
“Twitter has had a massive drop in revenue, due to activist groups pressuring advertisers, even though nothing has changed with content moderation and we did everything we could to appease the activists.
Extremely messed up! They’re trying to destroy free speech in America.”
— @elonmusk
In another tweet, Mr. Musk runs a poll asking the general public whether advertisers should support freedom of speech or political “correctness.” 78% of almost 03 million Twitter users voted for freedom of speech.
Elon Musk vs. Twitter
On Friday, November 04, 2022, approximately 3,800 people were exited from their roles at Twitter. The days surrounding this move have been anything but quiet, with headlines and shameless promotion from all sorts of publications and people. Here are some of the tweets commemorating the moment.
“In Slack, dozens of employees are posting the •• emoji as a possible farewell.
Anticipating the loss of half their colleagues, some have begun calling Friday “The Snap” and posting Thanos memes.”
“Also worth noting: the email that just went out to every Twitter employee is unsigned.
Whatever is about to happen, Elon is not putting his name on it.”
— @CaseyNewton
“Has it already started? Happy layoff eve!”
— @ruchowdh
“The five stages of grief for Tweeps: 1) denial 2) anger 3) bargaining 4) depression 5) aggressively re-reading the acquisition faq section on severance packages.”
— @kltelles
“Hey Twitter employees getting laid off tomorrow! IMPORTANT INFO from a CA employment attorney (me):
CA’s “WARN” law requires Twitter to give you 60 days notice of a massive layoff.
A layoff of 50+ employees within a 30 day period qualifies.
I know you didn’t get that notice.”
“I’m now in contact with many Twitter workers who reached out to me about a class action lawsuit overnight.
You had the right to 60 days notice under federal and state WARN Acts.
You didn’t get it.
Mr. Musk, the storm is coming.
#TwitterLayoffs”
— @LisaBloom
Here, employment attorney Lisa Bloom shamelessly promotes herself and shares her speculation that the layoffs at Twitter are unlawful. In a bold move, she recommends that every employee dismissed in this colossal mass of layoffs reach out to her office to begin the process of suing Twitter immediately.
“Last night, friends from the birdapp reached out to us, asking us to publish a layoff guide for their coworkers.
It is written thoughtfully and with great care. IF you work at the company, we encourage you to take a look.”
— @tech_actions
Collective Action in Tech shares a public list of independently recommended action items for people who suspect they will be dismissed from their roles to consider before the layoffs actually take place.
“To summarize:
Elon was legally forced to buy Twitter even though he wanted to get out of the deal
Twitter was losing money every month due to poor management
But now that he is restructuring the company to keep 50% of the jobs, it’s all his fault and he is bad?
🤔🤨🙄🤭”
— @alex_avoigt
“Only 25% of the layoffs were Elon’s doing. The other 25% were going to happen regardless of his ownership.”
— @Techgnostic
“Before Musk took over the site, Twitter had already planned broad layoffs, which would have affected up to a quarter of the staff, according to people familiar with the plans. The Post reported previously the company’s board was planning to cut thousands of jobs as part of an effort to save $700 million in labor costs.”
“Regarding Twitter’s reduction in force, unfortunately there is no choice when the company is losing over $4M/day.
Everyone exited was offered 3 months of severance, which is 50% more than legally required.”
— @elonmusk
In response to all the noise that was made about this sizable wave of workforce reduction at Twitter, Elon Musk asserted that the layoffs were inevitable, and that the actual severance was exceedingly generous.
Sidenote: Interestingly enough, Elon vs. Twitter was sort of an actual thing—meaning they almost ended up battling in a court case prior over the completion of Elon’s acquisition of the company.
Elon Musk vs. The World
The list of people opposed to Elon Musk, his acquisition of Twitter and the direction he has planned to take the social media platform in is virtually endless. Or so it seems. In an ironic plot twist, the controversies over the new ownership, paired with changes to content moderation and the introduction of the $8 access to Twitter Blue, have helped skyrocket Twitter usage to an all time high, per Elon himself.
It is unclear whether or not Elon will be successful with his ultimate vision for Twitter, however, if there is one thing we are willing to bet on, it is that he will not be backing down any time soon.
“Twitter usage is at an all time high lol”
“I just hope the servers don’t melt!”
— @elonmusk
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