jim

Robotaxi updates Service – Operating hours are now 6am - 2am Features – Rear view camera feed now available to view during your ride – Trip details can be shared with a friend – New Live Activity design & experience – Calm Mode dims the screen & sets cabin lighting to a relaxing state – Grok now available on our Model Y vehicles Accessibility – Improved vehicle locating arrow in the app – Added haptic feedback to assist users in finding their vehicle – Music Control via Screen Reader

I know everyone hates on W-2 employees who want to have a side hustle or buy a business while they’re still working. Everybody loves to tell you why you can’t do that. The problem is, in today’s world, you probably NEED to do that. There’s nothing better than a $250,000-a-year job. The only problem? The older you get, the more likely you are to be laid off. The longer it’s likely to take you to find another. The cheaper your replacements. The more AI can disrupt. And layoffs are growing. 55% of displaced workers ages 55–64 were employed again when surveyed, compared with 75% of workers ages 25–54. So what happens when you’re 45 or 50? Are you going to start a brand-new business and compete with everybody who’s young, has fewer responsibilities, and has an idea you’ve never even thought of? So you can spend the first 2–3 years potentially being unprofitable, paying out of pocket to build the thing? Oh, and by the way, about HALF of new employer businesses don’t even make it to year five. Sure, make fun of the W-2 employees in their 40s and 50s who want a side hustle. Make fun of the guy who makes $250K and wants to buy a $1M revenue plumbing business. Or the woman making $300K in consulting who wants to buy a bookkeeping firm. Or the executive who wants to own a laundromat while keeping his day job. But what are they actually doing? Diversifying away from a single-income trap. At a time when their costs are incredibly high. They have kids to take care of. Colleges to pay for. Mortgages, health insurance, aging parents, and a lifestyle that they can’t just easily roll back. We tell people to diversify their investments constantly. Don’t put all your money in one stock. Don’t put all your eggs in one basket. But putting 100% of your income in the hands of one employer? Apparently that’s responsible. This is why I think acquisition, while certainly not easy, is often a pretty rational choice for people who have W-2s, work hard, and are competent. Could you fail? Yes but look at the SBI failure rate for businesses, located in our communities less than 8%. Because a $250K salary is great. Until someone else decides it’s $0. Tell me where I’m wrong.