By Chris Ward, April 25, 2025
I’m not a Marxist, nor am I into communism—I love capitalism. Capitalism was meant to lift the world together as a unified force, promoting prosperity for all, a free market of ideas, and a pathway to a better life. To a certain extent, it has done that. Life today is undeniably better than it was 50 years ago: we have better technology, a deeper understanding of science, and improved living conditions.
But not everyone has prospered. Capitalism has morphed into a game of wealth extraction, and we’re expected to celebrate that. I love capitalism—but I hate what it has become.
Now, this article about the new Slate EV SUV/Pickup was supposed to be a straightforward news piece: it’s made in the USA, its a customisable modular EV with base models starting at $28,000, it has a battery of this size, a range of that much on a full charge, and it’ll go on sale on this date. Simple.
But then I found out Slate is backed by Jeff Bezos—and suddenly, I had second thoughts.
More than likely, Slate is heavily funded by government subsidies. After all, billionaire Bezos is practically a government employee, considering how many of his ventures rely on federal funding. American EV companies receive generous government support, and that money is often a mix of taxpayer dollars and loans.
And who provides loans to the U.S.? China.
So, in effect, the American-founded Slate EV company is partly brought to you by China. And in China—communist China—you can buy a similarly sized SUV that’s better built, more technologically advanced, and packed with more features, for less money than the Slate EV.
Yet the media celebrates Slate as if it’s some kind of miracle, a marvel that the U.S. can produce a bare-bones EV that can’t even compete with its Chinese counterparts in the same price range. The Slate is a prime example of modern capitalism—daylight robbery that highlights the growing divide in EV technology between the West and China.