Sorry, are you interested in Tesla's founding story, or your opinion about it? Because, just like your recollection of the price-points of Apple products in the past, your opinion diverges from what Tesla says their goals are and were:
"Tesla's primary goal was to commercialize electric vehicles, starting with a premium sports car aimed at early adopters and then moving as rapidly as possible into more mainstream vehicles, including sedans and affordable compacts"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tesla_Motors
"Tesla's primary goal was to commercialize electric vehicles, starting with a premium sports car aimed at early adopters and then moving as rapidly as possible into more mainstream vehicles, including sedans and affordable compacts"
https://www.teslamotors.com/blog/secret-tesla-motors-master-... (August 2, 2006)
Let's keep Hacker News grounded in reality, please.