That you've received so many downvotes is indicative of HN's perpetual Musk boner.
Musk is a state-sponsored winner, a Jack Ma, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, or Bill Gates. He is an undeserving, decade-long recipient of government grants and contracts obtained through relationships to politicians and career bureaucrats. His sole talent is finessing the work of skilled engineers and marketing that as his personal brand. He's not even a particularly good manager, as reflected in the varied outcomes of his businesses.
If the government gave a dozen fresh MBA graduates the same amount of money and influence, maybe one of them will build an incredible business that stands on its own merit like SpaceX. Another might build something like Tesla, which takes on ten billion dollars of debt and fails to turn an annual profit over fourteen years of operation. A full half, like SolarCity, will lose money for years and reach bankruptcy proceedings. And none of them will have a cousin of loose ethics that is willing to rescue a business that failed on its merits.
Musk is a state-sponsored winner, a Jack Ma, Mikhail Khodorkovsky, or Bill Gates. He is an undeserving, decade-long recipient of government grants and contracts obtained through relationships to politicians and career bureaucrats. His sole talent is finessing the work of skilled engineers and marketing that as his personal brand. He's not even a particularly good manager, as reflected in the varied outcomes of his businesses.
If the government gave a dozen fresh MBA graduates the same amount of money and influence, maybe one of them will build an incredible business that stands on its own merit like SpaceX. Another might build something like Tesla, which takes on ten billion dollars of debt and fails to turn an annual profit over fourteen years of operation. A full half, like SolarCity, will lose money for years and reach bankruptcy proceedings. And none of them will have a cousin of loose ethics that is willing to rescue a business that failed on its merits.