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Tesla's Autopilot System Is Challenged to a Duel, but Musk Ignores It

Remember George Hotz? Probably not, which is partly why he is so upset. He's a bit of a genius, and yet he doesn't have nearly the same public awareness as somebody like say... Elon Musk.
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Photo: Collage of YouTube and wikimedia images
The two are very similar in a lot of ways, but a lot of people will say that Hotz lacks that tenacious businessman nature that Musk proved to be so good at. He's more the romantic type, a guy who doesn't seek his peers' recognition, even though he probably needs it without even realizing it. But he's 26, so there's plenty of time.

He started his career as a hacker, being the first man to break into the OS of an iPhone; and then set his sights on the Sony PlayStation gaming console. After that, he decided to do something more useful, so he set on turning his white Acura into a self-driving car using nothing more than smartphone cameras, a PC running Ubuntu, and a LIDAR sensor. And, of course, the software he developed.

Last time we heard from George was in December when he took a journalist for a ride in his self-developed autonomous Acura. George's declared intention is to build a $1,000 self-driving package that can be installed on virtually any car with minor modifications. And this isn't his lifetime goal either: he plans to have it ready by the end of the year.

Hotz created a startup called comma.ai through which he managed to gain significant funding, allowing him to move forward with his project at an accelerated speed. And George isn't wasting any time, having just challenged Elon Musk to an autonomous race across the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco between his car and Tesla's Autopilot system.

If this sounds a bit odd, it's because you don't yet know there's a bit of history between the two. Elon Musk heard about Hotz's achievements a while back and wanted to get him to work for Tesla. He probably didn't evaluate George's psychological profile too well because not only did Hotz turn down a "multi-million dollar offer" but there now appears to be some sort of feud between the two tech-geniuses. Well, at least one way, since Elon Musk has kept largely quiet on the subject, apart from a post on Tesla's blog.

We'll probably never know what exactly went on when these two met, but George is rapidly turning into Tesla's number one troll. Just to get an idea, you should know his car's license plate reads "FUELON." Well, at least he's got a sense of humor. Speaking of which, we're still not sure if this Golden Gate Bridge challenge isn't also a troll move on his part, since navigating a straight bridge with clear road markings is something any car with a basic lane-keeping assist system and adaptive cruise control should be able to do. Is he trying to suggest that he's taking things down a notch just to give Tesla a chance? Or is he being serious about it?

Speaking to British publication The Guardian, Hotz said, “I think we can maybe build better self-driving cars. He [Elon Musk] can build a better rocket.” The Tesla CEO isn't very likely to pick up the thrown gauntlet, and Hotz knows it. You couldn't really say he's counting on it, though: you get the impression he'd gladly go head-to-head against the Autopilot system.

But even though everything Hotz and his startup, comma.ai, do seems to be somehow in spite of Elon Musk, George isn't being absurd. Asked what he thinks about the new car from Tesla, he said, “The Model 3 looks awesome. I want one.” Well, keep this attitude up, George, and the only way you'll ever get one is if you buy it used. And given how things are going with Tesla's production, you might be 40 by the time that happens.
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About the author: Vlad Mitrache
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"Boy meets car, boy loves car, boy gets journalism degree and starts job writing and editing at a car magazine" - 5/5. (Vlad Mitrache if he was a movie)
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