What’s in it for me? Learn what drove Elon Musk to the pinnacle of success

Under Musk, Tesla Motors gave the electric car a future.
Electric cars used to have a less-than-cool reputation; they were certainly no match for high-power brands like Jaguar and Ferrari. But if you’ve seen any of the new Formula E cars, you’ll know things are changing. One man pushed harder than the rest to make electric cars cool and desirable, and that was Elon Musk.
Musk helped the world recognize electric-car technology for what it was: exciting, and always progressing.
It all started when J. B. Straubel and, unbeknownst to him, Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning, were working on electric cars powered by lithium-ion batteries. On July 1st, 2003, Eberhard and Tarpenning founded Tesla Motors; Straubel joined later.
The idea was to license the technology that AC Propulsion developed to power the tzero (a full electric car that accelerates faster than a Ferrari!), and to use the Lotus Elise chassis for the body of the car. But venture capitalists didn’t invest and didn’t see beyond the shoddy plastic finish of the tzero.
Musk, however, chose to invest $6.5 million, becoming the sole shareholder and chairman. He thought the project could revolutionize electric cars, making them popular and efficient, and the world a less polluted place.
Despite a slow and unceremonious beginning, Tesla emerged as a great success. In mid-2012, Tesla’s Model S sedan changed transportation forever. With continuous internet access and a sensor that allowed the driver to start the engine without touching a single button, it’s been referred to as a “computer with wheels.”
In November of 2012, Motor Trend named it car of the year, and later, Consumer Reports gave the car the highest rating in its history (99/100), declaring it probably the best car ever built! America hadn’t seen such a successful car company since the emergence of Chrysler, in 1925.
This achievement is rather astonishing, as Silicon Valley had been little involved in the automotive industry, and Musk hadn’t even manufactured cars before. But when we consider Musk’s determination, this success is perhaps not such a big surprise after all.