In 2018, when the whole world thought Tesla was going to go bankrupt:
- Mercedes predicted: "It'll go bankrupt by summer"
- BMW said: "They'll never mass produce it"
- Wall Street said: "Production nightmare" So Elon Musk decided to move to the factory, bringing his determination and his pillow. What happened next surprised all CEOs. Tesla not only survived, but also exploded powerfully from the abyss The change was truly drastic: Musk personally inspected each production station.
- Rewrote software code when necessary.
- Fired managers who didn't share his vision right away.
- Called suppliers at 3 a.m. to pick up parts.
- One night, workers even found him covered in oil while repairing a Model 3 that other engineers had "given up on."
- Elon told engineers, "We either fix it or we die." The laughter in the auto industry began to die down when the numbers came in:
- First week: 202 Model 3s.
- Third month: 5,000 per week.
- End of year: First profitable quarter. Tesla went from being ridiculed to a real threat, turning into a real threat that began to make the entire industry wary. "It was a very painful time. I don't know, but I was probably a little crazy," Elon shared. Traditional automakers had:
- Over 100 years of experience.
- Billions of dollars in cash reserves.
- Strong global supply chains.
- Deep political ties.
Today?
Tesla is worth more than Toyota, GM, Ford, and BMW combined.
In just a few years, Elon Musk has transformed a mocked company into an automotive giant, proving that perseverance and vision can change an entire industry. 💎