[Hofstadter's Law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hofstadter%27s_law): It always takes longer than you expect, even when you take into account Hofstadter's Law. Things take longer than you think, even when you try to account for it. So in a way, it's [[Useful fiction]] to *not* have buffers. This is what Elon does with unrealistic deadlines. He (at some level) knows that they are unattainable, but does his hardest to pretend that they are, probably even to himself. #published 2025-02-16