Elon musk's power and integrity | Ramblin' & Amblin' | Nov 5, 2026
Ramblin' & Amblin' Field Notes with Mike Hall (Staff Software Engineer)
Recorded on the move: engineering observations, systems architecture, and software craftsmanship reflections.
• Series Playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLNtb969T2-l0
• The Sound Above Curriculum: https://www.just3ws.com/series/the-sound-above/
• Canonical Profile: https://www.just3ws.com
Spoken Overview:
"turning this one back around to myself because I'm not going to be shy about what I'm saying here is, and I'm not being shy, I just think usually it's more fun to watch me plod along in nature, maybe you can even mute me and just..."
Recorded: November 5, 2026
The Interviewer
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
turning this one back around to myself because I'm not
going to be shy about what I'm saying here is, and I'm not
being shy, I just think usually it's more fun to watch me
plod along in nature, maybe you can even mute me and just
enjoy the walk. The most, whatever the, on paper, the richest man in the
world, who bought an entire platform, which on announcement
of him, his intention to buy it, I deleted my Just3W's
account, and that was my primary account,
and, uh, you know, if, if, if anybody's cybersquatted, it
seems I don't know, and, uh, to be honest, I really, uh, I
really don't care, I do care, I mean, I don't, I don't like
the idea, um, but, uh, that's the world we live in, uh,
but, what I'm laughing about now is, he owns the platform,
he, a free speech advocate, uh, is now being caught by
people that pay attention, um, deleting his own tweets. Own it, man, you, you thought you had us, you thought you
had us, you were in, we were locked in what I feel like is
those scenes in a movie. Uh, where, uh, where, uh, the villain is gloating, and, and
they're just being malicious and cruel, and they're, they
're taunting, uh, the protagonist, so the antagonist is, is
taunting the, uh, protagonist.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
We are the, we are the protagonist in this story. Elon Musk is the antagonist. Uh,
thinks he owns the whole building. He's got everything locked up, we're trapped,
and then he pulls his gun,
and he thinks he's, he's got you.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And, uh,
pulls that trigger. Click. Hmm. Hmm.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Oh, this is awkward. This is awkward. You're in a really awkward situation right now. And now that you're trying to say,
you didn't really mean it,
you, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, me, delete, delete
, delete, delete.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Um,
let me introduce you to a famous liberal,
Barbara Streisand. Um,
and that these people
are the thinnest skin,
weakest,
most pathetic,
unable to survive
in the slightest bit of adversity. I'm out here,
uh,
and I know there's a person,
I know somebody,
who's at SpaceX,
and that person disappoints me a great deal. Is there a person who is the exact kind of person
that Elon Musk has made no bones about his opinion of those
people?
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And, uh,
I'm not naming names. I won't do it,
I won't even say anything more,
except to say that I know somebody,
and I talked to that individual
when they were leaving
to go join that company. And I said,
you know,
you know who you're going to work for? And they didn't care.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
They were just going to make a lot of money. And, uh,
they didn't care about what,
what any of,
any of that person they were working for
had fought for
and paid
hundreds of millions,
if not billions of dollars
to
advance their agenda. And they
even bought an entire platform. But they still went.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
As far as I know,
they're still there. And, uh,
you know,
I've had people throw that back in my face, too,
that I defend
those people. And
I have to remind
those people
that
it isn't
the failing
or
the lack of resolve
or
integrity. Just
don't do it.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Yeah,
you're not,
you're not going to make that big
ex-cash. Uh,
but you're also not going to be a sellout, too. And a, uh,
uh,
any more,
and I start to reveal too much
with the person. The, uh,
I said no to Facebook
before it was cool
to say no to Facebook.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And it's not that I would have made it. Mm-mm. It's that when they offered,
I said,
no,
thank you. I do not like how you do business.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And I do not want to be affiliated
with your company. and it's like what I did
in another company,
SK,
when
they ran into a certain
predicament
and I said,
no,
I won't work on that project
and it cost me. It cost me. None of this comes for free.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Integrity
is, uh,
expensive. And when you talk about
your own,
you feel like a fraud. At least I do. Because I know my failings, too.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
But I also,
the fact that I know my failings
is actually
itself a solid integrity. Anywho,
they thought they had us locked up. And,
oh yeah,
trains reminded me. The real reason I,
nothing was weaker.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Like,
I'm,
I don't delete
comments. Um,
I've taken down,
uh,
blogs and things like that,
but that was more,
I just was taking it down
because I just didn't want
to deal with it anymore. But if I've said something,
um,
even if I'm,
I'm in,
I'm read it
in the negative territory,
it stands. Because somebody else
sees that I've gone
through threads
and seen,
and looked for the,
uh,
most repugnant takes
and then looked at
the most downvoted votes
and it was anybody
that was
not on board
with that
repugnant,
um,
thought.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
And,
um,
usually it was
the people
that were saying,
what are you doing
that were downvoted
the most
or deleted
by moderators. And,
uh,
now,
now I'm looking
at the most powerful
person in the world
who shouldn't care
at all
what anybody thinks,
but he does. but he does. And do I think
he'll ever see this?
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
No. No, I do not. I'd actually rather
he didn't
because I don't care
about him. This isn't for him.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
This is for you. This is for you. The person who found
the most downvoted comment
that was pointing out
how weak it is
to delete your own comments
just because
they're unpopular. Now,
if you're in danger,
you're vulnerable,
I understand,
but there's also
a line where it's,
you're just selling
your own identity
and you get
to take advantage
of the hard work
other people are doing
to,
uh,
to help protect you.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
But that's okay. Um,
I've,
I've,
I'm going to take a phrase
that I've heard from,
um,
and listen,
I'm,
I don't say
African American,
I say black
because
I know that's not
a unified block
that is from Africa. Um,
so if there's
a better phrasing,
um,
I'm,
I'm always tuning
in
so
I just hope
that,
uh,
my phrasing here
is,
you know,
that,
uh,
barring a phrase
that I've heard
from,
uh,
black communities
online
is all skin folk
ain't kin folk. And,
uh,
I thought that was
and I enunciated
there just to be clear.
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
I'm not trying
to be funny here. Um,
all kin folk
aren't skin folk. I mean,
all skin folk
aren't kin folk. You know,
and that just
because they look
like you
doesn't mean
they're not
going to sell you
out in a second
because they think
it's going to get
that individual
so that,
you know,
we,
the trick is
being mindful
that even,
even if it's
a,
um,
a person
who's,
who's a complete
sellout
to their own
people
that it doesn't
mitigate or
alleviate
any responsibility
to,
to not
apply
a universal,
um,
yeah,
are there
universals
to,
uh,
and,
and,
and stereotypes?
Mike Hall
Host, Ramblin' & Amblin'
▶ Speaking
Yeah,
for white people
or tacos? I love
white people
taco,
um,
and I was
afraid of
hot sauce
up until
my son
helped me,
uh,
get over that
when my kids
I think it was
actually my
daughter,
my oldest
daughter,
who,
uh,
introduced the,
uh,
the hot sauce
and then,
uh,
my son has
really refined
it,
and now I've
come to,
uh,
love it,
so now,
a white person
taco in our
house,
um,
is just
slathered
in chalupa,
just red sauce,
and I got the
chipotle sauce too,
it's great,
but you know
what I never
do? Delete my
comments. Alright,
thanks,
bye.