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McLean: Elon Musk has repeatedly lied to secure funding for his vision

Bethany McLean · #85 Bethany McLean: Crafting a Narrative · Jun 9, 2020 · at 30:53

Investigative journalist Bethany McLean discusses the thin line between corporate visionaries and fraudsters with host Shane Parrish.

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“That's certainly true of Elon Musk. Wherever you believe he sits in that spectrum, when you look at his history, he's for sure lied at many points in time in order to keep funding his dream.”

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