【This Ain't Cops XXX (2010)】

Ahh,This Ain't Cops XXX (2010) tech industry hubris. It never ceases to inspire.

On Thursday, Elon Musk held an information session to discuss the progress of his Boring Company, and share his vision for the future of transportation in Los Angeles. What that amounts to is ... wait for it .... a series of tunnels! That pedestrians can access through a magnitude of street-level stations, no larger than — hang on — a parking spot!

Sound familiar? The good citizens of Twitter thought so.

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Musk's proposed solution to Los Angeles traffic is basically a high-speed subway system. He recently completed 2.7 miles of track for a proof of concept. And on Thursday, he got approval from the city of Los Angeles to run tests. If expanded, Musk said that his transportation tunnels would use individual cars that travel at 150 mph, and provide rides at just $1 a pop.

Those high speeds and low costs would certainly be an improvement on the current state of mass transit in the US, and in Los Angeles. But the underlying concept is not exactly revelatory.

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The wonder with which Musk announced these visionary plans is what really got Twitter all riled up. Twitter users criticized him for not realizing that he was basically describing a subway, but also for the all-too-common tech industry attitude his plans represent: that he, a tech businessman, is fit to ~revolutionize~ transportation. Not urban planners, not community members, certainly not public transit experts. But Musk.

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Los Angeles actually is in the midst of expanding its subway and light rail system, and has made considerable progress. But the decades-long project has faced budgetary stall after community opposition after roadblock. Which is why some Angelenos were taken aback when the city allowed Musk to drill, baby, drill without so much as an environmental impact study.

This is also far from the first time a tech company has announced a new product or service like it was The Second Coming, only to have the internet point out (in hilarious and glorious fashion) that what they'd invented was something extremely basic that already exists.

Take, for example, a startup that "let neighbors pool their money to invest in their communities." The internet helpfully noted that they'd invented taxes. Or the much-maligned Bodega bros, who created.... a vending machine.

And, of course, who can forget the advent of the Lyft shuttle, Uber Express Pool, and Chariot — inventors of the bus.

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But hey, if Musk's charm and vision can cut through the bureaucracy that's kept Los Angeles gridlocked for decades, that's awesome. Let's just maybe do it with a *bit* of perspective, and an ego check.

You're right, that's asking too much.

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