I agree. Elon is what made the car known. These two struggled with getting a prototype done. They never had plans to mass build the cars. They didn’t even start off making cars. The prototype was to show their drive train.
For all his flaws, Elon vision is what pushed Tesla forward.
Otherwise, if these guys were the ones to do it. You think they’d have done it again but their other companies didn’t blow up. They’ve struggled. Good engineers are not always good at everything. They were good engineers. Strategy, marketing, etc that want their thing and nobody markets like Elon
Most things started after money came in. But that was always the plan.
So Elon brought money. Say that. Calling him a founder brings an idea that he brought the ideas, which he didn't. He should be called a venture capitalist.
Can you point to where I called him a founder? I get Elon bad, but had he not shown up, there would be no Tesla.
He brought in billions of dollars to invest. Not all of it was his, of course, he talked his friends into investing as well.
I am a big fan of the Tesla car, I am not a fan of Elon but I respect he drove the electric car forward. While he has constantly over promised and under delivered, the car is a good car.
eta: I also think Tesla has outgrown Elon at this point. I think he does more harm than good for the company now.
I never called him a founder. Bum fighting over who’s the founder is a silly argument. Had the original founders stayed in charge. There would be no Tesla today.
Elon is the reason Tesla is a household name. Otherwise they would have been another failed startup. It’s why their other EV ventures never took off. They are great engineers but there is more to a product than engineering.