Named engineers making public statements with their reputation on the line is not the same thing as "my friends told me." One is falsifiable, the other is not. That's not a double standard, that's basic epistemology.
I've watched Elon build rockets for years. Here's him walking you through metal parts from early SpaceX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCc2F8KccD4. You're pretending he's not technical for ideological points. That's why you need sweeping assertions and "friend's testimonies," because the actual footage doesn't support you. I could give you hours of Elon doing engineering on camera and you'd still call it a puff piece. You're trying to prove an impossible thing.
What specifically did your friends take issue with?
I've watched Elon build rockets for years. Here's him walking you through metal parts from early SpaceX: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OCc2F8KccD4. You're pretending he's not technical for ideological points. That's why you need sweeping assertions and "friend's testimonies," because the actual footage doesn't support you. I could give you hours of Elon doing engineering on camera and you'd still call it a puff piece. You're trying to prove an impossible thing.
What specifically did your friends take issue with?