Volkswagen is not Tesla

"VW boss Herbert Diess emulates Elon Musk. That always brings drama with it, like this week. The corporation has no time for such an act.

This week, Volkswagen was once again a stage that offers entertaining material. At the beginning of the week, Herbert Diess, the boss, sent a lively selfie of himself and an electric VW into the world. A weekend trip to Styria where both shone in the sun.

The employee representatives in Europe's largest industrial group can do little with this self-portrayal, which he often practices, but the new works council boss Daniela Cavallo has so far let him show off. But this week her collar burst, understandably: This is acting unprecedentedly provocative, never in the history of Volkswagen has a manager been so ignorant and disrespectful to the workforce in times of crisis, she wrote in a letter that was as open as it was sharp . It was about self-portrayal, but above all about the fact that the chairman of the board wants to have the stage all to himself in Wolfsburg. Because of a trip to investors in the US, he could not attend the regular works meeting (the first in two years), he said. Instead, he had arranged a separate audience for 200 employees.

Cavallo's message worked. This is coming now, the investor visit has been postponed. The curtain could now fall and the audience could say - quite accurately -: The right side has prevailed. Diplomatic employee woman wins over cheeky employer man, so to speak. Wolfsburg against Wall Street. Participation against big money.

But the next act is sure to come - and the underlying problem is bigger than these scenes.

Because Diess has the trillion in mind, i.e. Elon Musk, who has meanwhile pushed Tesla to this market value. The VW Group builds around 20 times as many vehicles as Tesla - but is only worth a seventh as much, despite all the brands from Audi to Porsche. 

 

Catching up seems a long way off, as the core brand VW needs twice as long to build a car as its US competitor.

 

Volkswagen has to become more modern - but not by emulating the US competition

Diess’s plan, which is understandable at first glance: VW should become like Tesla. He also emulates Elon Musk personally. Everything pays off. His communication strategy including selfies and live conversations with the role model, the planned trip to the USA to see investors and the pressure from his board of directors on the headquarters in Wolfsburg. More efficiency! Faster decisions! Otherwise the situation will soon be life-threatening!

 

The finding is correct, yes, but Diess also has to be aware that the market value is not the decisive factor for the success of VW. The state of Lower Saxony and the Porsche and Piëch families hold three quarters of the company. The finances are well organized at the moment. And the people at VW are more loyal to their company than is the case elsewhere, which is also due to the legally anchored special say.

 

These structures can only be perceived as an obstacle, especially if, like Diess, one constantly compares it with Tesla, where Musk rules as the sole ruler. 

 

Or you take VW for what it is: a company that has a high level of competence and a strong foundation. 

 

And that is incredibly complicated and also encrusted, of course that too. VW definitely has to renew itself. But the continued use of destructive devices by Diess - the images used by VW employees vary from sledgehammers to arson - is not doing the company any good. At least not in this frequency. Because the small and large spectacles and friction cost attention in all departments, with all 670,000 people. And wasting time that VW actually doesn't have.

 

Especially since actually all the relevant forces, including the employees under the actually compensatory Cavallo, want to successfully lead this shop into the future, at the end of which there is the self-driving electric car and as many jobs as possible. 

 

This path is damned exhausting and difficult anyway - even without communicative drama."

Anti-koronaviruso priemonės būtinos, net esant dideliam skiepijimo lygiui

„Nešioti kaukę, nepaisant vakcinacijos? Remdamiesi nauju tyrimu, Didžiosios Britanijos mokslininkai rekomenduoja laikytis koronaviruso taisyklių, net jei skiepijimosi lygis yra didelis. Jie rodo, kad kartais visiškai paskiepytų žmonių viruso kiekis yra didelis. .

Remdamiesi nauju tyrimu, britų mokslininkai rekomenduoja laikytis koronaviruso taisyklių, net ir esant dideliam skiepijimo lygiui. 

 

„Išlaikomos priemonės plitimui sustabdyti, tokios, kaip kaukių dėvėjimas, atstumo laikymasis ir testai, išlieka svarbios net skiepytiems žmonėms“, – rašė Anika Singanayagam iš Imperial College, ketvirtadienį žurnale „Lancet Infectious Diseases London“ paskelbto tyrimo bendraautorė.

 

Didžiosios Britanijos mokslininkai išanalizavo 621 žmogaus, užsikrėtusio koronavirusu nuo 2020 m. rugsėjo mėn. iki 2021 m. rugsėjo mėn., ligos duomenis. Jiems pasireiškė lengvi simptomai arba simptomų nebuvo. Naudodami kasdienius PGR testus, mokslininkai galėjo išanalizuoti, kiek laiko dalyviai buvo užkrėsti ir koks didelis buvo jų virusų kiekis. 

 

Išaiškėjo: net visiškai paskiepyti žmonės vis dar turi tam tikrą riziką užsikrėsti Delta variantu ir užkrėsti kitus savo namų ūkio narius. Kartais jų virusų kiekis buvo panašus į neskiepytų.

 

Pasak tyrimo autorių, rezultatai paaiškina, kodėl visame pasaulyje paplitęs, labai užkrečiamas, Delta variantas taip pat gali sukelti didelį infekcijų skaičių šalyse, kuriose yra didelis skiepijimo lygis, pavyzdžiui, Didžiojoje Britanijoje. „Mūsų rezultatai rodo, kad vien skiepų nepakanka apsaugoti žmones nuo užsikrėtimo Delta variantu ir jo plitimo namuose“, – rašė vienas iš pagrindinių autorių Ajitas Lalvani iš Londono imperatoriškojo koledžo.

 

Corona measures necessary even with high vaccination rates

“Wear a mask despite vaccination? Based on a new study, British researchers recommend adhering to the corona rules even if the vaccination rate is high. They point to the high viral load at times in those who are fully vaccinated.

 

Based on a new study, British researchers recommend that corona rules should be maintained even with high vaccination rates. "Ongoing measures to contain the spread such as wearing masks, keeping your distance and testing remain important, even for vaccinated people," wrote Anika Singanayagam of Imperial College, co-author of a study published Thursday in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases London.

 

For the study, the British researchers analyzed the disease data of 621 people who became infected with corona between September 2020 and September 2021 and showed mild or no symptoms. Using daily PCR tests, the researchers were able to analyze how long the participants had been infectious and how high their viral load was.

 

It came out: Even fully vaccinated people still have a certain risk of contracting the Delta variant and infecting other members of their household. At times, their viral load was similar to that of the unvaccinated.

 

According to the authors of the study, the results provide an explanation for why the globally prevalent, highly contagious Delta variant can also cause high numbers of infections in countries with high vaccination rates such as Great Britain. "Our results show that vaccinations alone are not enough to protect people from contracting the Delta variant and spreading it in their homes," wrote one of the lead authors, Ajit Lalvani of Imperial College London."