Mea culpa. I still think Elon Musk is generally overrated, but I personally underrated him in the past.
I had thought of him as a PT Barnum who merely arbitraged government subsidies for renewable tech. But he's a clever, if not as innovative as people think, entrepreneur.
I had thought of him as a PT Barnum who merely arbitraged government subsidies for renewable tech. But he's a clever, if not as innovative as people think, entrepreneur.
Very little about a Tesla vehicle is truly and radically new...but it has multiplied the number of electric vehicles on the road and made them *cool*, which is a vital step towards mass consumer adoption. Battery costs have fallen as a result. He's challenged the dealer monopoly.
Very little about SpaceX's underlying tech is truly novel--other launch companies did more innovation--but Musk combined other people's innovations with a tact for multi-stakeholder buy-in and is beating NASA at the space game so severely that NASA has bought in!
Same is true with photovoltaics and other side projects.
One way of putting it is that Musk is more Steve Jobs than Steve Wozniak, more style and branding than innovative substance. But...you need those too. So props to Musk the entrepreneur if not to Musk the innovator.
One way of putting it is that Musk is more Steve Jobs than Steve Wozniak, more style and branding than innovative substance. But...you need those too. So props to Musk the entrepreneur if not to Musk the innovator.
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