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His theatrics aside, he wants to make electric cars viable and take us to mars. Even if he ultimately fails, if he makes everyone else rise up to compete with h

• threeseed 12y ago
  Tesla didn't start the electric car resurgence nor is it likely to take us to Mars. The way I see it Elon is rising up to those around him not the other way around.
  • dredmorbius 12y ago
    Elon is rising up to those around him Sometimes -- and I'd argue often -- leadership consists more of both 1) getting out of the way of and 2) enabling those who Want To Get Shit Done. I find the fanboiism somewhat tedious (I don't find the top comment of this thread all that insightful), but I do admire Musk for seeming to hit a number of remarkable goals. That said, I find Tesla and Solar City more impressive/promising than SpaceX (technical challenges and accomplishments notwithstanding) or the Hyperloop (ultimately an idea that's been rightfully junked in the past). Given the history of US industry of doing just the opposite -- stalling and preventing needed innovation -- if I had to pick a single attribute of his that I find most encouraging it's his leadership in that regard.
  • tsotha 12y ago
    He may not ever get to Mars, but he's doing something far more important, which is to drastically reduce the cost of putting things into LEO. If he can get it low enough a whole list of things pencil out that weren't economically feasible in the past, like space-based solar power generation. Without SpaceX it's likely the business would have muddled along without putting any effort into reducing costs for decades.
    • avmich 12y ago
      Yes. The biggest achievement of SpaceX so far was economical and organizational. Musk cleverly employs latest - which are considered common sense in other industries - approaches to the industry known for its conservatism. That gives them - eventually - proverbial kick in the sensitive parts, making them care more.