Are they? Or are they making cars that are less efficient, regardless of battery tech?

The Taycan for example, is clearly not focused on being as efficient as possible. It's an opulent car with all the heavy soundproofing and insulation people buying these types of cars expect.

The Mach E is probably the most normal looking EV suv, and it's Cd ends up being the highest of the bunch despite not even having door handles.

I don't think efficiency is the big win people are acting like it is. Just like there are gas guzzlers and econoboxes that get miles and miles per gallon, there will be more or less efficient EVs.

Efficiency by itself is not going to be a differentiator forever because past a certain range figure, most people's needs are met. From there "splurging" an extra 5 cents per mile to have their preferred car is not a problem

Rationalists seem extremely common amongst the $300k+/year software engineers I know. If that isn’t “successful”, then I’m not sure we’re using the same word anymore.

You can argue that the causal arrow doesn’t point in the right direction—that is, that people that are successful just happen to wear the affectation of “rationalist” because that happens to be fashionable, and not that their rationalism led them to a “successful” career, but that doesn’t seem to hold up against scrutiny, in my experience. Of those that I personally know, most have been engaged with the community since at least the golden days of lesswrong.