Column: How Tesla found itself on the defense
MINYANVILLE Credit: MINYANVILLE
This year, electric-car maker Tesla Motors will account for less than 0.05% of the world’s passenger car output. Yet within the financial media bubble, it seems like it generates 99% of auto-industry headlines.
A few short months ago, that was a good thing. But now we’re seeing the flip side of the coin.
Tesla’s ascendancy to the spotlight came courtesy of two factors: a unique CEO and an outstanding product.
Elon Musk is the most interesting CEO in America. Not only does he make electric cars and rockets (through SpaceX), but he also presented an idea for a warp-speed, low-cost bullet-train substitute called Hyperloop.
As well, he was a driving force behind online-payment giant PayPal, which is now owned by eBay, and solar company SolarCity).