It is that sense of undisciplined risk taking that I am referring to. Model Y was supposed to be a money maker. Instead he let the better part get to him and added so many bells and whistles that it delayed it and was not even cheap.
Tesla production had so many problems before. Lots of jobs were lost because of this. Guess who remembers those job cuts? Me. Part of me believes anyone with slightly more discipline could have done a better job.
With any other investor those production issues would never had existed because the production lines themselves would have never existed. Most normal capital providers would have not allowed or taken such a bold risk. So is it sad that jobs were lost? Sure. But they existed at one point when otherwise wouldn’t have with the standard more risk averse investor looking for a more immediate ROI.
His lack of discipline and departure from conventional wisdom is the reason Tesla, SpaceX exist today. Without his patience and capital they would all be footnotes of failed companies in their respective industries.
I think you could probably make the argument that those industries might not even be serious if Musk’s risks and patience didn’t demonstrate their viability.
You are claiming that without Elon, there would be no Tesla. That is acknowledged. He should not be the leader anymore. And should not have been the leader for a while.
> His lack of discipline and departure from conventional wisdom is the reason ...
... he is good at startups. Without his resources (network of talent located in Tesla and SpaceX), none of those startups would do anywhere as well. But Tesla and SpaceX would do better!
The discipline line isn't even that high. Just stay down and stay quiet until you have a press release. Like every other billionaire did. But given his Twitter habits it's clear that he has this compulsive need to be in the limelight, no matter the method nor perception.
Tesla production had so many problems before. Lots of jobs were lost because of this. Guess who remembers those job cuts? Me. Part of me believes anyone with slightly more discipline could have done a better job.